Let’s talk about cheesecake. About how it’s, like, the best dessert ever.
How, when done perfectly, it’s creamy, rich, tangy, velvety, and slightly sweet. But how do you make a cheesecake that does all these things? What’s the secret? Or secrets?
Well. I’m breaking it down for you. Let’s talk about how to make the perfect cheesecake!
WRAP IT UP
First off, it’s super important to tightly wrap your springform pan with tin foil. This will prevent leakage, and act as a double insulation for your cheesecake.
MAKE A KILLER CRUST
My secret to creating a crust that’s almost as good as the cheesecake itself? I add in ground almonds. They impart a subtle nuttiness, and add a great texture to the graham cracker crust so that it doesn’t feel like, well, just graham crackers and buttah.
BREAK AND PACK
Ever wondered how to get those perfectly even walls of graham cracker crust for your cheesecake? I do what I call the break and pack method. Once your crust is well combined, break it into your springform pan so it looks like unpacked wet sand. Then, using your fingers in a light patting method, create a ring around the outside of your crust (see below!). Then begin to pack your crust down.
Doing it this way ensures that your crust is, like, ready to go before packing it all down. No more un-even
USE ROOM-TEMP INGREDIENTS
This is paramount to creating a creamy cheesecake with no lumps. To make the perfect cheesecake, you must use all room temp ingredients. This means room temperature cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream. Because of this, you won’t have to beat your cheesecake batter for as long, which means less air in your batter, which means a creamier cheesecake.
SCRAPE IT, SCRAPE IT BABY
Scraping down the sides of your bowl will help to incorporate all the bits that your mixer shoved up against the walls of your bowl. This will ensure a more even batter, every time.
STRAIN YOUR BATTER
Another trick to perfect cheesecake is straining your cheesecake batter through a fine mesh strainer. This will remove any remaining lumps that would otherwise affect the texture of your cheesecake. We want every last bite of our cheesecake to be smooth AF, so this step ensures that!
TOP IT WITH SOUR CHERRY SPREAD
Is there anything better than topping a creamy cheesecake with a tart cherry spread? I don’t think so. It’s an iconic pairing, and one that will make your cheesecake glisten in the sun (literally). My current favorite is DeLallo’s Sour Cherry Spread. It’s the perfect size for 1 large cheesecake, and I just love the ease of putting it on top of my finished cheesecake and calling it a day! 🙂
AND FINALLY…
…using a great cheesecake recipe is a pretty big deal in making the perfect cheesecake. But that’s why you’re here now, isn’t it?
I tested this recipe 3 times to make it the perfect consistency, and I could not be more pleased with how it came out. It’s so insanely creamy without being tooooo decadent. Long story short, it’s perfect. Just perfect.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with oil. Tightly wrap pan with tin foil. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, finely ground almonds, and brown sugar, stirring to combined.
Stir in the melted butter. Mixture should resemble wet sand.
Using your fingers, break up mixture into prepared pan. To create an even crust, create an even layer of crust using about 2/3 of the mixture, then scatter the remaining mixture around the edges, creating a lip. Firmly pack crust into pan, pushing it up the sides just slightly.
Bake for 10 minutes, until the crust just starts to become fragrant. Remove, turn heat down to 325°F, and allow crust to cool slightly while you create your filling.
In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese over medium-low speed for 2 minutes. Do not use a higher speed, or you will incorporate too much air into the batter. Scrape the cream cheese from the sides of the bowl halfway through mixing.
Add in the sour cream, powdered sugar, honey, and vanilla, beating 1 minute longer.
Add in the eggs, one by one, beating until fully incorporated. Remove bowl from stand mixer and sift 3 tablespoons of flour into batter.
Sift the entire batter through a fine mesh strainer over the prepared crust in order to remove any remaining lumps. Bang pan on counter 5 times to remove any air bubbles.
Place cheesecake into a water bath, then place water bath into 325°F oven. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes. The cheesecake will be just lightly golden, but should still look fairly pale. It will be jiggly, but will continue to cook as it cools.
Allow to cool for 1 hour before placing into fridge to cool completely, about 3 hours more.
To serve, top with 1 jar DeLallo Sour Cherry Spread!
Keywords: step by step, smooth, silky, thick, how to
This post is sponsored by DeLallo. All text and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for continuing to support the brands who help make Broma possible!
OMG! This was my first cheescake I’ve ever made and I’m just stoned! The recipe is perfectly described, so there is a low chance of making any error. And the taste?! As much as cheescake is not my number 1 cake, this one I could eat by myself! It’s DELICIOUS!
Very excited to try this recipe and all your useful tips in making the best cheesecake.
Your finely ground almonds can i use almond meal, almond flour or do I grind some whole almonds
Hello,
I am SO excited to have this cheesecake. I wanted to ask a few things before I get started:
-Should the water be boiling before adding the cheesecake to the water bath?
-Does the cheesecake cool in the water bath or should I remove it immediately after the 1hr and 10min bake time?
Thanks so much!
Lol. I Googled “The best damn cheesecake receipe ever”. Like magic, your recipe appeared. Thank you. I have made it 3 times now and it is always heavenly. You Rock!
I have made this recipe and it came out perfect! I would like, however make mini individual cheesecake. It it possible to use this recipe in a mini cheesecake pan.
Hi Caroline! That is so awesome to hear! We’ve never tried this in mini cheesecake pans so I can’t be sure of the cooke time, but it would definitely work! Let us know how it goes!
Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
OMG! This was my first cheescake I’ve ever made and I’m just stoned! The recipe is perfectly described, so there is a low chance of making any error. And the taste?! As much as cheescake is not my number 1 cake, this one I could eat by myself! It’s DELICIOUS!
★★★★★
Hi Klaudia! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this!
Very excited to try this recipe and all your useful tips in making the best cheesecake.
Your finely ground almonds can i use almond meal, almond flour or do I grind some whole almonds
★★★★★
Hello,
I am SO excited to have this cheesecake. I wanted to ask a few things before I get started:
-Should the water be boiling before adding the cheesecake to the water bath?
-Does the cheesecake cool in the water bath or should I remove it immediately after the 1hr and 10min bake time?
Thanks so much!
Hi Sam! Great questions! The water does not need to boil! We usually keep it in the water to cool for about a half before removing it!
Lol. I Googled “The best damn cheesecake receipe ever”. Like magic, your recipe appeared. Thank you. I have made it 3 times now and it is always heavenly. You Rock!
hahaha I LOVE this. So happy this worked out for you. Enjoy every bite of it 🙂
I have made this recipe and it came out perfect! I would like, however make mini individual cheesecake. It it possible to use this recipe in a mini cheesecake pan.
Thank you.
★★★★★
Hi Caroline! That is so awesome to hear! We’ve never tried this in mini cheesecake pans so I can’t be sure of the cooke time, but it would definitely work! Let us know how it goes!