Make a Baked Cheesecake

Cheesecake has long been considered one of the most decadent desserts by food lovers everywhere. While the prep and cooking time is generally three hours, this creamy, dreamy dessert is truly worth it. Scroll down to Step 1 to start making delicious baked cheesecake.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 2 cups (475 ml) of Graham cracker crumbs (from a little less than 2 packages Graham crackers
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 5 Tbsp (70 g) unsalted butter (if using salted butter, omit the pinch of salt), melted

Filling

  • 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)

Steps

Making the Crust

  1. Choose your pan wisely. Cheesecakes are notoriously crumbly, so choosing the right pan will ensure that your cheesecake comes out smoothly when you take it out of the pan. For the best outcome, use a springform pan. This sort of pan is comprised of round cake pan with a removable bottom. It is all held together by a sprung collar.[1]
  2. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. For the best cheesecake you’ve ever eaten, you’ll need to bake it surrounded by boiling water (this will be discussed in Part Three). To avoid any water leaking into your pan and ruining your crust, you will need to wrap the pan with hole-free aluminum foil. Place a piece of foil under the pan and then wrap it upwards and fold it so that the foil rests along the edge of the pan but doesn’t fold over the lip.[2]
    • If needed, use a second piece of foil to cover any spots that the first piece missed.
  3. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven. Once you have done this, preheat the oven to {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}(176c). While the oven is preheating, place the graham crackers into a blender or food processor. Make sure that the lid is tightly secured and pulse the crackers until they reach a finely ground texture.
  4. Pour the graham cracker dust into a large bowl. Use a spatula to stir in the salt and sugar, making sure that all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove and then add it to the mixture. Wash your hands and use them to mix the ingredients together using a folding movement until all the ingredients are well mixed.[2]
    • If you chose to use salted butter, you should not have to add the pinch of salt called for in this step.
  5. Pour the crust mixture into the pan. Save about ¼ cup of the mixture to use later if need be (you can use it if you discover any holes in your crust once you remove it from the pan). Press the crust down with your hands, making sure that there are no holes. The result should be an even layer of crust that ever so slightly curves up along the edges of the pan.
    • While pressing the crust into the pan, make sure that you do not accidentally tear any of the foil. If you do notice a tear, replace it with a different piece of tin foil.
  6. Place the pan in the oven. The crust will need to harden up a bit--putting it in the oven for 10 minutes should achieve the desired texture. Once the 10 minutes have passed, remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 325°F (163C). Let the crust cool for several minutes.

Making the Filling

  1. Cut your cream cheese into large chunks. One by one, cut away a chunk of the cream cheese and place it into the bowl of your electric mixture. Use the paddle attachment of your electric mixture to get the creamiest texture. Mix the cream cheese for four minutes on a medium speed--the result should be a smooth texture.
    • If you don’t have an electric mixture, place the cream cheese in a large bowl and use a handheld electric mixer to stir it up.
  2. Add the sugar to the cream cheese. Pour your sugar into the bowl and mix the two ingredients together for four minutes. Your mixture should be set to a medium speed. Repeat this process with the vanilla and salt. Add one ingredient and then mix for four minutes. Then add the other ingredient and mix for four minutes.[2]
  3. Crack the eggs into the bowl on at a time. When you add one egg, turn the mixer on and beat it for one minute. Repeat this process with the three remaining eggs. Use a spatula to scrape along the insides and bottom of the mixing bowl. This is important to do because large chunks of cream cheese can get stuck in these areas. Next, add the sour cream and mix thoroughly. Follow this up with the heavy cream, which you should also mix until the ingredients are all blended together.
  4. Pour the filling into the pan on top of the crust. Make sure that you scoop out all of the filling while also making sure that it doesn’t overflow the pan. Once it is in the pan, use a spatula to make the top smooth.[1]

Baking the Cheesecake

  1. Place the springboard pan into a high-sided roasting pan. Bring two quarts of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, carefully pour it into the roasting pan so that the water reaches about halfway up the side of the springboard pan. While this might sound like an odd instruction, you are actually giving the cake a water bath that will help the filling to cook without cracking the crust.[3]
  2. Place the pan inside a pan on the lower rack of the oven. Set your timer for one and a half hours and let your delicious cheesecake bake. After the baking time has passed, open the oven and gently shake the cheesecake back and forth to ensure doneness. The cake should wiggle slightly in the center and should be firm around the edge. The center will firm up as the cake cools.
  3. Turn off the heat. Open the door of the oven so that it is about an inch open. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven as the oven cools, which should take about one hour. This sort of slow, gentle cooling will make sure that the crust doesn’t crack in the face of the cold air outside the oven.
  4. Cover the top of your cheesecake with foil and place it in the fridge. You will want to leave it in the fridge for a minimum of four hours. The cold temperature will help the cheesecake to firm up.
    • Some dessert chefs believe the cheesecake should be cooled uncovered for two to three hours. Chilling the cheesecake this way also helps to disperse the moisture that would otherwise form on the top of the cheesecake.[3]
  5. Remove your cheesecake from the pan. Once it has chilled thoroughly, you can slide a spatula along the inside of the pan to separate the crust and cake from the pan. You must wait to do this until after the cheesecake has cooled or else you run the high risk of separating the cheesecake from its crust. Open the springform latch and gently remove the sides, leaving the cheesecake in all its glory.[1]
  6. Serve and enjoy!



Tips

  • If the tops crack too much for your liking, decorate it with some fruit toppings like strawberries and blueberries. You could also try drizzling melted chocolate over the top.
  • To make individual serving size cheesecakes, place your crust mixture and cheesecake batter into a muffin pan. If you have a sided pan large enough, fill it some with warm water and rest the muffin pan in it. This will even out the cooking of the miniature cheesecakes.
  • You can add chunks of fruit into the mixture to get a filled cheesecake.
  • If the crust starts breaking off you just add hot melted chocolate and let it harden.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/bake/how-to-make-cheesecake/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_cheesecake/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/baking-tips/how-to-make-bake-cheesecake
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