This is the best basic cheesecake recipe I’ve ever had. It’s perfectly rich and creamy, not too sweet and VERY generous in size. Topped with a tangy sour cream topping, it’s heaven in every bite.
Also whew! I didn’t think I was going to get a recipe out today but got a last-minute burst of inspiration and sat down with a glass of wine to finish it. Blame it on the wine!
My uncle brought this cheesecake to holidays a few times and I fell in love. Yes, my love life generally revolves around food. He shared the recipe with me from Simply Recipes originally from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours. This is the kind of cookbook that I grab off my shelf and browse frequently, because everything looks absolutely delicious and has a variety of recipes varying from beginner to advanced. Plus Dorie is so cute and so knowledgable and she lives part-time in Paris. Paris!
I generally followed the original recipe from Simply Recipes, aside from halving the sour cream topping. Cheesecakes always seem so scary to make, but, aside from taking some time to make from start to finish, they really aren’t hard. Just make sure to have the ingredients at room temperature and mix thoroughly so you don’t have a lumpy cheesecake and don’t skip the water bath! Lastly, allow yourself the proper amount of time for chilling, both for the cheesecake alone and the sour cream topping you will add after its chilled.
I’m going to share a life-changing secret with you…DO NOT USE A SPRINGFORM PAN FOR CHEESECAKE! Bake it in a deep 9-inch cake pan (I use this one and it’s perfect for the amount of filling most cheesecakes contain) and place it in a larger round cake pan (like the 11 or 13-inch one in this set) to make the waterbath. I cannot take credit for this method; I saw Alton Brown do it on Good Eats and watched an Instagram story with Zoe from Zoe Bakes doing the same thing. It’s genius!
It completely eliminates the soggy crust problem, which plagued me for years despite wrapping that springform sucker in tons of aluminum foil exactly like every recipe told me to do.
This method may scare you and I totally get it-it scared me too! But it freaking works…like 100% of the time. Let’s recap: bake the cheesecake in a 9 x 3-inch round cake pan inside a larger round cake pan filled with water. No aluminum foil necessary. Chill the cheesecake as instructed in the recipe. When ready to remove the cheesecake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen from the side and place the cake pan over medium-low heat for about 45 seconds to 1 minute, moving constantly, to melt the butter in the crust just slightly. Flip the cheesecake onto a cardboard round or other flat plate or pan that’s barely bigger than the cheesecake and flip back right-side-up onto your serving plate or cake stand. Let the cheesecake sit for a little bit at room temperature so the butter hardens and doesn’t adhere to your serving plate. Then top with the sour cream topping and let chill completely before serving! It’s honestly a lot easier than it appears in this long paragraph…I promise.
I made this for a Super Bowl Party and went home with an empty pan and rave reviews! But please don’t wait until the next Super Bowl to make it.
[tasty-recipe id=”32477″]
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