Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 24 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1 C sugar
- 4 eggs (room temperature)
- 8 oz heavy cream
- 1/2 t lemon or lime juice
- 1 t vanilla
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
- 6 T melted butter
- 3 T brown sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 325º. Bring a pan of water to boil.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of a springform pan and bake for 10-15 minutes until starting to brown and fragrant. Remove and allow to cool to room temperature.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add salt, vanilla, and citrus juice and beat until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating only until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add cream and mix just until blended.
Rub the sides of the springform pan with approximately one tablespoon of melted butter. Wrap with two sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil. Pour the batter into the pan and tap on the counter to release any air bubbles. Place pan in a larger deep roasting pan. Carefully poor the boiling water into the large pan until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the springform.
Bake until the cake reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees (about 1 1/2 hours) – cake will still jiggle slightly in the middle. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the water bath for an additional 45 minutes. Remove from the water bath, place on a wire rack and allow to come to room temperature. Cover, place in the refrigerator and allow to chill at least 2-3 hours before serving. Prior to serving, run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen.
Maple Bourbon Cheesecake Variation
- Replace 1 c sugar with 1/2 c brown sugar and 1/2 c maple syrup.
- Add 1 1/2 t maple extract and 4 T bourbon along with the vanilla.
- Sub brown sugar for white sugar in the crust.