Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts and a favorite of Mo’s too, which is why we made this delicious classic for her birthday again this year. Every year on the kid’s birthdays, I make the birthday boy or girl their favorite meal complete with birthday dessert. They quickly moved from traditional birthday cake to something a little more special. Some of the kids like to try something different each year, but Mo’s been pretty consistent now with her cheesecake request. I’m always happy to make it and enjoy a delicious slice too!
This cheesecake recipe is a classic, plain variety and has fairly traditional ingredients and preparation. No matter how many times I make it, it consistently comes out creamy and delicious. It’s not a quick recipe. You need to make this one day ahead to allow enough time to properly cool and chill. The cheesecake also has to cool in the oven for a few hours (after baking for 1 3/4 hours), so you need to make sure your oven is going to be available for a while. So, overall, this is a little time-consuming, but not especially difficult and I think the results are worth the effort. 🙂
We start out by making the graham cracker crust. Actually, you want to take your cream cheese of the fridge at this point too, or even sooner so that it can soften up. This is one of the keys to making the filling creamy, so important to leave enough time for this.
A food processor makes quick work of the graham crackers, but if you don’t have a food processor you can place the graham crackers in a ziploc bag and use a rolling pin or something else heavy and crush them by hand. If you are using the food processor, crush the graham crackers, then add the sugar and pulse a time or two.
Pour in the melted butter and pulse until combined.
Without the food processor, just add the grahams and sugar to a large bowl, then pour in the melted butter and mix. Once the crust ingredients are all mixed, pour them into a 9″ spring-form pan.
My favorite kind of spring-form pan is an all aluminum colored one. I had one that I used so many times it finally fell apart. 🙁 I replaced it with an expensive non-stick that has a glass bottom and this is ok, but the crust somehow doesn’t come out quite as nice. So, if you are in the market for a spring-form pan, try the shiny aluminum kind instead of non-stick, at least for cheesecakes.
Once you pour the crumb mixture into the pan, press it down with a rubber spatula or your hands, until it is nice and flat, even in thickness across the pan. Once you have the crumbs even, place the pan on a piece of aluminum foil and wrap the foil up the sides a bit. I find spring-form pans leak, no matter what I put in them. The foil tends to catch any butter that leaks out of the crust and makes clean up a little easier.
The next part of the recipe is the cheesecake filling. Start by placing the softened cream cheese in the mixer bowl and mix it for a few minutes to get it nice and soft. Then add the sugar and mix again for another few minutes. Do not beat at higher than a medium speed or too much air will get into the filling and then it has a tendency to crack and cook unevenly. It can also affect the texture, so be patient and mix it longer on a lower speed.
The next step is to add the milk and vanilla extract. Before adding, scrape down the bowl and make sure the cheese and sugar mixture is nice and smooth. If you have any lumps, beat it some more. Once you add the liquid, it will be difficult to get the lumps out of the cheese. To me that seems a little backwards, thinking that the liquid will help, but it just doesn’t for some reason. Once you add the liquid, mix it for a few more minutes, scraping down the sides now and then, to make sure it’s mixed well.
The next step is to add the eggs. Turn the mixer to low, and add one egg at a time, making sure it is mixed completely and the sides scraped down before adding the next one. This takes a while, so patience is key.
You can see the mixture getting creamier with each addition. Once it is thoroughly mixed, pour it into the spring-form pan.
Place a pan or pie plate filled with water on the bottom rack of the oven and turn the oven to 300 degrees. Once the oven is up to temp, place the cheesecake on the middle rack in the oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Do not open the oven door to peek while the cheesecake is cooking. When the time is up, turn off the oven, but leave the cheesecake in the oven. Place a wooden spoon to prop the oven door open. Leave the cheesecake in the oven until it is completely cooled. I like to make this in the evening and leave it in the oven overnight.
Once cooled, take the cheesecake out of the oven and place in the refrigerator until cold (all day or at least 8 hours).
Take this cheesecake out of the mold when it is nice and cold. Run a knife around the edge, then carefully un-snap the spring-form pan and lift off. You can leave the cheesecake on the bottom of the spring-form pan for serving or very carefully run a thin knife underneath the cheesecake, making sure you slip the knife around the whole surface and then slide onto a serving plate. Make sure it is good and cold before attempting this.
Slice and serve. I like to cut this with a thin knife and clean it between each slice for the cleanest slice. You can let this rest a bit at room temperature to get a deeper flavor, but try to slice it cold to avoid it getting too messy. I’ve also heard that you can use dental floss (non-mint!) to slice cheesecake, but have never tried it. Cheesecake freezes beautifully too (and cuts super easily when frozen). It can be defrosted in the refrigerator for a day, then serve as usual.
I like a classic, plain piece of cheesecake, but if you want to dress it up, you can add any kind of berry or cherries. Canned, cherry pie filling is sort of traditional as well. I tend to stick with fresh fruit to avoid the added sugar, but the sky’s the limit. Serve it plain or add whatever toppings you like.
Cheesecake
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 sleeve graham crackers
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 Tbsp. melted butter 1/2 stick
Cheesecake Filling
- 4 8 oz. packages of cream cheese regular or Neufchatel
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
Instructions
For the crust
- Crush the sleeve of graham crackers, either in a food processor or freezer bag.
- Mix the sugar with the crumbs (in food processor or bowl)
- Add the melted butter and pulse or stir to mix.
- Pour into a 9" spring-form pan and press to flatten out evenly.
- Place a piece of aluminum foil under the pan and fold up the sides to catch drips.
For the Filling
- Before starting the crust, take out the cream cheese to soften.
- In a mixer on medium speed, cream the cream cheese for a few minutes, until nice and soft.
- Add the sugar and beat for another few minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides when needed.
- Mix this well and make sure there are no lumps before adding the milk and vanilla.
- After adding milk and vanilla, continue to mix for another few minutes on medium or medium low speed.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides between each addition.
- Once mixed well, pour into the prepared pan.
- Fill a pie plate or pan with water and place on the bottom rack of the oven.
- Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Place the cheesecake on a middle rack and bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- Do not open the oven while the cheesecake is cooking.
- When finished cooking, turn off the oven, but leave the cheesecake in the oven.
- Prop the door open with something like a wooden spoon and leave to cool (overnight works well).
- Once cool, place in the refrigerator to chill completely (all day).
- Slice cold and serve either cold or at room temperature.