No that's not what the ingredients will cost, it what you should charge anybody who asks you to bake one of these. There are a few tips for successful cheese-cakerie. One, use the best ingredients, duh, you already had that one. Two, Soften the cream cheese by sitting out at room temperature 3-4 hours to avoid lumps, you will be tempted to try and short cut this step or to zap the cheese in the microwave to warm it up, again not a good idea. Three, after adding the eggs do not over mix, too much air will cause the custard to rise too high, form cracks and not look worth fiddy cents. Three point two, stop the mixer and scrape down the side, again we are fighting the lumps here and this is the front line.
I have tried cooking in water baths and I have not been as successful, I stick with tradition dry oven with the rack in the very middle. Be sure and grease the sides of the spring-form pan so the cake will release while its cools. And about cooling 10 minutes on a wire rack, run a knife inside but do not remove spring-form. After one hour refrigerate for 3-4 hours uncovered. Wrap the entire thing in plastic film, tightly and return to the refrigerator for at least six, count them six hours.
350 Oven for cheesecake and topping
Crust
- 2 Cups cookie crumbs
- 3-4 Tablespoons melted butter
The crust: here is where some of the magic starts. Crush in a food processor a combination of ginger snaps and graham crackers. I will leave the ratio to your imagination. That way it becomes your recipe. After the crumbs are uniform in size slowly pour in the melted butter. Pulse exactly three more times and remove mixture to the cooking pan. Press lightly the mixture evenly across the bottom of your nicely greased 10" spring-form pan, I don't have to mention the bottom only, not up the sides, its a cheese cake, not an apple pie. Bake 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before filling.
Cake
- 40 ounces really good cream cheese at room temperature (consider other soft/ smooth cheeses once you have mastered this prime recipe)
- 1-3/4 Cups sugar
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons quality vanilla extract (single strength)
- 4 Large fresh eggs (room temperature)
- 2 Egg yolks
- 1/3 Cup whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
With a wire whisk attachment on a heavy duty stand mixer beat cream cheese until creamy, its redundant but its my recipe. Did you remember to scrape down the sides? Slowly add sugar and flour (sift together to avoid lumps). Mix until fully incorporated, add vanilla. Slow mixer and add eggs and yolks one at a time allowing each to fully blend. Once the last egg is in allow color to slightly fade. Add in whipping cream and lemon/ orange zest. Before you (carefully) pour the mixture onto your cooled crust, drizzle the bottom with some orange juice, just a little to zing it up. Slowly pour mixture in the center and this time, don't scrape the sides, there will be some stuck but be careful, gently scrape. Bake 50-55 minutes or until the center is almost set. Rookies cook cheesecakes too long. Some like to cook in a water bath, if so add some time to the cooking. Don't stick anything in the cake to check for doneness. Use your eyes and watch the sides slowly rise and the top to get slightly dull. Remove from Oven and place on a wire rack. The cake will continue to cook from its own heat.
Topping
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
Whisk together to fully combine and pour over fully cooled cheesecake. Bake 10 minutes to set.
After all this work you can top with all sorts of tart fruits, glazes, compotes or just grab a fork.
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