Classic Cheesecake Recipe

About cheese. For Classic Cheesecake, I mean New York cheesecake. Therefore! The only correct cheese for its preparation is Philadelphia. But since we do not live in America, it is quite problematic to get it even in Moscow. So, first of all, let me tell you what it can be replaced with. The three pillars of foreign cream cheeses are Philadelphia, mascarpone, and ricotta. If you are lucky enough to buy the first one - congratulations, then you don't need to read the next paragraph, and you will get a real New York cheesecake. If not... I recommend turning to domestic analogues. Very good cream cheese is made by the Karat company. It is called Cream Cheese, sold in blue tubs, similar to their world-famous processed cheeses. It has a dense, creamy texture and a slightly salty taste - exactly what we need. I also recommend paying attention to the cheeses Buko and Horteka. I have seen them in one-and-a-half-liter buckets... a bit expensive, of course, but it will be enough for 2 cheesecakes :) Many people use cream cheese curds Rama or Almette - they are not exactly the same, slightly more porous and salty, but in principle, they can also be used. Cheesecakes made with mascarpone are oilier (80% fat - no joke), heavier, and sweeter, as mascarpone is an unsalted cheese. So if you have mascarpone, reduce the amount of powdered sugar by about a third. And I personally recommend decorating such cheesecakes with fresh berries - to dilute the excessive sweetness and density. Cheesecakes made with ricotta already taste like curd cakes. Ricotta is light, slightly salty, reminiscent of our domestic, but more delicate, cottage cheese. When buying ricotta for cheesecake, always check the expiration date - this young, delicate cheese spoils very quickly! And finally, cottage cheese. Yes, you can replace cream cheese with cottage cheese. But it will already be a curd cake. Or even a casserole. Delicious, of course, but... not the same. Cottage cheese has a more sour and sharp taste than cream cheese and a heterogeneous texture, in addition. However, if you can't find anything else, take cottage cheese and strain it through a sieve - to get rid of lumps, and then you can also grind it in a blender for certainty. Despite the fact that you can find many recipes on the Internet on how to make cream cheese at home, I do not recommend doing this. You will not save money. A small amount of cheese is obtained from a large volume of cream. And heavy cream will not be cheaper than a jar of cream cheese.

The proportions are calculated for a 20 cm diameter detachable form. First, take the cream cheese, eggs, and cream out of the refrigerator. All the ingredients for the cheesecake should be at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Prepare the crust.

To do this, finely chop the butter and cookies in a food processor with a knife attachment until they form a fine, almost uniform crumb.

The finished mixture should easily come together. What nuances can there be? What can replace Jubilee cookies? Any ordinary shortbread cookies, but preferably without flavorings and fillers like raisins. If you don't have a food processor, you can crush the cookies with a pestle or roll them out with a rolling pin, and then mix them with soft butter.

The prepared cheesecake mixture can be pressed into the bottom and sides of a springform pan to create a crust around the edges. Alternatively, you can just use the mixture for the bottom crust - both options are acceptable.

Place the crust in the oven for 10 minutes, then remove and let it cool.

Prepare the filling by gently mixing cream cheese with powdered sugar using a whisk.

Do not substitute powdered sugar with regular sugar, as it is important in the classic cheesecake recipe. We need a smooth, soft, creamy texture, and regular sugar may not fully dissolve. If powdered sugar is hard to find, you can grind the necessary amount of sugar in a coffee grinder. Add vanilla extract. It is best to use natural vanilla extract as it always adds a better flavor compared to artificial ones. However, finding it can be problematic. If you have it, add 1 teaspoon instead of vanilla powder.

Add the eggs one by one, and mix gently.

Important! In this recipe, the filling for the cheesecake should not be whipped, only stirred! Remove the mixer. If the cream is whipped too vigorously, it will become filled with air, which will lead to cracks on the surface of the cheesecake. So, mix slowly, carefully, and briefly.

Add the cream and stir to make a homogeneous mixture.

Important! The cream should be full-fat, at least 33%. Do you see how it looks in my photo? They are like this even without whipping. Do not replace them with less fatty options because the result will be unpredictable.

Create a water bath. Wrap the baking dish with a double layer of foil (to prevent water from seeping in) and place it in a wider and deeper container. Pour the filling into the dish.

Pour hot water about 2-3 cm from the bottom. Important! Do not skip the water bath. Yes, it is much easier to bake a cheesecake without it and not to bother, but believe me, only the water bath guarantees that the cheesecake will be crack-free, won't collapse, won't burn, and will turn out perfect. Place our construction in the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes and bake at a temperature of 160 degrees.

Do not bake the cheesecake for too long! It should not be dry like a cake. If the center slightly jiggles, it is normal for a classic recipe. But do not rush to remove it from the oven to avoid cracks. Turn off the oven, leave the door slightly open, and let the cheesecake sit inside for an hour. I usually wait until the oven cools down completely before removing the cheesecake.

Remove the cheesecake form from the water bath, remove the foil. Do not remove the cheesecake from the form immediately after baking! It needs to spend at least 4 hours in the refrigerator.