Classic cheesecake

Name: Classic cheesecake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 5 h 30 min
Total time: 5 h 55 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups grahama cracker crumb, or cookie crumbs; 2 tbsp granulated sugar; 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted; 3 blocks cream cheese, each 8 oz, at room temperature; 1/2 cup regular sour cream; 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar; 1 tbsp all-purpose flour; 2 tsp vanilla; 4 eggs; 1/2 cup hot 35% cream; 4 oz finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate; fresh fruit, for garnish and scattering over cake

Prep Time25 mins
Total Time5 hrs 55 mins
Makes12 Slices

Yvonne Duivenvoorden

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups grahama cracker crumb, or cookie crumbs
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

FOR FILLING:

3 blocks cream cheese, each 8 oz, at room temperature
1/2 cup regular sour cream
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs

FOR CHOCOLATE-GANACHE SAUCE

1/2 cup hot 35% cream
4 oz finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate

FOR GARNISH

fresh fruit, for garnish and scattering over cake

Instructions

For crust, butter or oil sides of a 10-in. (25-cm) springform pan. In a large bowl, using a fork, stir graham crumbs with sugar, then stir in butter. Press mixture onto bottom of pan. Wrap pan with foil, over bottom and sides, making sure it comes to the top edge so water from the water bath won’t leak in. Double wrap if necessary. Refrigerate while preparing cheesecake filling.
Preheat oven to 325F (160C). Put a kettle of water on. Place cream cheese in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until smooth, scraping down side occasionally. Beat in sour cream, sugar, flour and vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time, just until blended. Pour onto chilled crust.
Place wrapped springform pan in a broiler pan or shallow-sided roasting pan. Place in preheated oven. Pour enough boiling water into broiler pan to come about 1 in. (2.5 cm) up side of foil-wrapped springform pan.
Bake in centre of preheated oven until filling is almost set when springform pan is jiggled, about 1 hour. Remove broiler pan to a rack. Run a knife around inside of cake pan to help prevent cracking. Let stand until water cools, about 30 min. Remove pan from water. Discard foil.
Cool, then cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, 4 hours. Remove cake from pan. If making ahead, refrigerate up to 3 days. Or over-wrap with foil and freeze for up to 1 month.

The secret to this velvety-smooth, crack-proof cheesecake? A water bath. Sounds daunting, but it’s dead simple — just follow these five easy steps.

This recipe was originally published at Chatelaine.com

Chocolate-Ganache Sauce:

Pour 1/2 cup (125 mL) hot whipping cream over 4 oz (112 g) finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over cheesecake slices.

Fresh Fruit:

Scatter the whole unsliced cheesecake with a simple selection of fresh fruits like figs, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and ground cherries (also called cape gooseberries).

This article was originally published on Apr 12, 2012

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