Cheesecake recipe

This is intended for a 9 inch springform baking pan.
Assumption: You're using a mixer like a Kenwood or a KitchenAid. If you're using a hand mixer, that's fine. I don't, but I can't imagine it's too different.

Ingredients for the crust

- 1 cup (225 g) graham cracker crumbs (add more if you don't just want it on the bottom) (use Lotus in Israel, works out better)
- 2 Tbsp (25 g) sugar (probably can skip if you're using Lotus crackers... better anyway that way)
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for coating the baking pan (more like 1/2 cup if more crackers for sides but don't overdo)

Ingredients for the cheesecake

- 1 kg (yes, really) high fat cream cheese, at room temperature. Take out the cream cheese hours and hours in advance.
- 1 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp (275 g) sugar
- 3 Tbsp (22 g) corn starch
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 2 tsp (4 g) finely grated lemon zest
- 3 large whole eggs
- 1 large egg yolk (don't get fanatical about removing the egg white but let's try)
- 1 ½ cup (375 ml) sour cream (not low-fat) (divided into two 3/4 cups, one for the cake, one for the topping)
- 2 tsp (10 ml) lemon juice

Prepare the crust

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC (~360ºF)
2. Use some kind of food processor to turn the graham / Lotus into teeny tiny crumbs.
3. Mix the graham / Lotus crumbs, maybe sugar, and melted butter thoroughly and press it into the bottom of the baking pan. If you wanted the crust to cover the sides and added more crackers and butter, do that now.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, and allow to cool off. Brush the sides of the pan not covered with crust with the remaining melted butter.

Bake the cheesecake

1. Increase the oven temperature to 205ºC (~400ºF).
2. Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the 1 ¼ cups of sugar a little at a time, and scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl each time before you add more.
3. Mix in the cornstarch, vanilla, and lemon zest.
4. Switch to the lowest mixer speed. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Scraping down the bowl after each egg, then mix in the final yolk.
5. Still on low speed, beat in ¾ cup of sour cream. Pour over the cooled crust, use a spatula to make it even.
6. Bake the cheesecake for 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 110ºC (~225ºF) and bake for another 25 minutes. Turn off the oven, and leave the cheesecake in for 30 minutes. Open the oven door a crack (maybe close it over a wooden spoon) for another 30 minutes. If you're going to do step 7 below, prepare that layer while the cheesecake is cooling.

It's probably going to be somewhat jiggly when it comes out of the oven. Don't panic. It should be fine after it has chilled out in the fridge overnight (step 8 below).

Optional: Top layer of sour cream

7. Mix the remaining ¾ cup of sour cream with the remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar and the lemon juice. Spread this evenly over the top of the cheesecake as soon as it has come out of the oven.

Chill out

8. Allow the cheesecake to cool completely to room temperature, then carefully run a sharp knife or a thin spatula around the outside of the cheesecake to loosen it from the pan. Cover the cheesecake with clear plastic wrap (a.k.a. saran wrap) and put the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours before slicing and serving.
If you skipped the sour cream layer in step 7 above, you can use a different topping. I like cherry or blueberry.




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