I'm not sure about you- but I've always found it hard to make a perfect cheesecake. In the past, I've tried a bunch of times to make a good (crackless) cheesecake- but it never comes out just right!!! However, in the past, I didn't use the power that is Ina Garten and now- I have perfected (well, sort of) cheesecake making!
For those of you who have similar experiences with cheesecake and find it a daunting feat to bake that perfect cheesecake- never fear! Ina Garten has saved the day!
The recipe for the cheesecake follows:
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For the crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 whole extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the crust, combine the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1-inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
To make the filling, cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs and egg yolks, 2 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and pour into the cooled crust.
Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 225 degrees and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and open the door wide. The cake will not be completely set in the center. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the cake from the springform pan by carefully running a hot knife around the outside of the cake. Leave the cake on the bottom of the springform pan for serving.
To make the topping, melt the jelly in a small pan over low heat. In a bowl, toss berries and the warm jelly gently until well mixed. Arrange the berries on top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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Delicious.
Being that my family is becoming more and more health-conscious, I cut down on the sugar for the filling (around 3/4- 1 cup). It still tasted great! The lemon zest was a lot more pungent than I thought it would be and was a great addition to the cake- it make it taste more like a lemon cheesecake!
The original recipe came with a mixed berry topping, but again, being health conscious we skipped on that as well- and again, it still tasted wonderful.
My cousins really liked the texture of the cake (yes it uses twice as much cream cheese as a 'normal' cheesecake would so i'm not surprised) and I found that the crust was amazing (and so simple)! Creamy, thick and decadent, I would say that cheesecake is the perfect dessert.
Fairly simple to make- I was really happy with the (crackless) results. If you're looking to try something adventurous and had unsuccessful attempts at cheesecake before- this is the recipe for you! I'm making it again for Mother's Day next week! (But am thinking about omitting the lemon zest this time to make it more traditional)
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
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