Favorite Cheesecake Recipe

What you will need:

• 9″-9½” springform pan

Ingredients for The Crust:

• 10 graham crackers (finely crushed) OR 1-1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs 
• 6 Tbsp of unsalted butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp of vanilla sugar or regular sugar
• 1/3 tsp of cinnamon

Ingredients for The Cheesecake:

• 5 – 8oz of cream cheese,room temperature
• 1¾ cups sugar
• ¼ cup full-fat sour cream
• 6 whole large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• lemon zest

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350º.

Step 1- Prepare the crust:

1. Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon.
2. Mix until well combined (“wet sand” like texture) – mix well.
3. Press the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the springform pan.
4. Wrap the bottom of the springform pan with foil.
5. Bake for 8 minutes.
6. Let the crust cool to room temperature.

Increase oven temp to 450°F.
Place the over rack on the bottom half of the stove. This will prevent the top of the cheesecake from burning.

Step 1-Cheesecake filling:

1. Cream together the cream cheese until smooth.
2. Mix in the sugar, and sour cream until light and fluffy using an electric mixer on medium-high speed (about 4-6 minutes).
3. Add in 1 egg at a time. Make sure each egg is mixed in completely before adding the next.
4. Add in vanilla and lemon zest and mix using low speed.
5. Pour cheesecake filling into the crust.
6. Fill a 9x13in baking dish with water, halfway.
7. Place the springform pan into the water bath (baking dish filled with water).

Baking Instructions:

1. Bake 15 minutes at 450°F.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 240 °F and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes
3. Bake until the center is almost set. When the cheesecake is ready, the center will still be jiggly. Do not over bake.
4. Remove cheesecake from the oven and cool cake to room temperature. As the cheesecake cools, it will stiffen.
5. Do not open the oven while the cheesecake is baking. Sudden change in oven temperature can cause the top of the cheesecake to crack.

Serving Instructions:

1. It is best to refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours before serving cooled.
2. Top cake with your favorite toppings. (Strawberry topping, blueberry topping, chocolate ganache, German buttercream, etc.
3. To remove cake from springform, run a knife around the edge of the springform to separate the cake from the pan.
4. Unlatch and remove from the pan.