Creamy, thick and delicious this Classic Cheesecake Recipe is the perfect addition to your dessert table with minimal ingredients and is completely addicting.
When it comes to cheesecake in this house, we really take it seriously. It is one of the most beloved desserts around. And it usually never lasts long.
This Classic Cheesecake Recipe is one of the most requested recipes from family and friends and they always want the recipe, so why not share it with you guys too?
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- Minimal ingredients make it easy to whip up!
- It is a super simple base recipe that can be doctored to any flavor that you love.
- It is large and in charge, thick and delicious you don’t need much of this to fill you up.
HOW TO MAKE THIS CLASSIC CHEESECAKE RECIPE, STEP BY STEP:
- Preheat oven to 350. In bowl add your graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter.
- Mix your your crumbs together until combined.
- Line a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper, spray with non-stick cooking spray and pour your graham cracker mix into it and press into bottom and up the sides, set aside.
- In bowl of stand mixer add your cream cheese and beat well until smooth and creamy and no lumps remain.
- Add in your sugar slowly and beat again until combined.
- Next add in your eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Then add in your vanilla extract, lemon juice, lemon zest and sour cream and beat again until everything is smooth and combined.
- Wrap your springform pan in heavy duty tinfoil and pour your cheesecake mixture into your prepared pan and smoothe out the top.
- Place in a large baking dish and fill with about 1″ of water, reduce heat to 300 and bake for 1 hour, then shut off oven and let sit in oven for another hour before removing and chilling.
HOW TO STORE CHEESECAKE:
- REFRIGERATOR: Any cream cheese based dessert needs to be stored in the refrigerator for safety purposes. This can be wrapped in tin-foil or Saran Wrap and be stored for 3-4 days.
- FREEZER: Bake and cool as directed, once cooled in the refrigerator, remove your springform pan sides and place uncovered in freezer for about one hour, then remove and remove from the bottom of the springform pan. Wrap tightly in saran wrap or tin-foil and place in an airtight container or a large ziplock bag, this should keep for about 3-4 months.
HOW TO KEEP A CHEESECAKE FROM CRACKING:
I am a true believer in baking in a water bath to help keep your cheesecake from cracking.
Not only does this add moisture into the oven to let your cheesecake bake evenly, it also evaporates while baking which helps the cheesecake bake properly.
If you do not have a pan big enough to fit a cheesecake in for a water bath, place a pan full of water beneath the cheesecake on the next rack.
HOW TO KEEP MY CHEESECAKE FROM SWEATING:
The reason your cheesecake forms condensation on the top is because it was not properly cooled before refrigerating.
Make sure to completely cool your cheesecake on the countertop before placing into the refrigerator to chill completely.
Also remember to cover with tin-foil or Saran Wrap as well to also help keep any moisture out. There still is a good chance you will have some condensation but it is easy to dab off with a paper towel.
If you want that perfect dessert this Classic Cheesecake Recipe is just the one you need. Nothing too complicated, but seriously easy.
I know some people are intimidated when it comes to baking cheesecakes, but really don’t worry about it, once you make one you will realize that they are just super simple to make in the first place and you won’t stop.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Make sure to add in your eggs one at a time so they are evenly distributed among the batter.
- Make sure you beat that cream cheese really well, I would say no less than 3-4 minutes at the least.
- DO NOT SKIP the water bath! If you cannot find a pan large enough to fit your springform pan in, place a pan filled with water on the rack underneath your cheesecake instead.
- Cool pan completely on countertop before covering and refrigerating, this will help keep it from sweating.
- Want the perfect cut slice of cheesecake? Warm up a knife with hot water, wipe off and then slice cheesecake.
- Want a cheater way to make that crust, we like to use already crushed graham cracker crumbs!
Don’t hesitate when it comes to this Classic Cheesecake, trust me when I say you will become easily addicted and you’ll be making it time and time again!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried this CLASSIC CHEESECAKE RECIPE or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!
Classic Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups graham crackers crushed
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
Cheesecake:
- 4 8 oz pkgs cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup sour cream
- Cherry pie filling for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Mix together your crust ingredients (graham crackers, sugar and butter) and press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9" springform pan and then set in refrigerator.
- In bowl of a stand mixer add your cream cheese and beat until smooth and lumps are gone then add in your sugar slowly until combined.
- Next add in your eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. This ensures that they are fully incorporated evenly.
- Then add in your vanilla extract and sour cream just mixing until combined.
- Wrap pan in heavy duty tin-foil and pour into your prepared crust and place in large roasting dish and fill dish about half way up your springform pan with hot water (the water bath helps the cheesecake from not cracking).
- Reduce oven heat to 300 and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes then turn off heat and leave in oven for another hour until center is set.
- Remove from oven and place on counter to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for an additional 8 hours.
- Once chilled top with cherry pie filling if desired.
Notes
- Make sure to add in your eggs one at a time so they are evenly distributed among the batter.
- Make sure you beat that cream cheese really well, I would say no less than 3-4 minutes at the least.
- DO NOT SKIP the water bath! If you cannot find a pan large enough to fit your springform pan in, place a pan filled with water on the rack underneath your cheesecake instead.
- Cool pan completely on countertop before covering and refrigerating, this will help keep it from sweating.
- Want the perfect cut slice of cheesecake? Warm up a knife with hot water, wipe off and then slice cheesecake.
- Want a cheater way to make that crust, we like to use already crushed graham cracker crumbs!
Nutrition
[…] always asks me for my Classic Cheesecake Recipe because they love it so much. But when it comes to bars, Cheesecake Bars are some of my favorite […]