The Best Cheesecake Recipe Ever!
Best Cheesecake Recipe
This is a recipe that is so rich and decadent that I only make it once
every two or three years! It's always a hit, and I've never seen another
recipe quite like it. It's got a graham cracker crust and is loaded
with sugar, cream, eggs and cream cheese.
I got this recipe when I was a teenager from my grandmother, who got it from her sister, and it was one of my first attempts at baking as a kid. I've been making it for twenty years, and it's probably my favorite recipe of all time - whether from the nostalgia, the consistent praise I get when I make it, or the sheer pleasure of eating it, I'm not sure...
It's simple to make and actually tastes better is it sits in the refrigerator for a few days before serving, so make it well in advance for best results.
I like to use a stand mixer with a paddle blade for this, but an electric hand mixer will do.
You'll need a spring-form cake pan, but otherwise no special equipment or skills are needed.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1/3 cup Butter, melted
Filling:
- 2 pounds Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup plus 6 teaspoons Sugar
- 3 tablespoons Flour
- 4 Eggs, beaten
- 1/2 pint Heavy Cream
Directions
For the Crust:
- In the bottom of the spring form pan, mix the dry ingredients together with your fingers.
- Pour the Butter over top and mix together with your fingers to form large crumbs.
- Flatten the mixture with a fork until evenly distributed.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Set aside to cool.
For the Filling:
- Cut the soft Cream Cheese into chunks and add it to the bowl of the stand mixer.
- Turn the speed to 3 and add the Vanilla.
- Gradually add the Sugar, pausing to let each addition mix into the Cream Cheese.
- Add the Flour and continue to mix.
- Add the Beaten Eggs and then the Cream.
- Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides, and mix at speed 5 until everything is completely integrated.
- Pour the filling into the spring form pan.
- Bake at 250 degrees on the center rack of the oven for 75 minutes. The edges of the Cheesecake should be firm, and the center of the Cheese Cake should still be slightly wet.
- Turn
off the heat and let the Cheese Cake stand in the oven another hour
longer. The residual heat will allow the Cheese Cake to continue to cook without drying it out to the point that the top will crack.
- Remove the CheeseCake to a cooling rack and let it cool completely.
- Chill in the refrigerator at least overnight, but 24 to 36 hours is best!
Serving Options
You can serve this with fresh or canned fruit, but honestly it's fantastic all on its own, so that's how I always eat it! If you have a favorite hot fudge sauce, then that would be a great option, as well...
Spring Form Pan Tips!
This Recipe is from Edweirdo's Cookbook!
Looking for more fast and easy cooking recipes?
Check out Edweirdo's Cookbook for great FREE recipes online!
Cheesecake photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart_spivack/ / CC BY-SA 2.0