Cheesecake (not foolproof)

For 1 large cheesecake

Experience

• made for the microbakery 05/2023 for Shavuot. I split it into smaller quantities to sell it at a reasonable price. I’m not sure I’m 100% satisfied with this recipe yet.

Ingredients

Crust

• 200 g graham cracker/butter cookie crumbs (1½ cups)
• 70 g butter melted (5 tbsp)
• 25 g sugar (2 tbsp)
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

Filling

• 900 g cream cheese, at room temperature
• 400 g sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon packed lemon zest, from 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 large eggs
• 120 g sour cream

Recipe

1. Oven = 190°C. 
2. Wrap a round pan with two layers of aluminum foil. Butter the inside of the pan.
3. Blitz the graham crackers, melted butter, sugar, and salt until thinly blitzed.
4. Press the crumbs into an even layer on the the bottom of the pan.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, until set.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 160°C.
7. Boil a kettle of water.
8. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and flour together until just smooth, about 1 minute.
9. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt; beat on low speed until just combined.
10. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated, scraping the bowl as necessary.
11. Mix in the sour cream. Make sure the batter is uniform but do not over-mix.
12. Set the cheesecake pan in a large roasting pan. Pour the batter on top of the crust. Pour the boiling water into the large roasting pan to come about 1 inch up the side of the cake pan.
13. Bake until the cake is just set, 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes. (If the cheesecake starts to look too golden on top towards the end, cover it loosely with foil.)
14. The cake should not look liquidy at all but will wobble just a bit when the pan is nudged; it will continue to cook as it cools.
15. Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Cool the cheesecake in the water bath until the water is just warm, about 45 minutes.
16. Remove the springform pan from the water bath and discard the foil. If necessary, run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the cake to make sure it’s not sticking to the sides (which can cause cracks as it cools), then cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to cool for at least 8 hours or overnight.

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adapted from onceuponachef