Classic Plain Cheesecake
This classic plain cheesecake is a crowd pleaser and gives the Cheesecake factory a run for it’s money! Baked low and slow in a water bath, the cream cheese filling is velvety smooth texture and perfectly complemented by a gently spiced graham cracker crust.
Enjoy this classic cheesecake plain on it’s own or dress it up with macerated fruit for a burst of summer flavor!
ingredients for the best cheesecake
- Cream cheese. Creamy cheese with a considerable amount of fat to carry flavor as well as moisture to give a soft and creamy dessert.
- Granulated sugar. Helps to enhance the flavor of the cream cheese by bringing forward the dairy’s natural sweetness
- Eggs. Acts as a binding agent for all the ingredients, ensuring that fats don’t separate out and make an oily mess during baking.
- Sour cream. Adds more fat and a slight tangy flavor to complement the cream cheese without being too overpowering
- All-purpose flour. Helps to bind all the ingredients together while absorbing a little moisture and gives the final product a subtle cloud-like texture.
- Heavy cream. Cream cheese has a pretty distinct tart flavor – heavy cream helps to balance this flavor with a neutral creaminess.
- Gelatin. Used in the whipped cream recipe as a stabilizer – preventing weeping once whipped and giving you the freedom to pipe decorations on your cheesecake.
- Fresh fruit. This cheesecake is perfection plain, with whipped cream or – my favorite adorned with fresh fruit! My go-to’s are usually strawberries and blueberries.
tips for the best cheesecake
- Use a springform pan for easy release.
- Use an oven thermometer. I recommend one for all baking recipes – especially if you have an older or gas oven. There can be hot spots within your oven or your oven’s readings may simply be off. Using an oven thermometer takes out the guess work to ensure your cheesecake isn’t underdone or overdone with a cracked top.
- Bake in a water bath! Water baths are my preferred method of preparing cheesecakes. It bakes it evenly and slowly resulting in the smoothest texture throughout and a pristine top without cracks
- Opt for oven bags instead of foil to seal your springform pan. The bags are seamless and offer a continuous seal to prevent water from leaking into your cheesecake.
- Don’t forget to scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl after creaming cream cheese and sugar to make sure everything is incorporated and to avoid lumps in your batter
- Mix your batter only until it is smooth to avoid incorporating too much air which can cause your cheesecake to overflow during baking or sink after baking is done.
- Allow for at lest an inch of space between the edge of your springform pan and the second (satué) pan for your water bath. Not leaving enough space can defeat the purpose of the water bath in the first place – there needs to be enough water circulating around springform pan to encourage even baking.
- Once baked the cheesecake should feel spongy, but still jiggle when the pan it tapped. It should resemble the jiggle of nicely set Jell-o. If your cheesecake jiggle resembles a waterbed it is still underdone.
- If you plan on transferring your cheesecake to a cake stand, do so before adding the toppings and add in a parchment circle to the bottom of the pan before baking for an easy transfer without having to flip the cheesecake or break or crumble the graham cracker crust.
- For the best results with the whipped cream topping, ensure that gelatin is still warm but not hot – it should feel comfortable on the back of your hand. Otherwise you’ll end up with clumps of gelatin
- Pick in-season fruit with a high water-content for best results with macerating. Macerating fruit simply involves adding sugar with some optional herbs and allowing the fruit to rest refrigerated for flavors deepen. The best fruit are juicy on their own – think strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and even mangos. Slice the fruit, at least in half so that the juices release easily.
Servings: 1 9-inch cheesecake
Equipment
- 1 9-inch springform pan
- 1 stand mixer with large mixing bowl
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 large saute pan or other suitable pan for the water bath
Ingredients
Classic Cheesecake Filling
- 32 ounces cream cheese 4 bricks
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 TBSP heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Graham Cracker Crust
- 10 sheets graham crackers, crushed
- 4 TBSP granulated sugar
- 4½ TBSP unsalted butter, melted
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Whipped Cream
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup confectioner's sugar
- ¾ tsp powdered gelatin
- 1 TBSP cold water
Macerated Berry Topping (Optional)
- 8 oz strawberries, halved
- 2 TBSP granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 3 medium-large mint leaves
- zest from 1 lime optional
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Combine all the ingredients (crushed graham crackers, granulated sugar, melted butter and cinnamon) in a small bowl and mix until everything is incorporated and there are no dry graham cracker spots.
- Prepare a springform pan by spraying with baking spray then using something with a flat surface (I used a measuring cup), press the graham crackers into the bottom of the pan evenly.
- Place the pan into an oven bag, folding the bag over on the sides as necessary and using kitchen twine to secure the bag to the pan and avoid water getting in.
- Set aside and prepare the cheesecake filling.
Classic Cheesecake Filling
- Preheat oven to 250℉.
- Add cream cheese and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth and fluffy.
- After scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl add all the other ingredients (eggs, sour cream, all-purpose flour and heavy cream) and beat on medium speed again until fluffy.
- Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan with the graham cracker crust and place in the sauté pan. Carefully fill the sauté pan with hot water up to half-way up the sides of the springform pan.
- Place the water bath cheesecake in the oven on the middle rack and allow to bake for 2 hours. The cheesecake should feel spongy, but still jiggle (see post).
- Turn the oven off and allow cheesecake to remain inside until the oven the cooled (about an hour).
- Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.
- Spread or pipe stabilized whipped cream across the top of the cheesecake.
- Add macerated berries if using or your other desired toppings and serve.
Macerated Berry Topping (Optional)
- Combine all ingredients (berries, sugar, lime juice, lime zest & mint leaves) in a bowl and toss gently with a spoon to evenly incorporate sugar. Cover and allow to rest refrigerated for at least an hour.
- Store uneaten cheesecake in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
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