The First Original Cheesecake

Oh my gosh THIS was delicious!

We ate all of it in a matter of days with only TWO slices being given away to others. Hence, the reason we are going to watch what we are eating and such in March!

Like all other recipes, this one has been hanging around for a while … I actually cheated and made another “Fake Cheesecake Pie” to satisfy the inquiries from Sis … I had promised I would make THIS and well, just got lazy and distracted so opted for the easier one.

Then, the day came where I had to suck it up and make this.

So, not a big deal. Really, it’s not. BUT I will say, have your ingredients sitting out for about 2 hours as that really helps when everything is room temperature. I promise, you will not die if your sour cream is not 40 degrees!

I did have to do an Instacart delivery. Imagine my surprise to see that I did NOT have graham crackers in the basement storage area!

Another bonus with this cheesecake? No water bath required. That is a big selling point! You DO need a springform pan (which I had picked up a few months back as I knew I didn’t have one!)

Yeah, we took a little nibble on that side.

Ok, let’s get to it!

And, as always, for certain family members: tbs = tablespoon and tsp = teaspoon

1 1/2 cups (one sleeve) of graham crackers smashed to crumbs
2 tbs sugar
1 tbs brown sugar
7 tbs melted butter
32 (4 bricks) cream cheese brought to room temp (just take them out 2 plus hours before baking)
1 cup sugar
2/3 cups sour cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (next time I will use a vanilla bean scrapped)
1/8 tsp salt
4 eggs that have been hanging out on the counter for 2 plus hours with the cream cheese

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

Grab your cracker crumbs, sugars and butter and mix well. Press this into the bottom of your pan, coming up the sides as far as you can. I worried that I didn’t come up far enough but it worked out fine!

Grab that big stand mixer or if you must, a hand mixer and large bowl, and add the cream cheese and stir til blended and smooth.

Add the white sugar and stir again til combined and creamy.

Add in the sour cream, vanilla and salt and stir until well combined, and again, creamy. You will need to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the eggs, one at a time and allow to stir until just incorporated in the creamy mixture.

Make sure everything is well mixed.

Pour the mixture over the graham crust. For safety purposes (and reduced cleanup!) add a sheet of parchment or foil over a baking tray and put the springfoam pan on that!

Place pan on middle rack of preheated oven. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Edges will puff up a little and will turn a light golden brown and the center will look sort of jello jiggly-ish BUT should spring back when touched gently.

Do not over bake or we will all suffer from the texture suffering!

Remove from oven and allow to cool on top of oven for 10 minutes. After that time has passed, use an offset spatula (or long knife) and go around the edge to gently loosed the cake from the sides of pan. THIS will help prevent cracks in the top! Leave as is for now!

Allow to cool for another hour or 2 at room temperature BEFORE transferring to refrigerator to chill at least 6 hours if not overnight. At this time, you can remove the ring from the cake and enjoy!