Jump to Recipe

My daughter, Nalale, and I both love cheesecake. Whether it’s sneaking out for a slice from the Cheesecake Factory, or making this recipe at home. I’ve never met a cheesecake I didn’t like! I grew up with the frozen Sara Lee version that was covered with strawberry sauce, not my first choice as an adult, but I also would not turn down a slice if it was offered to me! Natale has strong opinions, about desserts only being desserts if there is a chocolate element - with the exception of cheesecake! This is one of her favorite desserts and the only non-chocolate dessert that she ever requests.

Homemade cheesecake is one of the most decadent desserts of all time, but baking one at home can feel intimidating. It’s truly not any more difficult than your average cake or pie. Pull up your big girl/boy panties and make this one - you can do it! What’s the worse that could happen? If your cake comes out with some cracks on the top, or the center of the cake is not level, don’t worry, this is just cosmetic, the cake will still taste good. Find a topping that you like and cover it up! Or turn it into a parfait.

We all have that one drawer that everything winds up in, right? Well, mine tends to overflow and I randomly find post-it notes, coupons, recipes, etc. in the cabinet underneath the drawer. The adorable picture below is of Natale, when she was a toddler (Easter 2001) with her great-grandma, Nini. This picture nested into Nini’s old 8” springform pan was the result of a junk drawer overflow which has since turned into a kitchen tradition. These two were inseparable when Natale was a toddler, they played together every time they were together.

Food memories are such a large part of all of our lives, and this is just an extension of that connection to someone through food. When someone gifts me something for the kitchen, I like to keep the card or when I’m lucky enough to have a picture of that person with the gift or with my family I like to store it along with the pot or pan, or tucked in between platters. So that every time I use that item, memories of that person are triggered. Nini was such a big part of our lives, every time I take out this much loved, used, and cherished pan, I see this picture and am surrounded by her memory.

A successful cheesecake needs three things 1) a good crust to hold in all together, 2) room temperature ingredients to avoid having lumpy uneven cake, and 3) some humidity in the oven while baking to avoid cracks on the top of the cake.

First, let’s start with my crust. My recipe includes a little extra love in the crust by adding cinnamon and walnuts. You can leave both of these items out of the recipe, just make sure that you add enough extra graham crackers to make up for the 1/4 cup of nuts. You can also buy cinnamon graham crackers and leave out the additional cinnamon. You could also buy chocolate graham crackers and substitute them for the traditional graham crackers (you know I like to give y’all options).

In the picture below you can see that I use a small juice glass to press the mixture tightly into the bottom of the pan. A measuring cup or any small clean object that you have will work fine. Make sure you pack the mixture down so that it holds together. This is the base of a heavy cake, it needs to be stable. I also like to have some of the crumb mixtures going up the sides of the springform pan. I love the way this looks. Alternately you can keep all the crumb mixture on the bottom resulting in a thicker crust. It’s your choice!

The second important thing is to make sure all the ingredients especially the cream cheese are at room temperature. To get the right texture the ingredients need to blend up smoothly together, and that only happens when the cream cheese, eggs, and milk are at room temperature. If there are lumps in the batter, the cake will not bake evenly and you will not get the silky texture that you expect from cheesecake.

Lastly, please go through the steps to create a water bath or add a pan of water to the rack under the cheesecake in the oven. I’ve made this recipe both ways with equal success. Cheesecake needs humidity to stay soft and not form a crusty top layer. Adding the extra moisture to the air helps prevent the cake from drying out and forming cracks.

The majority of the time I make this as a classic cheesecake, with just the crust having a little extra something in it so it’s just a little different. The goal is to have a flat top with a beautiful pale yellow color.

I prefer to keep it simple and serve fresh berries, or make a fruit compote and serve it on the side for people to add to their slices.

If you’re looking for more flare, the top of this cake is a perfect canvas to get creative and add any of your favorite toppings. A drizzle of chocolate, caramel, canned pie filling, your favorite candy bar chopped, or just a large dollop of fresh whip cream. You can easily top the cake with any of these suggestions to conceal any imperfections.

Cheesecake is known for having a velvety, smooth, silk texture. This only happens if a cheesecake is fully set. Plan to allow enough time to let the cake rest and be refrigerated. Cheesecake is meant to be served chilled or at room temperature, not warm.

As I’m writing this post, there is currently a cream cheese shortage, so I’m feeling very fortunate that I was able to find cream cheese at my local store. If you can find cream cheese wherever you live, I hope you use it in this recipe!

Feeling Social? If you try this recipe, please share a photo so I can see your dish!

Go make some memories in your kitchen!