Decadent and Delicious: Classic Baked Cheesecake Recipe

Nothing beats a silky smooth baked cheesecake. The filling is dense and light at the same time.

This recipe is similar to the classic New York cheesecake, just topped with a layer of cream and a blueberry compote.

For best results, bake in a water bath to ensure the cake bakes through.

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Classic Cheesecake Recipe

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Recipe by Jessica AlbertsCourse: DessertCuisine: GlobalDifficulty: Medium

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

2

hours 

10

minutes

Servings

12

Total time

2

hours 

30

minutes

A creamy and smooth traditional cheesecake with a biscuit crust.

Ingredients – CRUST

• 85 g of butter, plus extra for tin

• 1 packet of digestive biscuits, crushed (add extra biscuits if you like a thicker base)

• 1 tbsp of sugar

• INGREDIENTS – CHEESECAKE FILLING

• 900 g of cream cheese

• 250 g of caster sugar

• 3 tbsp of flour

• 1½ tsp of vanilla essence

• zest of 1 lemon

• 1½ tsp of lemon juice

• 3 large eggs, plus 1 yolk

• 250 ml of sour cream

• INGREDIENTS – TOPPING

• 250 ml of cream

• 1 tbsp of caster sugar

• 2 tsp of lemon juice

• blueberries for topping, optional

Method

• Heat the oven to 180C.
• Line the base of a 23cm spring-form cake tin with baking paper and then clip the sides.
• For the crust, melt the butter in a medium pan. Stir in the digestive biscuit crumbs and sugar.
• Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack while preparing the filling.
• METHOD – CHEESECAKE FILLING
• Increase the oven to 220C. Beat the cream cheese until creamy, about 2 minutes.
• Gradually add the caster sugar, then the flour and a pinch of salt, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• Whisk in the vanilla essence, lemon zest and lemon juice. Whisk in 3 large eggs and 1 yolk, one at a time.
• Stir in the sour cream, but don’t over-beat. The batter should be smooth and light.
• Brush the sides of the spring-form tin with melted butter. Pour in the filling.
• Place the cake tin in a shallow dish and fill with water (to create a water bath). Bake for 10 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 110C and bake for 45 minutes more. If you gently shake the tin, the filling should have a slight wobble.
• Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for an hour. The cheesecake may get a slight crack on top as it cools.
• METHOD – TOPPINF
• Whisk the cream, caster sugar and lemon juice. Spread over the cheesecake. Add blueberries or any other topping of your choice.
• Run a knife around the sides of the tin to loosen. Unlock the side, slide the cheesecake off the bottom of the tin onto a plate.

Notes

• Get creative with the toppings and use fresh fruit of your choice, salted caramel, chocolate ganache or dust with icing sugar.

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