Velvety Cheesecake with Graham Cracker Crust
Silky Cheesecake with Graham Cracker Crust
Like so many foods, cheesecake comes in different shapes (well not really) and forms. Cream cheese vs ricotta, crust vs. no crust, toppings vs no toppings. I'm sure there are other variables as well. I'm here to settle it once and for all. This is a cross between a NY Style and Basque but WITH a graham cracker crust. NY Style uses cream cheese (Italian uses ricotta). I like the cream cheese because the cheesecake will be silky (whereas ricotta will be grainy). Basque, is a region in Spain. They have an entire food culture, separate from the rest of Spain. They do a "burnt" style cheesecake, no crust. While this is a dark cheesecake and is semi-Basque style, it most certainly does not taste burnt. It's cooked at a higher temperature than most cheesecakes to achieve the brown color. Now onto the crust, for the life of me, I, (nor my husband) understands why you'd make a cheesecake without a crust. It provides a different texture and flavor to the overall cake. This is the exact cake he requests year after year on his birthday (which just so happens to be today). Buy graham crackers and take the 60 seconds to grind and add butter and a pinch of salt. This isn't the time to cut down on calories. Buy full fat cream cheese and heavy cream. Opt for organic and the highest quality you can find. Take the time to beat the cream cheese, scrape down the bowl, and add the eggs slowly, one at a time. All of this will make the texture silky. The flour should be sifted, which prevents the cake from getting dense. Ever so slightly mix the flour in at the very end, until just combined. This cheesecake is "just right."
Equipment
- stand or hand mixer
- 10" spring form pan https://amzn.to/3vOifRI **
- sift https://amzn.to/3Oh1o03 **
- food processor https://amzn.to/429lu2c **
- rimmed baking sheet pan https://amzn.to/3OielXz **
- medium bowl
- spatula https://amzn.to/3U7JCAh **
Ingredients
- 2 lbs organic cream cheese room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups organic cane sugar
- 6 organic large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups organic heavy cream room temperature
- 1 tsp kosher salt https://amzn.to/3Sa6PAV **
- 1 tbs vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste https://amzn.to/3SwAELR **
- 1/3 cup organic unbleached all-purpose flour scooped and leveled
Crust
- 2 cups organic graham crackers from ~ 1 sleeve
- 6 tbs organic unsalted butter melted
- pinch kosher salt https://amzn.to/3Sa6PAV **
Instructions
- Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease the sides of the pan and place on the baking sheet.
- Place 1 sleeve of graham crackers in a food processor and process until they are fine crumbs. You'll need about 2 cups. Melt the butter in a medium bowl and add the crushed graham crackers to the butter, add a pinch of kosher salt and mix until combined. It should resemble wet sand.
- Place in the mixture into the springform pan and pat down firmly with the back of a measuring cup. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool.
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue until beating on medium-low speed until very smooth and the sugar is fully incorporated, about 2 minutes.
- Increase the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time. Beat each egg for about 15-30 seconds before each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then reduce the speed to medium-low. Add the cream, salt and vanilla and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Turn the mixer off and sift the flour into the cream cheese mixture. Mix on low until just incorporated, about 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix until incorporated, 15 seconds.
- Pour the batter into the prepared, cooled graham cracker. Bake until golden brown on top and still jiggles in the center, 60 minutes. Let it cool completely before unmolding. Refrigerate for about an hour before slicing and serving.
Notes
**Amazon affiliate- I may be compensated.Â
Note the cake does "souffle up" right after you take it out of the oven due to the large amount of eggs in the recipe. It will deflate after some time which is perfectly normal. Â
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2 Comments
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Mamta Kaji
Yummy! 😋 Love that this recipe has a graham cracker crust. This cheescake is definitely just right!
Zahavalox
there’s no other way! <3 thank you