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The Best Cheesecake

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the best cheesecakeLet’s start this post off with a little secret… I’m not great at baking cheesecake! I’ve had them crack, undercook, overcook, and everything in between. It’s been a rough road for me and this sweet dessert. I knew I couldn’t let it win. A year or so ago I found the perfect recipe. I’ve made it several times for my dad and brother who both agree it’s top notch. My brother (who knows everything) (I really really love you if you are reading this!) even told me it’s better than the ones you find in New York! So now the trick was figuring out how to get it to bake pretty. ..

the best cheesecake filling

Let’s start with a few tips that I collected from the internet…

1. You can try a water bath.
2. Room temperature ingredients.
3. Don’t over mix.
4. Don’t open the oven door. At all.
5. If all else fails top with some cherries!

the best cheesecake with cherries

Seriously. Round ten for me and this darn cake and I still had cracks. Bonus? It was cooked perfectly. It wasn’t until I opened my pantry and saw some cherry pie filling (where did that even come from?!) that I decided the best solution to my cracking problem was to just top it with some cherry goodness.

the best cheesecake recipe with cherries

One other thing about MY cheesecake… See those crazy wrinkly edges? I haven’t figured out a great way to get these things out of the pans… My solution? Tin foil. Yep… I line any pan I decide to use with tin foil and leave a nice big edge all the way around. Lightly spritz with cooking spray and the result is an easily removable cake in the end! Easily removable and oh so delicious. I have never had one of these bad boys last more than an hour at a party, event, or just at my house. Totally guilty of eating a whole one on my own… On more than one occasion…

cheesecake

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The Best Cheesecake

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 4 tablespoons butter melted
  • 4 8oz cream cheese packages, softened
  • 1-1/2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line or grease a 9 inch spring form pan. (For these pictures I used two tall 6 inch cake pans).
  2. In a small bowl combine the graham crackers, cinnamon, and butter. Mix until you get a wet sand like mixture. Press into the bottom of your pan.
  3. Cream the cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the milk followed by the eggs by hand. Make sure you scrape the sides of the bowl as you go. Once combined fold in the sour cream, vanilla, and flour. Pour into your prepared dish.
  4. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off your oven and let the cheesecake rest until cooled to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
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Comments

  2. Amy | Club Narwhal says

    Jesseca, I totally hear your cheesecake pain! Mine always, always crack. My solution is identical– just top them with the most decadent stuff so no one even sees it 🙂 This cheesecake looks amazing, especially all those gorgeous cherries.

    Reply

  4. Cammie says

    Having made 3 New York Cheesecakes in the last week (1 birthday request, 1 fundraiser giveaway and 1 for home) I would try: cutting the flour down to 1/8c. and instead of using tin foil on the inside of the springform pan try a thick layer of butter smeared on with a paper towel (just make sure it’s thick enough the paper towel doesn’t lose thin pieces or you could also use wax paper or the wrapper the butter comes in) and then 3 layers of tinfoil on the outside of the springform pan, I wrap it over it’s self where it comes over the edge and create like a 1/2″ tin foil lip off the top of the pan. Then I place the cheesecake in a deep roasting pan (a cast iron pan would work also) and fill it with hot, hot water halfway up the springform pan. Remember also, the smaller the pan the less time it will take to cook, I pull them out as soon as the top only does a little jiggle in the middle, lol. You could also check it with a toothpick but it will continue cooking for 5-10 minutes after you pull it from the oven, so I jiggle it and then let it sit for 10 mins on the counter in the water bath. After it sits for 10 I remove it from the bath and take a butter knife around the edge, then I let it cool completely before removing the springform. Hope that helps you get a no crack top. Cheesecakes are one of those things that oven temp differences or altitude effects the outcome of so IMO folks need to find a method that works in their kitchen 😉

    Reply

  8. Leanne says

    How did you know Cherry Cheesecake was my favorite. I would get this for my birthdays growing up because I didn’t love cake. Looks delicious!

    Reply

  10. Bismah says

    This looks so delicious especially with the cherries on top! Its been so long since I’ve made cheesecake. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

  14. Jessica says

    I honestly don’t know how this can be done in an hour. I baked for 80 minutes at least and it was still really jiggly. I just turned my oven off and am letting it cool now. Hoping it’s ok after it sets in frig.

    Reply

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