Perfect Cheesecake

By keenan

Ingredients

• 2 packages Graham crackers (10 ounces or 150 g) yielding 2 1/4 cups (500ml) crumbs
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• Pinch salt
• 5 Tbsp (70 g) unsalted butter (if using salted butter, omit the pinch of salt), melted
• 2 pounds cream cheese (900 g), room temperature
• 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar (270 g)
• Pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream (160 ml)
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream (160 ml)
• 2 cups sour cream (475 ml)
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar (35 g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 12 ounces (340 g) fresh raspberries
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g)
• 1/2 cup water (120 ml)
• 9 -inch, 2 3/4-inch high springform pan
• Heavy-duty, 18-inch wide aluminum foil
• A large, high-sided roasting pan

Preparation

Step 1

is page 234, the cheesecake page. I first came across this recipe Christmas day two years ago, when Elise gave me Dorie's book. This recipe, without a doubt, makes the best cheesecake in the world. It is a perfect combination of tangy and sweet, with a velvety smooth and rich texture, which is wonderful for entertaining, but can be detrimental to waistlines. To the delight of my family I make this recipe for every special occasion, with consistently excellent results. ~Audrey

Prepare the springform pan so that no water leaks into it while cooking.* Place a large 18-inch by 18-inch square of aluminum foil on a flat surface. Place the springform pan in the middle of the foil. Gently fold up the sides of the foil around the pan. Make sure to do this gently so that you don't create any holes in the foil. If there are any holes, water will get into the pan and ruin the crust. Press the foil around the edges of the pan. Place a second large square of foil underneath the pan, and repeat, gently folding up the sides of the foil around the pan and pressing the foil against the pan. Gently crimp the top of the foil sheets around the top edge of the pan.

Preheat oven to 350°F, with rack in lower third of oven. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor or blender until finely ground. Put in a large bowl, and stir in the sugar and salt. Use your (clean) hands to stir in the melted butter.

Put all but 1/4 cup of the graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of the springform pan. (Save the remaining 1/4 cup for if you happen to have any holes that need to be filled in, either while you are making the crust, or after the cake has cooked and you've unmolded it.) Gently press down on the crumbs using your fingers, until the crumbs are a nice even layer at the bottom of the pan, with maybe just a slight rise along the inside edges of the pan. Be careful as you do this, as not to tear the aluminum foil. Place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

Make the filling

Cut the cream cheese into chunks and place in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 4 minutes until smooth, soft and creamy. Add the sugar, beat for 4 minutes more. Add the salt and vanilla, beating after each addition. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Add the sour cream, beat until incorporated. Add the heavy cream, beat until incorporated.

Place the foil-wrapped springform pan in a large, high-sided roasting pan. Prepare 2 quarts of boiling water. Pour the cream cheese filling into the springform pan, over the graham cracker bottom layer. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Place the roasting pan with the springform pan in it, in the oven, on the lower rack. Carefully pour the hot water into the roasting pan (without touching the hot oven), to create a water bath for the cheesecake, pouring until the water reaches halfway up the side of the springform pan, about 1 1/4 inches. (Alternatively you can add the water before putting the pan in the oven, whichever is easier for you.) Cook at 325°F for 1 1/2 hours.

Turn off the heat of the oven. Crack open the oven door 1-inch, and let the cake cool in the oven, as the oven cools, for another hour. This gentle cooling will help prevent the cheesecake surface from cracking.

Place sour cream in a medium sized bowl, stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla, until smooth. Chill until you are ready to serve the cake.

Place raspberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Use a potato masher to mash the raspberries. Heat on medium, whisking, about 5 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Let cool.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Remove the foil from the sides of the pan, and place the cake on your cake serving dish. Run the side of a blunt knife between the edge of the cake and the pan. Dorie recommends, and we've done with success, that you use a hair dryer to heat the sides of the pan to make it easier to remove. Open the springform latch and gently open the pan and lift up the sides. Spread the top with the sour cream mixture. Serve plain or drizzled with raspberry sauce.

Makes 16 servings.

*A few more words from Audrey on preparing the pan, with a moral lesson added for good measure:

The first few times I tried the crust never turned out right - it was a brown, soggy goo. (This was because I was too proud to accept help from my mother when wrapping the pan.) After swallowing my pride and accepting Mom's help my crusts turned out perfect - firm enough to hold the cake, yet moist and delicate. The difference was so drastic when my mother wrapped the pan that I didn't make a cheesecake without her for months. About six months ago, for my birthday, I got a supposedly "leak proof" springform pan to make my birthday cake (a cheesecake, of course). This was to be my first solo effort. I made my cake in the morning so that it had time to chill before dessert. At about 4:30 pm I took the springform off, only to discover the soggiest, most poached cheesecake I had ever seen. Thanks to a defective pan, I ended up with a store bought birthday cheese cake and a mediocre dessert.

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Can't wait to make this one!

I love this cheesecake recipe. The only thing I tweak is adding a little orange zest. It adds a lil sumpin:)

Fantastic! It looks amazing, and you posted it just in time for me to start thinking about it for Valentine's Day, which I really want to make special for my husband this year. Thanks for the great recipe, and, as always, I love your blog!

Really looking forward to trying your variation on a master recipe. It's like, with classical music, all the greatest musicians have a personal style that shines through the variations they make on the original score. It's interpretation that's important...whether of cheesecake or a sonata.

I had my own stock of recipes, and variations, when I was around your age too, mostly gathered from Elizabeth David's books. My most worn and beloved book was, and is, a now out of print Australian book called Vegetables written by Lisa Lintner. In the unlikely event that you see a copy in a second hand book store you should grab it.

Audrey and Elise, *thank you, thank you, thank you*. I love your rendition of my cheesecake and I can't tell you how happy I am that you've been enjoying it so much. One day I hope I can be with you when you make it -- oh how I would love that.

This looks amazing. I thought I would share how I remove a cheesecake from its pan. I had to come up with this myself (the whole rest of the world may know about it, but I didn't) because I was constantly frustrated due to the pan always sliding around the plate as people cut into the cheesecake. **It might not work for really soft cheesecakes**, but most of mine form nicely browned tops. I cool it completely, then refrigerate it overnight, wrapped. Next day, I unwrap it and lay a plastic cutting board coated with cooking spray on top, then invert it. Next, every so carefully and with a long, thin bladed knife I separate the bottom of the cheesecake (now the top) from the pan by slipping the knife between the two all the way around the cake (not sliding, but going in and out). I lift off the pan, place a round Wilton cake board on top and invert it again back to right side up. Sorry this comment is so long. I just thought others might like this tip (unless I really was the only one who didn't know):-).

What a beautiful cheesecake, Audrey! I love how you make the crust and the toppings too. Two years ago at Christmas the bakers of the Tuesdays With Dorie online baking group were making this cheesecake in our own kitchens. It really is the best cheesecake, so rich and creamy.

That is one beautiful looking cheesecake. It's so perfect in its simplicity. I usually make a spectacular chocolate cheesecake and have gotten it to the point where it doesn't crack on me anymore, but this post may have won me over to forgoing chocolate and going with this recipe for a change. Really pretty.

Rather than deal with the foil nightmare (you never know if there is a hole) try placing your spring form in a silicone cake pan (you can get 9inch and 10inch round silicone pans on amazon). Silicone doesn't transfer heat so it still cooks beautifully but it will never leak!

This recipe looks absolutely wonderful. I am a wonderful cook, but the world's worst baker. How much would it cost for Dorrie, Elise, or Audrey to make one sans the raspberry and send it to me. Really!

Audrey and Elise, your cheesecake looks perfect and sounds devine. I can't wait to make it. Audrey, you are among sisters (and brothers) in the kitchen, all of us guilty of trying and failing at one time or another with a recipe or method. The more you cook and gain experience, the less you'll fail. You have to look at the bright side of failure, too. It teaches us indelible lessons in humility and gives us (cooking) wisdom, too. Glad you didn't let your first mistake stop you from moving forward. Cooking is probably the easiest place to deal with failure, of any place in life..er..well, unless cooking is your livelihood, then Ooops! Always have a plan B!

Oooh....that looks really roch, creamy and delicious....just perfect. My children loves cheesecake. I need to learn how to make. Thanks very much for sharing step-by-step instructions.

I used to make a non-dairy cheesecake that was so good when I served it to people and didn't tell them it was made from tofu they never knew the difference. I know that sounds hard to believe, but it's true. I got so many shocked looks when people asked for and then got the recipe!

Any idea how adding melted chocolate to the cheesecake batter would alter the texture? Fran has me salivating.

That is very near the recipe I use except with mine I put in a little lemon zest. A tip for those not quite so handy with a spring form pan. I buy 2 ready made graham cracker crusts as it will fill them very full or sometimes I make a couple mini ones then divide remaining batter in half. Trying to do it by hand my crust is extra thick in the corners and too thin on the sides and bottom. Plus that way I can give one away or make 2 different toppings depending upon guests.

Very much like my favorite cheesecake in it's simplicity. I don't like cheesecake loaded with a bunch of candy or flavors; that ruins it for me. I make something very similar with a sour cream topping and my only variation it to occasionally sub a lemon glaze for the sour cream. Both so simple and so amazing with a topping such as yours.

Oy vey. I've been visiting this cheese cake all day. *Sigh.* It's perfect. My recipe is close to this (although mine never looks so beautiful) but I always add lemon zest. Meyer lemon. Try it, you'll like it.

Very nice looking cheesecake. I also like your topping. The parchment paper in the bottom of the pan is a good idea. It makes the process of removing the bottom of the springform pan easier (once the cake is inverted). I remove the sides of the pan and then gently cover the top with plastic wrap before turning upside down onto a cutting board. Use a small flat metal spatula to assist in removing the bottom, then pull off the parchment and reinvert onto your serving platter. Valentines tip: I found a heart shaped springform pan online a couple of years ago.

Thanks for this wonderful recipe. I can't wait to try it. Replaces my old one. It looks so much easier. Thanks again.

Sandra & Ruth I was just trying to figure out a way to avoid the foil as I made this lastnight and with THREE layers of foil the water still got through :( Thanks for that advice!! Both wonderful ideas and I will certainly try them both. Elise, I have visited and loved your site for some time now but this is the first recipe that I had to run and make N-O-W. Even though my crust was a little soft (and I used Nilla Wafers not Grahm) the flavor was amazing. Thanks to Audrey for a fabu cheesecake... and Dorie as well.

You have brought back such great memories of my grandmother with this recipe, which is almost exactly the same as hers. It was so good that she was always asked to make it for any family gathering, and thus raised two generations of cheesecake fanatics. Her recipe is one of my prized possessions. Many thanks for posting this...!

Leak proof means that the cake will not leak out into your oven. It does not mean water will not leak in. Try cooking it without the water bath it is much better. Cook the crust at 350 for about 10 min. let cool and add the batter.(I spray the pan). Cook cake for 15 min. at 350, lower to 225 for about 70 min. Don't open the door until finished. Turn off oven, run a thin knife around the cake between the pan, return to oven and let cool in oven till room temp. Chill overnight.

This cheesecake sounds really great, I love the addition of sour cream. My son loves to make cheesecake with me, we often make cheesecake cupcakes (no crust, just pour into cupcake liners and bake for a much reduced time, usually ~20-25 minutes). They are very kid-friendly and more convenient since they bake much faster. They also freeze well. To the person who asked about melted chocolate, I've never tried that but have tried cocoa powder so if you're looking for a chocolate cheesecake that would be a good way to do it without worrying about the texture.

A couple of time and stress saving tips. Add the sugar to the graham cracker crumbs in the food processor, then add the butter and pulse til mixed. Also, to get a nice firm crust, use a flat bottom measuring cup with straight sides, aluminum or stainless work best, to tamp down the crumbs in the pan. This allows you to get right to the edge or even make a little rim if you wish.

My family asks for your pancake recipe at least every other day, and of course, we have them because they are so easy and foolproof to make. Makes me think the family just might have a new fav cake too.

Elise, this reminds me of my mom's cheesecake that she'd make for me on my birthdays, or on a cold weekend. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe! I can't wait to make it!

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