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This is the best cheesecake recipe. Smooth, rich, and creamy cheesecake filling is topped on a buttery graham cracker crust. Amazing with or without a fruit topping!
This post was originally published on Mar 24, 2014. It has since been updated to include helpful tips and information.
This recipe is my brother’s favorite. I made it once, and since then it has been requested over and over.
It is rich, creamy, and so hard to resist. Classic cheesecake is something I feel that every baker should try to make at least once in their lifetime. It does tend to intimidate some home cooks, but it shouldn’t!
Making a cheesecake can be simple. Just take your time, follow the basic tips and tricks in this post, and enjoy a beautiful cheesecake every single time.
And remember, if your cheesecake comes out with a cracked top… It just has character and still tastes delicious!
Ingredients for this recipe:
- Graham crackers– Classic grahams are best for this crust. Try not to use the ones with cinnamon and sugar.
- Cinnamon– Cinnamon adds a slight boost in flavor, but is optional.
- Butter– Butter is the binding agent or glue to your crust.
- Cream cheese– Opt for the better cream cheese brands in this recipe. The flavor is slightly elevated and extra delicious.
- Sugar– Granulated sugar, or white sugar, is best for this dish.
- Milk– Whole milk is my go-to, but you can always use a lower percentage.
- Eggs– Large eggs.
- Sour cream– Sour cream adds a slight tang to the filling that really sends things over the top!
- Vanilla– Use pure vanilla extract.
- All-purpose Flour
How to make a cheesecake from scratch:
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
Topping ideas for this recipe:
Some of our favorite cheesecake topping ideas are:
- Cherry Pie Filling
- Blueberry Pie Filling
- Salted Caramel
- Candied Fruits
- Fresh Fruit
- Chocolate Sauce
Cheesecake Baking Tips:
- A water bath can help reduce cracks in your cheesecake.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Over mixing a cheesecake is one of the main in creating cracked tops. By using room temperature ingredients you are reducing the time needed to fully incorporate the ingredients.
- Do not over mix the batter. Like stated above, over mixing will cause big ol’ cracks in your baked cheesecakes. Be sure to mix carefully just until the ingredients are combined.
- As tempting as it might be, avoid opening the oven door. Opening and closing the door releases heat causing the oven temperature to fluctuate. This can cause uneven baking and… you guessed it… cause cracking.
- If all else fails, and you find yourself faced with a cracked cheesecake, top with fruit!
How to create a water bath:
- Start with a large pan, like a roasting pan, that has a bit of a lip or edge.
- Place your spring form pan that is filled with the cheesecake batter into a larger cake pan. Essentially, you are creating a barrier around you cheesecake to stop water from getting in. So if you have an 8″ spring form pan, place it into an empty 10-12 inch round cake pan.
- Place the spring form pan with the extra cake pan into your roasting pan.
- Transfer to the oven.
- Fill the roasting pan with warm water until it reaches halfway up the sides of your cheesecake, but not going over the outer cake pan.
- Bake as normal.
More Cheesecake Recipes:
- No Churn Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Banana Cream Cheesecake
- Strawberry Cheesecake French Toast
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Even More Recipes You Will Love:
- Easy Cheesecake Bars
- Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
- Lime Cheesecake Bites
- Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bars
The Best Cheesecake
This is the best cheesecake recipe. Smooth, rich, and creamy cheesecake filling is topped on a buttery graham cracker crust. Amazing with or without a fruit topping!
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
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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Yvonne @ TriedandTasty says
I’m so happy you explained the wrinkled edges – I was so curious! I really like the look! Cheesecake is fabulous (we had the same idea!)
Jesseca says
Great minds think alike!
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.
Aimee @like mother like daughter says
Oh my gosh, this looks amazing! I wish I had a slice for breakfast!! Love the cherries on top to hide the crack – why is cheesecake so hard to get perfect?!
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 😉
Jesseca says
These are all great tips! I’ll be sure to implement them next time I make this recipe!
Chichi says
This cheesecake looks oh so delicious. Love love love it
Whitney Walker says
This is beautiful and I’m sure delicious! Can’t wait to try it thanks for sharing!
Debra says
OK. Now I NEED cheesecake. Truly NEED. This looks amazing!
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!
Jesseca says
Leanne!! You can have cheesecake with me anytime!
Kimber says
My hubby loves cheesecake! I will definitely be trying this for him! Pinning now!
Jesseca says
Thanks for the pin Kimber!
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!
Amy | The Happy Scraps says
Ummm, I’ll be right over! This looks so yummy! Cheesecake is one of my favorites.
Jonie @ Just Between Friends says
This looks delicious! I am definitely pinning this recipe for later.
Holly C. says
I’ve been wanting cheesecake for a while now. I’ve never made it before, but I could probably handle this one. Thanks!
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.