Basic Creamy Cheesecake

The original recipe makes a 16 servings cheesecake in a 9" springform. I had halved the recipe as there are only 5 mouths at home including Elmo, and the portion had fitted nicely in my one and only 7" springform pan (I had left my 6", 9", 10" and 11" back at home). This cake has a velvety texture with New York cheesecake kinda "dense and rich" flavour if you know what I mean. In fact it's almost like New York cheesecake but not quite yet because there isn't any lemon in it. It's also one cake that you can customise and play around to suit your own taste.

Basic Creamy Cheesecake

adapted from "Baking From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan

Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (I had used Mcvities digestive biscuit, placed them in a ziplock bag and rolled them into crumbs with a rolling pin)
3 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
2 pounds (4 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, at room temperature (I had used 2x250g boxes)
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sour cream or heavy cream, or a combination of the two (note: you can make the cake milder or tangier by using all heavy cream or all sour cream, or a combination of the two. I had used all sour cream.)


Methods:
To make the crust:
1. Butter a 9" springform pan and wrap the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminium foil.
2. Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist (you can use your fingers).
3. Turn the ingredients into the springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs over the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don't worry if the sides are not perfectly even.
4. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven. (The crust can be covered and frozen for up to 2 months.)
5. Centre a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you prepare the cheesecake batter.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

Note: Although the crust will bake with the cake, don't skip the quick 10 mins prebaking - it's what gives the crumbs their nice crunch.

To make the cheesecake:
1. Put a kettle of water on to boil.
2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until soft and creamy, about 4 minutes.
3. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat for another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light.
4. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition - you want a well-aerated batter.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.
6. Put the foil-wrapped springform pan in a roasting pan that is large enough to hold the pan with some space around it. (I don't have such a roasting pan so I had used a disposable 9"x11" aluminium pan instead. Plan to reuse it for whatever recipes that call for waterbath.)
7. Give the batter a few stirs with rubber spatula, and scrape the batter into the pan. (If you have a pan with lower sides and have leftover batter, you can bake the batter in buttered ramekins or small souffle mold.)
8. Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into it to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
9. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, at which point the top should be browned (note: I found mine wobbly from about 3" from the centre, which is perfectly normal. Do not test your cake with a skewer as it will never come out clean.).
10. Turn off the oven and prop the oven door open a little. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its waterbath for another hour.
11. After 1 hour, carefully pull the setup out of the oven, lift the springform pan out of the roaster, and remove the foil. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
12. When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours; overnight is better.
13. Before serving, remove the sides of the springform pan, and set the cake on a serving platter.


This is one ideal celebration cake which certainly will bring you gasps of satisfaction when you place it on the table. Most importantly is it's so easy to make at home. Get the first taste of the freshly-baked homemade cake and look at the gratification of your loved ones when they savour the cake bite after bite, how comforting it is?