Perfect Cheesecake

Due to the number of ingredients and steps, the recipes has been split into several stages. Note that there are opportunities to perform steps in parallel. For example, the sour cream topping and raspberry sauces could be made in advance, or while the cheesecake is baking.

Be sure to read each stage to ensure you have all ingredients.

Prepare Crust

1¾ c (230g) Graham cracker crumbs stir stir press into pan bake on cookie sheet at 350°F for 10 minutes in lower third of oven cool wrap
2 T sugar unless crumbs are sweetened, like Kinnikinnick's are
Pinch of salt
4 T + 1 t (60 g) unsalted butter (if using salted butter, omit the pinch of salt), melted  
3+ 18″ squares of heavy duty aluminum foil  
  1. Stir graham crumbs, sugar, and salt (if using) together
  2. Stir in melted butter
  3. Gently press crumbs into bottom of 9″×2¾″ round springform pan, with maybe a slight rise along the edge
  4. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes in the lower third of the oven
  5. Wait for pan to cool
  6. Triple wrap pan in 18″ squares of heavy duty aluminum foil. Crimp around top edge of pan

Bake Cheesecake

1½ lb cream cheese (750 g), room temperature beat 4 minutes beat 4 minutes beat beat beat 1 minute each beat beat pour pour about halfway up bake at 325°F about 1 hour turn off oven, crack door 1″, and let cool 1 hour cool outside of oven cover and chill 4+ hours
½ c granulated sugar (100 g)  
Pinch of salt  
1½ t vanilla extract  
3 large eggs  
½ c sour cream (120 mL)  
½ c heavy whipping cream (35% milk fat) (120 mL)  
1 crust in pan, from above  
~2 L water, to be boiled   boil
  1. Beat cream cheese for 4 minutes on medium, until smooth, soft, and creamy
  2. Beat sugar into cream cheese for 4 minutes more
  3. Beat in salt
  4. Beat in vanilla
  5. Beat in each egg for 1 minute
  6. Beat in sour cream until incorporated
  7. Beat in heavy cream until incorporated
  8. Pour filling on top of crust and smooth top
  9. Boil 2 L water
  10. Put pan in a larger roasting pan, and pour water around it, up to about halfway up the inner pan
  11. Bake at 325°F for about an hour. When finished baking, the outer ring of the cheesecake should look slightly puffed and set, but the inner circle should still jiggle just a little bit, like Jell-O after it has set
  12. Turn off oven and crack door 1″ (maybe put a folded-over oven mitt in the door to prop it open), letting cake cool for 1 hour
  13. Take out of oven and cool to room temperature
  14. Cover top of cheesecake with foil, but do not touch cheesecake, and chill for 4 hours or overnight

Top Cheesecake

1½ c sour cream (360 mL) stir chill spread
2 T powdered sugar (13 g)
¾ t vanilla extract
1 baked cheesecake, from above  
  1. Stir together sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla
  2. Chill until ready to serve the cake
  3. Spread on cheesecake

Serve with Raspberry Sauce

12 oz (340 g) fresh raspberries place in saucepan mash cook on medium about 5 minutes chill drizzle
⅜ c granulated sugar (100 g)
⅓ c water (80 mL)
1 topped cheesecake, from above   cut
  1. Place raspberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan
  2. Mash raspberries
  3. Heat on medium, whisking, about 5 minutes, until sauce begins to thicken
  4. Cool
  5. Drizzle on cheesecake pieces just before serving

Makes 1 cheesecake.

Lightly adapted from Simply Recipes, by reducing filling by ¼