When you make a claim that something is the best, then it should be. I guarantee that this will be the best homemade cheesecake you have ever eaten. What makes it the best is the creaminess of the cheesecake filling and the crunchy, sweet crust. I call it a graham brittle crust. Y’all like for real it is the best! I didn’t even like cheesecake before this.
One of the fun parts of a cheesecake is that you can dress it in whatever topping you want. Are you a traditionalist and like it plain? Are you all about the fruit, with a strawberry topping? Or do you like it sweet and crunchy with a praline topping? Your cheesecake is a blank canvas for endless possibilities of scrumptious toppings.
Best Cheesecake
Print RecipeIngredients
- Crust:
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- Cheesecake:
- 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
For the crust, add the sugar to a medium sauté pan and shake to form an even layer. Cook over medium heat until the sugar begins to melt. Gently swirl the sugar syrup by moving the pan and then allow cooking until the melted sugar turns an amber color.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small microwave safe bowl. Add the graham cracker crumbs to a food processor. Pour the sugar syrup and melted butter in the food processor. Pulse until the now hard sugar and butter is incorporated.
Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by wrapping two large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil around the pan to prevent water seeping through in the water bath.
Grease the springform pan with cooking spray. Add the graham cracker mixture. Press into the bottom and an inch up the sides of the pan. Place the pan in the freezer until the filling is prepared.
For the filling, add the softened cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until incorporated. Add the sour cream, heavy cream, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat on medium-low until incorporated and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Lastly, add the flour and beat until combined.
Pour the filling over the graham cracker mixture. Place the springform pan in a roasting pan. Carefully pour about 8 cups of boiling water in the roasting pan or enough until the water reaches halfway up the springform pan.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven. Crack the oven door an inch to allow slow cooling in the oven for an hour. After 1 hour, remove from the oven. Carefully remove the springform pan from the roasting pan. Pour out the water.
Remove the aluminum foil from the springform pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and transfer to a serving plate.
To serve, slice the cheesecake with a knife dipped in hot water.
18 Comments
Lonna Kitchen
February 13, 2018 at 2:19 pmWhitney, This looks wonderful and I hope to try this recipe this weekend. Your topping also looks wonderful. Could you please share the topping recipe. Thanks, Lonna Kitchen
Whitney
February 15, 2018 at 1:52 pmHey Lonna! The topping is amazing! Here is the recipe
Pecan Praline Topping:
1 cup (7.2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 cup (7 ounces) packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
1 1/2 (12 ounces) cup heavy cream, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 cups (15.36 ounces) pecan pieces
For the pecan praline topping, add the granulated sugar to a large saucepan. Shake the pan to spread evenly. Cook over medium heat until the sugar begins to melt. Gently swirl the pan and allow cooking until sugar syrup turns an amber color. Remove from the heat and add the brown sugar and butter. Slightly stir. Add the heavy cream, stirring constantly. Return to the heat and stir until almost all of the hardened sugar has melted. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the mixture has slightly thickened, stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat and discard any small pieces of hardened sugar that did not melt. (The mixture can be strained into a heatproof bowl and returned to the pan.)
Add the vanilla, salt, and pecan pieces. Stir until combined. Transfer to a bowl to cool and thicken at room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Betsy D
February 13, 2018 at 2:59 pmSounds wonderful! Do u make them in muffin tins for the single servings, like the picture?
Whitney
February 15, 2018 at 1:50 pmI use a mini cheesecake pan. It is similar to a muffin tin but has removable bottoms that make it easy to remove the cheesecakes. You could use a muffin tin though.
Leandra Wallace
February 14, 2018 at 8:22 amThat looks delicious! And I love cheesecake, so double win. =)
Whitney
February 15, 2018 at 1:52 pmThank you!
Kelly Mahan
March 5, 2018 at 2:21 pmThis recipe looks really delicious! My favorite topping is strawberry, so that’ll be a little twist I’ll make.
Whitney
March 9, 2018 at 12:11 pmYes I love a fruit topping too.
Monique Gallegos
January 30, 2019 at 12:04 amCurious, how many 4 inch Cakes does this recipe make? I know this is for a 9inch so is it safe to say 2 ?
Whitney
February 1, 2019 at 4:04 pmYes, the small ones I made were mini so it made more.
Monique Gallegos
February 28, 2019 at 2:59 amThank you Whitney! I made two and people just loved them! One for my stepdaughters birthday and a trial run initially taste/bake test since it was my first time making a cheesecake it was soooooo very delicious no cracks no bubble problems perfect crust!🍰 but YOURS visuallly looks
Extra smooth and perfect I can appreciate that! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5 stars! Maybe I need practice to get mine to be zero small bubbles here and there, nothing too crazy but im a perfectionist maybe less mixing but that’s just my technique the recipe is perfection!
Whitney
March 7, 2019 at 11:25 amYea! I am so glad to hear that you loved the recipe.
Mack Wolfe
October 5, 2019 at 12:22 pmAmazing! Got to try this recipe! Thanks Whitney
Cathy
April 20, 2020 at 3:47 pmCan’t wait to try your recipe. Could you tell me more about the mini pan you use. Are they mini springform pans or one pan with removable bottoms….like a muffin pan? I have been debating what to purchase.
Whitney
April 21, 2020 at 8:59 amIt is called a cheesecake pan. It looks like a muffin pan the rounds are connected and then they have removable bottoms.
Victoria
July 3, 2021 at 8:46 pmThese looks incredible! When making the mini cheesecakes do you still cook them at 325? And for how long?
Whitney
July 4, 2021 at 5:20 pmYes, same temperature. The bake time would depend on the of your mini pans. Maybe between 18 to 25 minutes.
Dennis
November 12, 2021 at 3:08 pmI would love to try this, but being diabetic I would like to swap out the sugars with a “sugar blend” such as Truvia or Splenda. Any suggestions for altering the recipe? Also, since the substitutes won’t caramelize like the butter/sugar mixture, there are brown sugar mixes available from both those companies…do you think those might work instead?