Easiest Ever Cheesecake

By lorik

Reduce the oven temperature as soon as the crust is finished baking and be sure it has dropped to 250 degrees before you begin baking the cheesecake. Thoroughly scrape the processor bowl as you make the filling to eliminate lumps.

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 6 whole graham crackers, broken into pieces
• 1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) sugar
• 1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Cheesecake:
• 2 pounds cream cheese
• 1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Details

Adapted from cookscountry.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Process cracker pieces and sugar in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add flour and salt and pulse to combine, about 2 pulses. Add melted butter and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened, about 10 pulses.

2. Grease bottom and side of 9-inch springform pan. Using your hands, press crumb mixture evenly into pan bottom. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, firmly pack crust into pan. Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around edges, about 13 minutes. Let cool completely.

3. FOR THE CHEESECAKE: Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees. In clean, dry processor bowl, process cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. With processor running, add eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated, about 30 seconds total. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add cream, sour cream, and vanilla and process to combine, about 30 seconds.

4. Pour cheesecake mixture onto cooled crust. Gently tap pan on counter to release air bubbles. Gently draw tines of fork across surface of cake to pop any air bubbles that have risen to surface.

5. Once oven temperature has reached 250 degrees, bake cheesecake until edges are set and center jiggles slightly when shaken and registers 155 degrees, 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Refrigerate cheesecake, uncovered, until cold, about 6 hours. (Cake can be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days.)

6. To unmold cheesecake, run tip of sharp paring knife between cake and side of pan and remove side. Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving platter. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Using warm, dry knife, cut into wedges and serve.