Cheesecake
Sorry guys, I’ve sort of let you slip through the cracks these past few days. We’ve been going flat-out since Friday, when we all went up to Canmore to do a story – Friday night we baked for the bake sale at Market Collective (thanks to Vincci‘s idea and organization we collectively raised $1200 for Meals on Wheels!), which was Saturday. Sunday was Ramsay Rocks, which we were there setting up first thing in the morning, and as I got to emcee, I was there for the entire day. We went straight from there to my parents’ house for my Dad’s birthday dinner – homemade pizza, salad, cherry tomatoes and wee bocconcini in balsamic vinaigrette with torn basil.
Although he’s lactose intolerant, my dad loves cheesecake so that he requested one. I hadn’t baked a cheesecake in ages, but pulled out my old standby – the cheesecake from my battered Canadian Living Cookbook (the one with the blue cover – mine has almost disconnected itself from the rest of the book). Yum.
It hadn’t occurred to me to make a cheesecake for a very long while, but sitting on the patio eating one topped with blueberries made it feel finally like summer was actually here. (The fact that it was summer solstice may have helped.) There are essentially two types of cheesecake: those you bake and those you don’t. The unbaked ones usually get their structure from gelatin and firm up in the fridge. Baked cheesecakes have a different texture altogether; they are denser and cheesier, but are just as easy to make. Regular cream cheese produces the creamiest results, but light cream cheese works very well too. Fat free cream cheese just doesn’t cut it. The key to a nice, creamy cheesecake is to not overbake it – it should be slightly jiggly in the middle when you take it from the oven. To keep the top from cracking, some spray water into the oven or toss a few ice cubes onto the bottom of the oven to add humidity as it bakes; I keep the temperature low and run a thin knife around the edge as soon as it comes out, then leave it to cool with the sides of the springform pan still intact – don’t take the ring off until your cake is completely cool. Chilled, even.
Cheesecake
AuthorJulie
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
To make the crust, combine the graham crumbs, butter, and sugar and press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan that has been sprayed lightly with nonstick spray. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set it aside. Turn the oven up to 425°F.
To make the filling, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar, flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla and beat it again, just until it’s smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Pour the batter over the crust.
Bake the cheesecake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 250°F and continue to bake for another 30-35 minutes. You can tell when the cheesecake is done when it’s barely firm around the edges and the center is just slightly jiggly. It will firm up as it cools.
Immediately run a thin knife around the edge to loosen it from the pan, but allow it to cool completely and then refrigerate it for at least an hour before you remove the sides of the springform pan.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
To make the crust, combine the graham crumbs, butter, and sugar and press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan that has been sprayed lightly with nonstick spray. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set it aside. Turn the oven up to 425°F.
To make the filling, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar, flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla and beat it again, just until it’s smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Pour the batter over the crust.
Bake the cheesecake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 250°F and continue to bake for another 30-35 minutes. You can tell when the cheesecake is done when it’s barely firm around the edges and the center is just slightly jiggly. It will firm up as it cools.
Immediately run a thin knife around the edge to loosen it from the pan, but allow it to cool completely and then refrigerate it for at least an hour before you remove the sides of the springform pan.
I’ve never been brave enough to make a baked cheesecake. My mom always made the no-bake kind growing up. Yours looks delicious and I’ve got a fridge full of blueberries!
Hi Julie,
Great post!! I was wondering – I am also lactose intolerant and wondered if there was a way to make this with yogurt cheese? I’m wondering what the proportions would need to be. Still, your looks marvellous!!
I make that cheesecake all the time. My mom gave me the recipe, and I have become somewhat famous for it! I was so intimidated by cheesecake too, until I found I could do this in my food processor no problem – the trick is baking it properly. I have never heard of the ice in the oven part – I will have to try it! I honestly think my hisband loves me more because he knows I can make this…
Happy 6th birthday to your dad. 😀
Rachael – sorry, I have no idea.. but I suspect you might have some problems using all yogurt cheese. If you do give it a try, let me know what happens!
Kathleen – it’s a great one, isn’t it? I don’t do the topping part – the Canadian Living recipe has a sour cream sort of glaze layer on top – I think it’s just fine without it!
I don’t do the topping either – I just melt dark chocolate and then swirl and flick it on top once it has cooled – it acts as a nice foil to the creamy sweet cheesecake. I think it is time to make a cheesecake at my house….
I meant to tell you, Julie, that I had sent a gaggle to pregnant women (from my Prenatal Pilates class) over to the Market Collective with the promise of cookies and other yummy things. I, unfortunately, couldn’t go as I was hosting a stagette that afternoon (even though my studio was only a few blocks away on Kens. Rd! Doh!) Glad to hear it went well..
Ooh my word you’ve been busy!
The cheesecake looks fantastic! I’ve always been nervous about baked cheesecakes – thanks for the tips!
What a wonderful cheesecake! I made a baked one several years ago that turned out quite well but, like you, I haven’t thought about making one in some time. I love the simplicity of this recipe and that you chose such a simple topping. That tells me it’s really THAT good. Definitely going to make this!
What about the cracks in the top? Don’t you cover it with rhubarb topping anyway (or cherry)? The first cheesecake recipe I ever made (1970s) had sour cream spread on top as it came out of the oven. We weren’t considering fat content in the middle of the last century!
Classic cheesecake is still my favorite. Although lately I’m into collecting and trying flavored cheesecake recipes, lol! I love blueberries by the way. One time I put a bit of blueberry jam in my filling and it turns out lavender, really cool, my kids love it.
Perfect timing Julie. Iwas challenged to a cheesecake throwdown at our office and I’ve been trying to decide what to make…this reminded me to keep it simple. A classic is always a winner!
I have to say I’m still a virgin to cheesecake….guess what I’m making for the next family reunion party!
I wonder why you didn’t add the nutritive information to the recipe…NOT!!!
Thanks for sharing Jules 🙂
MFO
Great tips for adding humidity to the oven, thanks. Would love a slice with caramel sauce.
Gorgeous cheesecake! Thanks for the tips about keeping it from cracking. I’m always paranoid that my cheesecake isn’t cooked so I think I usually overbake them a bit..
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