Decadent, Creamy Cheesecake
- Ready In:
- 1hr 40mins
- Ingredients:
- 9
- Yields:
-
10 slices
- Serves:
- 10
ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 cups graham cracker crumbs or 1 1/2 cups other cookie crumbs
- 1⁄4 cup melted butter or 1/4 cup melted margarine
- 1 1⁄2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 -2 teaspoon vanilla or 1 -2 teaspoon other desired extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1⁄2 - 1 cup heavy cream (depending on how creamy you want it, I usually use 2/3 cup)
directions
- For the crust: Stir cookie crumbs, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Pour in melted butter or margarine and stir until the crumbs are all moist. Press crumbs in the bottom of a spring form pan. Bake the crust at 350F for 5-10 minutes (depending on the size of the pan - the larger, the less time it will need) or until the crust starts becoming golden. Cool while you prepare the cake batter.
- For the cheesecake batter: beat the cream cheese at medium speed till it is soft and creamy. It is important that the cheese has been warmed to room temperature for this step!
- Add in the sugar, and beat for another 2-4 minutes, until cheese is light (and not grainy).
- Add in the vanilla and beat until properly mixed.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, making sure each is well incorporated before adding in the next.
- Add the heavy cream, either on low speed or by hand. If you have any extra goodies to throw in (like a few tbs of jam to swirl in the batter, or extra cookie chunks), now is the time to fold those inches.
- Bake the cheesecake at 325 for 50min-1 hour and 15 min, or until it has set (besides the middle, which can still be a little jiggly). The rate at which the cake will finish depends on the size of pan you used and your oven! It is important to watch it. I have baked these in different ovens in the same sized pans and there is no consistency. When using heavy cream, I don't both with a water bath - but if you do, you will probably have to bake it a little longer. If mine cracks (not very often), I just top it with a chocolate ganache to fill in the cracks. Yum.
- When removing the cake - run a knife around the edges of the cake, to keep it from pulling away and cracking. You can also turn off the oven a little earlier and let it cool off gradually while it finishes cooking. Let the cake cool off on the counter before chilling it. Refrigerate for at least a few hours (ideally over night) before serving.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
joe_red_45
248
<p>Small batch cooking for a student watching her weight</p>