If you have no ideas on how to bake a cheesecake at home with a perfectly smooth top then you are going to love this recipe. Today we will learn how to make this amazing cloud-like confection which is so easy and beyond delicious. You will start by making a super easy graham cracker crust. If you do not have Graham crackers you can use any cookie like Oreos, or digestive biscuits. Put the crackers in the food processor.
The amount of crackers depends on how thick you want your crust then add toasted pecans to it, it is important to toast nuts when baking it makes a huge difference and they are very fragile. Add sugar to the mixture the amount you need then pulse it up to get fine crumbs. Once you get a nice crumbly mixture drippy in some butter and if your mixture is dry add a little bit more.
Take a little bit of your mixture and if you push it into a ball then that is done and no need to add butter but you can add butter if you love butter. You do not have to use the food processor, you could crunch this by the bag and then chop your pecans really finely and mix butter using your hands. Transfer the mixture to a baking pan and even it out then use a cup or tall glass to move it up to the edges and get it on high.
Press on the side to get a vertical glass then bake this in the oven at 350F for just under 10 minutes it is ready to come out so do not overcook it. For the filling, you will need room temperature cream cheese. If you use cold cream cheese it is likely to be kind of lumpy and not totally mixed for your cheesecake. A cheesecake without crust is a cheesecake with a completely homogeneous filling.
Put the room temperature cream in your mixing bowl and whip it up using a stand mixer then add in sugar. You can reduce the sugar if you want but the cheesecake is very tangy and the sugar is a nice balance. Add in salt to get a little bit of flavor balance then mix it up until nice and smooth and then add in your sour cream and vanilla extract and mix them in the mixture. Then start sprinkling in some flour just a little bit to bring it together, and add it in gradually mixing it nicely and slowly.
Scrape the bowl down one more time to ensure everything is well-mixed. For the last ingredients add in your eggs and yolks one at a time as you mix well after each addition. It instantly becomes so much silkier, and glossier, and loosens the texture which is very nice, mix it well to get a smooth and silky batter. Get your prepared crusts and pour in your filling, fill it up pretty high because it is not going to rise.
Bake it at 350F for just 10 minutes then turn it down to 300F and bake for an additional 40 minutes. It will be a little wobbly in the middle and a little bit puffed. You can top your cakes with some berries or some dollops of whipped cream and more berries or go an easy way by using canned cherries fillings just pour a little bit on top and enjoy it. The cake is like light fluffy clouds that melt in your mouth topped with some whipped cream.
Ingredients;
For the Crust;
- 16 Graham Crackers more if you’d like a thicker crust
- 1 cup (70g) pecans, toasted
- 4 tbsp (56g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (24g) sugar
- 1/2 tsp (1g) cinnamon
For the Cheesecake;
- 2 1/2 pounds cream cheese 1.13kg, room temperature, 4.5 packages
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups (350g) sugar
- 2 tsp (10mL) vanilla extract
- 5 eggs large, room temperature
- 2 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 3 tbsp All-purpose flour
Instructions;
For the Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Add Graham crackers and toasted pecans to your food processor and pulse until broken into small pieces. Add sugar and cinnamon then pulse until mixed in completely.
- Pour in melted butter while pulsing the processor. Remove the blades and use a spatula to mix the butter in completely.
- Transfer the mixture to your springform pan and spread out with a spatula so the crumbs are evenly distributed on the bottom and toward the side as well.
- Press into a flat layer using a tall glass and really try to compact the side so it keeps its shape after cutting. Bake for about 10-15 minutes at 350, or until fragrant and a darker golden colour. Remove from oven, and set aside.
For the Filling:
- Add room temperature cream cheese to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and mix at medium speed to cream.
- Add the sugar and the salt to the bowl and mix on medium until creamy. Scrape the bowl down and mix until completely homogenous.
- Add sour cream and vanilla extract, mix well then add the eggs and yolks one at a time, allowing each to incorporate before adding the next.
- Sprinkle in the flour and continue to mix. Scrape the bowl down and mix until completely smooth.
- Pour the batter into the foil-wrapped 10-inch springform pan. The batter will not rise much at all during this low and slow bake so you can fill it up almost to the top. If you’re using an 8″ pan then you will have some extra batter for individual/mini cheesecakes, which you can bake in cupcake papers.
- Place the springform pan into a large roasting pan or on a baking sheet, this makes sure there are no leaks and it’s easier to remove from the oven.
- Bake at 350F for 20 minutes then reduce temperature to 300F and bake another 40 minutes or until the cake’s edge is set but the centre is still wobbly.
- Turn the oven off but leave the door closed and allow the cake to rest for an additional hour in the oven. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature then cover with a towel or paper towel and chill overnight.
- You can garnish the cake with dollops of whipped cream, and berries, or enjoy plain.
