Several years ago, I needed to make a dessert to bring to a dinner party, I had never made Cheesecake before, but I figured how hard could it be. Turns out it’s actually pretty easy to make Cheesecake from scratch.

It just takes a little planning and preparation, because you need to have the cream cheese and eggs at room temperature and then you need plenty of time to cool completely to develop the flavors and firm up properly.

It’s important for the cream cheese and the eggs to be at room temperature, so that they blend together better to give you a creamier Cheesecake.

Some recipes say that you should bake your Cheesecake in a water bath to prevent cracking but I’ve never had an issue with that so you can do it either way.

I really think you’re going to love this recipe, my family asks me to make this all the time and it’s so much better than store bought or what you get in a restaurant.

What is Cheesecake?

Cheesecake is a rich, creamy dessert that typically consists of a crust made from crushed cookies, graham crackers, or pastry, and a filling made primarily of soft, fresh cheese (such as cream cheese, ricotta, or mascarpone), eggs, and sugar.

It can be baked or unbaked and often flavored with various ingredients like vanilla, chocolate, fruit, or spices.

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

• Graham crackers
• Butter
• Granulated sugar

For the Cheesecake:

• Cream cheese
• Granulated sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract
• Salt
• Eggs

How to make Cheesecake

For the crust:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Combine the graham crackers, granulated sugar and the melted butter in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

 Firmly press the crumbs into the bottom of your spring form pan.

Bake the crust in the oven for 10 minutes.

For the Cheesecake:

Reduce the oven temperature to 325° F.

In the bowl of your stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and fluffy (roughly 3 minutes).

Reduce the mixer’s speed to low and add the 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a slow steady stream.

Add in the a pinch of salt, vanilla and almond extract, then on low speed, beat in the eggs, one at at time. Adding the next after the first has been incorporated. Do not to over mix, the eggs can trap air in the batter. Once it’s all mixed together thoroughly, tap the bowl on the counter to release the air bubbles.

Pour the batter into your prepared crust and gently smooth out the top.

Bake until the cheesecake is a little puffy but still slightly wobbly in the center, 60-65 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack, then cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap or use a cake carrier, then transfer to the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.

 To serve, open springform pan and remove collar. I usually serve this with fresh raspberries or raspberry puree.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)- These are the tools I use when making this recipe!

• KitchenAid Standmixer – This mixer is dependable and versatile and will handle all your baking needs effortlessly.
• KitchenAid Glass Mixing Bowl – This is my favorite KitchenAid bowl when I make any kind of batter because of the easy pour spout.
• Wilton Springform Pan – These pans are perfect for making cheesecakes, deep dish pizzas and more.
• Le Creuset Nonstick Metal Bakeware Cooling Rack – Quickly cool your baked treats on the Nonstick Cooling Rack, or use it for baking and roasting. An innovative silicone coating ensures easy release and effortless cleanup.