Recipe from Dorie Greenspan
Adapted by Emily Weinstein
Updated March 15, 2024
- Total Time
- 3 hours 30 minutes, plus at least 4 hours' refrigeration
- Rating
- 5(2,552)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This is not really a New York cheesecake recipe — there’s no lemon (although there could be) — this is an all-American cheesecake of the big, beautiful, lush and creamy variety, the kind that causes gasps of delight when you bring it to the table and sighs of satisfaction when you and your guests savor bite after bite. The cake’s velvety texture is a result of a long turn in the mixer, and a cool-down process that requires patience, but not much effort. It’s also a cheesecake you can customize. You can make the cake milder or tangier by using all heavy cream or all sour cream, or a combination of the two. You can add fruits or nuts, swirls of chocolate or drops of extract. —Emily Weinstein
Featured in: The Baker's Apprentice: Cheesecake
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Ingredients
Yield:16 servings
- 1¾cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ½stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
- 2pounds (four 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1⅓cups sugar
- ½teaspoon salt
- 2teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4large eggs, at room temperature
- 1⅓cups sour cream or heavy cream, or a combination of the two
For the Crust
For the Cheesecake
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)
384 calories; 29 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 22 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 272 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
To make the crust: Butter a 9-inch springform pan — choose one that has sides that are 2¾ inches high (if the sides are lower, you will have cheesecake batter left over) — and wrap the outside of the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil.
Step
2
Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. (You can do this with your fingers.)
Step
3
Turn the ingredients into the springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs along the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don’t worry if the sides are not perfectly even or if the crumbs reach above or below the midway point on the sides. Put the pan in the freezer while you heat the oven. (The crust can be covered and frozen for up to 2 months.)
Step
4
Center a rack in the oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the cheesecake. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. To make the cheesecake: Put a kettle of water on to boil.
Step
5
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it is soft and creamy, about 4 minutes. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat for another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light.
Step
6
Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs, one by one, beating for 1 full minute after each addition — you want a well-aerated batter. Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.
Step
7
Put the foil-wrapped springform pan in a roasting pan that is large enough to hold the pan with some space around it.
Step
8
Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure that nothing has been left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan. The batter will reach the rim of the pan. (If you have a pan with lower sides and have leftover batter, you can bake the batter in a buttered ramekin or small soufflé mold.) Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into the roaster to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
Step
9
Bake the cheesecake for 1½ hours, at which point the top will be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven’s heat and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its water bath for another hour.
Step
10
After 1 hour, carefully pull the setup out of the oven, lift the springform pan out of the roaster — be careful, there may be some hot water in the aluminum foil — and remove the foil. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
Step
11
When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, although overnight is better. At serving time, remove the sides of the springform pan — you can use a hairdryer to do this — and set the cake on a serving platter.
Tips
- Serving: The easiest way to cut cheesecake is to use a long, thin knife that has been run under hot water and lightly wiped. Keep warming the knife as you cut slices of the cake.
- Storing: Wrapped well, the cake will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or for up to 2 months in the freezer. It’s best to defrost the still-wrapped cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator.
Ratings
5
out of 5
2,552
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Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Ashli Michelle
This is Dorie Greenspan's recipe. Why haven't you given her credit? This is word for word from her cookbook sitting on my counter.
maxi henry
If you click on the book title above the recipe, "Featured in: The Baker's Apprentice: Cheesecake", you will find a lengthy explanation of how the recipe came from Doris Greenspan.
Brenda
Best cheesecake recipe that I have found- creamy and decadent. I have made it with the foil, and without. Easiest to just put a roasting pan of hot water in the low rack of the oven at the same time, and put the springform pan on a cookie sheet on middle rack. No worries for leaking, and no cracking happened. Wait for just the right jiggle in the center, and cool slowly.
Nancy R Ohio
Clean cuts with a taut line of dental floss
Susie Stenmark
I'd like to add lemon zest and juice to this recipe. Any advice on how much of each and should I eliminate the vanilla if I do so?
Anna
Followed this recipe to a 't' and it turned out SOO good-- an hour and a half was plenty of time in the oven for the filling to bake. I used Tate's chocolate chip cookies for the crust to make it gluten free and it was magnificent. WOW! Guests said it was better than The Cheesecake Factory. Will definitely be making this again!
Annie
In place of graham I like to use Zweibackh crumbs. Gives it a very delicate flavor, not as sweet, but same measurements for all else in a graham crust. This recipe is adaptable to lots of other additions, I generally add lemon or orange zest, have added rum flavoring in place of vanilla, if carefully shaved into tiny bits, some chocolate ... all good.
Heather
I use a roasting bag, like you'd use for a turkey, and I add a layer of foil around that, but the foil isn't even needed. Just roll and tuck the excess bag just below the rim of the pan and you will have a leak proof situation and yummy crunchy crust.
Karla
Loved everything about this cheesecake! Light and full of flavor. To intensify the vanilla flavor, I also cut open a vanilla bean and scraped it into the cheesecake mixture prior to baking. Yummy!
rachel m
a great kosher for passover dessert-- replace graham cracker crust with pulverized coconut macaroons mixed with matzo meal.
lisa
For people having trouble with cracking and leaking check your springform to make sure it's not dented/fitting in the rim. Also I put cake in the empty pan before putting it in the oven, then added the boiling water to the pan, so I didn't have to move the bath, which might cause some water to splash into the foil. I foiled almost to the rim of the pan, and poured the water only 1/2 way up. No leaks or cracks.
Tiffany
She included the link to this webpage (https://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/the-bakers-apprentice... in the intro, which talks about learning to bake with Dorie Greenspan.
Terry
So good. Worth every minute. I like to put a piece of parchment in the bottom of the pan to make it easier to transfer to a cake plate. Its a favorite for the holidays.
(Will be trying the dental floss trick next time.)
sharon gouwens
Use only wide heavy duty aluminum foil.Took longer than 1.5 hours
lisa
Made this exactly per recipe except changed crust to go gluten free. For the crust I used a bag of Tate's Ginger Zinger cookies minus the crystalized ginger which I had to pick out and the listed amount of other ingredients. For the filling I used 1 cup s. cream and a 1/2 cup heavy cream. There were barely enough crumbs to cover the bottom and sides (only 1 cup), but I think the flavor profile and ratio of cake to crust was perfect so I'll use the same amount next time. Keeper!
Anna
Followed this recipe to a 't' and it turned out SOO good-- an hour and a half was plenty of time in the oven for the filling to bake. I used Tate's chocolate chip cookies for the crust to make it gluten free and it was magnificent. WOW! Guests said it was better than The Cheesecake Factory. Will definitely be making this again!
Brenda
Best cheesecake recipe that I have found- creamy and decadent. I have made it with the foil, and without. Easiest to just put a roasting pan of hot water in the low rack of the oven at the same time, and put the springform pan on a cookie sheet on middle rack. No worries for leaking, and no cracking happened. Wait for just the right jiggle in the center, and cool slowly.
sharon gouwens
Use only wide heavy duty aluminum foil.Took longer than 1.5 hours
lisa
Made this exactly per recipe except changed crust to go gluten free. For the crust I used a bag of Tate's Ginger Zinger cookies minus the crystalized ginger which I had to pick out and the listed amount of other ingredients. For the filling I used 1 cup s. cream and a 1/2 cup heavy cream. There were barely enough crumbs to cover the bottom and sides (only 1 cup), but I think the flavor profile and ratio of cake to crust was perfect so I'll use the same amount next time. Keeper!
lisa
For people having trouble with cracking and leaking check your springform to make sure it's not dented/fitting in the rim. Also I put cake in the empty pan before putting it in the oven, then added the boiling water to the pan, so I didn't have to move the bath, which might cause some water to splash into the foil. I foiled almost to the rim of the pan, and poured the water only 1/2 way up. No leaks or cracks.
Kathy
My aluminum would leak trying w/o the water bath
Heather
I use a roasting bag, like you'd use for a turkey, and I add a layer of foil around that, but the foil isn't even needed. Just roll and tuck the excess bag just below the rim of the pan and you will have a leak proof situation and yummy crunchy crust.
Karla
Loved everything about this cheesecake! Light and full of flavor. To intensify the vanilla flavor, I also cut open a vanilla bean and scraped it into the cheesecake mixture prior to baking. Yummy!
Susie Stenmark
I'd like to add lemon zest and juice to this recipe. Any advice on how much of each and should I eliminate the vanilla if I do so?
Help!
After 1.5 hours, my cheesecake is still liquid! Maybe it's the waterbath? My mother cooked cheese cake all the time and never used the water bath.....
Maria
Has anyone ever heard used plain Greek yogurt for all or part of the sour cream
Sandy
I didn't bake nearly as long. A browned cheesecake is easily overcooked and isn't nearly as smooth and creamy. It only took an hour to set up to "just jiggly" all across the cake, just barely starting to brown at the edges. Let it cook slowly on the counter until nearly room temp before refrigerating. Added 1/4 cup sprinkles, 1 tsp almond baking emulsion & 2 tsp "butter vanilla" baking emulsion for a "funfetti birthday cake" cheesecake. Topped with whipped cream icing Great base recipe!
Nino Loss
Did you know this blooming Jewish cheesecake-torte with a Tablets of the Law crust? https://schibboleth.com/blooming-jewish-cheesecake-with-tablets-of-the-l...
Nino Loss
In fact, when adding a delicious icing of sour cream (with gelatin or agar-agar) there's really no need to bother with the water bath during the baking. Also, it's so much prettier, especially if you put edible flowers on top for the Jewish holiday Shavuot for instance. Here are a few jokes about cheesecake https://schibboleth.com/blooming-jewish-cheesecake-with-tablets-of-the-l...
rachel m
a great kosher for passover dessert-- replace graham cracker crust with pulverized coconut macaroons mixed with matzo meal.
Payton
I am not sure about anyone else but my graham cracker crust was in no way sticky enough to form against a pan.
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