Classic Cheesecake Recipe

Bring the restaurant to your kitchen with this classic cheesecake recipe with graham cracker crust that is topped off with whipped cream, fresh berries, and chocolate sauce.  If you love baking then be sure to give my Homemade Apple Pie Recipe a try or my Best Blondies Recipe.

I’ve been making cheesecake since I was 14 years old.  It’s one of those dessert recipes that is incredibly comforting, so rich, and absolutely delicious.  Like any dessert, there is a time commitment involved in making cheesecake because of the cooking time and the cooling times, however, I can promise that once you make this recipe from scratch it will absolutely bring a smile to whoever eats it.

What Is The Difference Between New York Cheesecake and Regular

A classic New York Style cheesecake uses heavy whipping cream, eggs, cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar, that’s it.  Often times in a regular or classic cheesecake recipe you’ll see things like sour cream, lemon, and flour to the recipe.  This recipe is not a classic New York style, however, I’m confident that you most likely will not be able to tell that there is no cream in this recipe.  A New York style cheesecake was said to be created and made famous and Lindy’s and Junior’s deli in New York.

What Do You Need to Make Cheesecake

Here is a list of everything you’ll need to make a cheesecake

• A 9” or 10” springform pan.  A round cake pan with a removable bottom that is held in place by a sprung collar forming the sides
• A stand mixer with the whisk attachment or hand mixer
• A large rectangle cake pan.  You need to be able to set the springform pan in it and fill it halfway with water so if you have something that will work then please use it.

How to Make Cheesecake

1. Add the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar and salt to a food processor and pulse on high speed until combined.  It should become like a meal.

2. Transfer for the graham cracker mixture to a 9” or 10” springform pan and for it to the bottom of the pan to form a crust.

3. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer whip together the softened cream cheese, sugar, and flour until smooth.

4. Add in the vanilla and then add in 1 egg at a time until completely combined.  Lastly, mix in the sour cream.

5. Transfer the cheesecake batter to the springform pan and pour it over the formed crust.  Make sure to scrape all of the batter into it.

6. Wrap the outside of the spring form pan in foil to ensure no water creeps in.

7. Transfer the springform pan to the rectangle cake pan and place it on the oven rack.  Pour in about ½ gallon of warm water or until it reaches the ½ way mark on the pan.

8. Bake at 325° for 90-105 minutes.  The top should be raised, browned with a little jiggle in the center.

9. Remove from the oven and let sit in the water bath for 45 minutes

10. Remove from foil and the water bath and transfer the pan to the refrigerator and cool completely

11. Run a knife around the outside of the cheesecake to ensure it has separated from the springform pan.

12. Slice and serve with optional garnishes of whipped cream, berries and chocolate sauce.

Why Do You Cook Cheesecake in a Water Bath

It’s important to cook things like cheesecake, or my crème brulee recipe in a water bath because ovens are dry, and they can cause the tops of delicate cakes like this to crack or split.

What If My Cheesecake Cracked

Believe it or not a cracked or split cheesecake is purely cosmetic and has zero effect on the flavor or consistency of it.  Most cheesecakes are topped off with stuff, so you’ll never know, however, if you refuse to have a cracked or split cheesecake than here are few things to help avoid it.

• Make sure all of your ingredients were completely mixed in and there were no huge chunks of cream cheese in it.
• Do not overcook the cheesecake, this is the biggest reason for a splitting cheesecake.
• Do not open the oven at all, use the light!

Toppings and Flavors

As I stated earlier there are several ways to change up the flavor of your cheesecake just by adding ingredients.  Here are some of my favorites:

• Key Lime
• Raspberry
• Caramel
• Oreo
• Blueberry
• Strawberry
• Cherry

When it comes to toppings, I’m pretty simple and almost always just finish it off with a little fresh whipped cream, fresh berries, and a chocolate sauce.  Here are some toppings that would go great with this cheesecake.

• Raspberry Sauce
• Cherries and sauce
• Strawberry Sauce
• Caramel
• Sour Cream Topping

That’s all I’ve got my friends for this delicious classic cheesecake, I know you and your family and friends are going to love it.

How To Store

Storing and Freezing: When storing this in the refrigerator just be sure to cover it in plastic to not pick up and funky fridge smells. Eat before the 6^th day or freeze it.  Believe it or not cheesecake freezes excellently so absolutely cover in plastic and freeze for up to 2 months.  Be sure to thaw before eaten or eat frozen for cheesecake ice cream!

chef Notes + tips

• Just like in my crème brulee recipe, you can add ingredients to your recipe to make it unique, such as an Oreo Recipe, Cherry, Blueberry, Chocolate Cheesecake, the list goes on.  The base, however, starts with this classic recipe.
• I like to use the backside of a measuring cup to press in the graham cracker crust
• It will take about 4 to 5 minutes for the cream cheese to soften in the stand mixer.
• Eggs and fat don’t mix naturally so when you mix in 1 egg at a time until it is completely mixed in, it guarantees that all of your ingredients are mixing together.  Take your time with this process.
• You can also run a knife around the cake right after it is done baking.  If you are doing it after it is chilled, heat the knife you are using up under hot water.

More Amazing Dessert Recipes

• Chocolate Mousse
• Homemade Churros
• Beignets
• Creme Anglaise
• Key Lime Pie

Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Pinterest and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!

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Classic Cheesecake Recipe

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5 from 9 votes

Bring the restaurant to your kitchen with this classic cheesecake recipe with graham cracker crust, whipped cream, berries & chocolate sauce.

Servings: 12

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Cooling Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 5 hours 15 minutes

Equipment

• Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
• Spring Form Pan

Ingredients 

For the Crust:

• 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• 5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• pinch of sea salt

For the Batter:

• 2 ½ pounds softened cream cheese
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 5 eggs
• ½ cup sour cream

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325°.
• Add all of the crust ingredients to a food processor and pulse on high speed until a meal is formed.
• Transfer to a 9” or 10” springform pan and form it to the bottom of the pan to form the crust. Set aside.
• Next, add the cream cheese, sugar and flour to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes or until soft and smooth. Scrape at least once.
• Mix in the vanilla followed up by adding in 1 egg at a time until completely mixed in.
• Turn the speed down to medium and mix in the sour cream. Stop and scrape and mix for an additional minute.
• Pour the batter over top of the crust in the springform pan and then wrap the outside of the pan in foil.
• Place the pan in a rectangle cake pan and place it on the bottom rack of the oven.
• Pour in enough warm water to fill the pan up to the ½ way mark.
• 1Bake at 325° for in between 90 and 105 minutes or until the tops are browned and the center is barely jiggly.
• 1Remove from the oven and let cool in the water bath for 45 minutes. Remove from the foil and water bath and cool completely in the refrigerator, about 2 hours.
• 1Use a knife to remove the outside of the cake from the springform pan, then remove the outer part of the pan, slice and serve with optional garnishes of whipped cream, fresh berries, and chocolate sauce.

Notes

Chef Notes:

• I like to use the backside of a measuring cup to press in the graham cracker crust.

• Eggs and fat don’t mix naturally so when you mix it in 1 at a time until it is completely mixed in, it guarantees that all of your ingredients are mixing together. Take your time with this process.

• You can also remove the cake from the outside of the pan using a knife right after it is done baking. If you are doing it after it is chilled, heat the knife you are using up under hot water.
• STORING AND FREEZING: When storing this classic cheesecake in the refrigerator just be sure to cover it in plastic to not pick up and funky fridge smells. Eat before the 6th say or freeze it. Believe it or not cheesecake freezes excellently so absolutely cover in plastic and freeze for up to 2 months. Be sure to thaw before eaten or eat frozen for cheesecake ice cream!

Nutrition

Calories: 567kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 9gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 190mgSodium: 448mgPotassium: 188mgFiber: 1gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 1575IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 123mgIron: 1.2mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, english, French

Author: Chef Billy Parisi