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. It’s actually pretty easy to make cheesecake from scratch, it just takes a little planning and preparation. 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 dessert that consists of a crust made from cookie or cracker crumbs covered with a soft sweet filling containing cream cheese.
Ingredients:
For the Crust:
- finely ground graham crackers
- melted butter
- granulated sugar
For the Cheesecake:
- cream cheese, room temperature
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- almond extract
- pinch salt
- eggs, room temperature
How to make Cheesecake
For the crust:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Combine the graham crackers, 2 tablespoons 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 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 salt and vanilla and 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 and 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.
More Delicious Recipes To Try
Maid-Rite Sandwiches – Copycat
Cheesecake
Ingredients
- For the Crust:
- 1½ cup finely ground graham crackers
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- For the Classic Cheesecake:
- 4 32 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- salt
Instructions
- For the Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Combine the graham crackers, 2 tablespoons 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 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 salt and vanilla and 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 and 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.
