My three tips that eliminate cracking:
- Heavily BUTTER the sides and the bottom of a springform pan. DON’T spray oil, use BUTTER. Cheesecakes expand and then retract when they cool. When they retract you don’t want the edges to stick or the cake will crack.
- ¼ c of flour in the batter helps reduce bubbles that burst when cooking and ultimately cause cracking.
- The toughest one to learn is to NOT overbeat. Over beating causes bubbles and then cracking. My best advice is to beat until just combined and no more
Substitutions
- Graham cracker crumbs
- Can use store-bought already in crumbs.
- Making your own is typically more economical
- Raspberries or any fruit of choice
- Can serve with fresh fruit versus pureed
- Melted chocolate with strawberries or raspberries is good too
Cheesecake with Strawberry Puree and Homemade Whipped Cream
This cheesecake recipe is my favorite in terms of the crust and the cheesecake itself. Dense, flavorful, and pretty failsafe in terms of eliminating cracks IF you follow my three tips that eliminate cracking.
Servings: 8 people
Equipment
- Large blender like a Ninja with large bowl attachment and plastic paddle, mixer or standing mixer
- 10″ springform pan
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 boxes of cream cheese (8 oz. each)
- 2 c sour cream
- 2 t fresh lemon juice
- 2 t real vanilla
- 5 eggs
- 1 ⅓ c sugar
Crust
- 1 ½ c vanilla wafers (pulverized in a food processor)
- 1 ½ c nuts (pulverized in a food processor)
- 4 T butter (melted)
Puree
- 3 c berries
- ½-1 c sugar (depending on taste and sweetness of berry)
Whipping cream
- 1 pint whipped cream
- 1 t real vanilla
- 1 T granulated sugar
Instructions
Crust
- BUTTER pan all the way to the top of the edges, liberally.
- Mix pulverized nuts and crumbs in a large bowl.
- Add melted butter until mixed thoroughly.
- Press into pan taking crust up ¾ to top on sides.
- Use a flat bottom cup or measuring cup to press firmly to compact.
- Set aside.
Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Blend cream cheese thoroughly, scraping down the sides if necessary.
- Add sugar and briefly blend.
- Add one egg at a time to blend, go quickly.
- Add flour, vanilla, and juice.
- Scrape down bowl and mix briefly until just combined.
- Pour into pan.
- Bake for 75 minutes until the cake puffs up. The center will still look a little lower and a little soft in the middles – about a 2” circle so to speak.
- If in doubt, let it cook a few extra minutes.
- Turn off the oven.
- Open oven just a crack and leave the cake in the oven for another hour or so.
- Remove to completely cool, then refrigerate for 24 hours.
Puree – Day of serving
- Puree fruit.
- Put in a saucepan.
- Warm on low.
- Add sugar to taste.
- Remove and cool.
Whipping Cream – Right before serving
- Combine cream, sugar and vanilla.
- Beat with a mixer until whipping cream consistency.
- If you overbeat, you will have butter.
- To assemble
- Spread on whipping cream
- Sprinkle the plate with puree or over the cake once cut and put on the plate.
- ENJOY!
Notes
- Make cheesecake one day before serving. It needs to be cured.
- Cheese, sour cream, eggs, and lemon need to be at room temperature.
- DO NOT buy premade whipping cream. Make your own – it’s so easy. This dessert deserves the best!