Recipes » Signature cheesecake

Back in high school, I was known specifically for this cheesecake. I brought it to French class one day, and then I got endless requests to bring it again. It’s pretty standard as far as ingredients go, though.

Author: Seth Price
Category: Dessert
Date published: 10 February 2017

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Yield: 1 cheesecake (8–10 servings)

Nutrition Info

All values are approximate and calculated from package labelling of ingredients. Serving size: 1 slice (⅛ cheesecake)

Calories 280
Total Fat 20g
Saturated Fat  9g
Trans Fat 0g
Unsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 170mg
Sodium 365mg
Potassium 50mg
Total Carbohydrates 29g
Dietary Fiber 4g
Sugar 18g
Protein 13g

Ingredients

Crust

  • 150g (about 8 sheets) Graham crackers, crushed
  • 35g unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 large egg white
  • 30g cane sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • Pinch ground cinnamon

Filling

  • 350g cream cheese, softened
  • 350g neufchâtel cheese (or cream cheese), softened
  • 75g confectioner’s sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 120mL crème fraïche (or sour cream)
  • 20g all-purpose flour
  • 1T vanilla extract
  • Drop almond extract
  • Some orange zest, finely grated

Directions

Crust

  1. Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F, gas mark 2).
  2. Stir together graham crackers, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add butter and egg white and stir till more-or-less homogenous. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of a 20cm (8in) springform pan.
  3. Bake on center rack till barely brown, or about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Filling (and the cake itself)

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4).
  2. Combine neufchâtel and cream cheeses with sugar and salt; beat with an electric mixer till smooth. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition to encourage emulsion. Fold in remaining ingredients till well-combined (but do not overmix). Pour batter over crust; smooth top and free any large bubbles.
  3. Bake—in a water bath, if you care about cracking—on center rack till top is golden with a slight “ring” near the edges: about 35 to 45 minutes. Crack the door of the oven and let gradually cool for 1 hour; transfer to wire rack (in pan) and let completely cool for at least 3 hours.
  4. Dust top with confectioner’s sugar to prevent sticking, and cover with aluminium foil. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
  5. Let cheesecake sit about 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.