Recipe Of The Day: Classic Cheesecake
Some confections are so good that it doesn't even seem possible to recreate them at home, but your wildest dessert dreams are now a possibility. This classic New York-style cheesecake is so smooth and rich that one bite will transport you straight to a 5-star restaurant.
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Cheesecake is one of the most iconic desserts in America, and few places love it more than New York. So much so that the state has its own style of the dessert: dense, with cream cheese and served without fruit. Keep in mind, it's best to have a spring form pan when baking cheesecake, which might sound overwhelming, but it's a great way to really put your baking skills to the test.
To make the dessert, start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Once the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter are mixed together, press it evenly into the bottom of your springform pan to create the crust. Mix together the ingredients for the cake center and pour the mixture into the crust. Bake the cheesecake for an hour, let it cool completely then leave it in the refrigerator for four hours.
Be careful when taking the cake out of the pan. To do so, run a small knife around the sides of the pan, to loosen the crust, then remove the sides of the pan. Cheesecake is a great way to expand your baking skill set, but if this recipe seems a little too involved, try out some of these easy dessert recipes that take boxed cake mix to the next level.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (or to 325°F if using a dark nonstick springform pan).
Mix crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and butter in small bowl.
Press evenly into bottom of 9-inch springform pan.
Set aside.
Beat cream cheese, remaining 1 cup sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until well blended.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended.
Gently stir in sour cream.
Pour into crust.
Bake 1 hour or until center is almost set.
Turn off oven.
Leave cheesecake in oven 1 hour.
Remove from oven.
Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Run small knife around sides of pan to loosen crust; remove sides of pan.
Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.
Recipe courtesy of McCormick