The Best Philadelphia Cheesecake Recipe
A seriously addictive Philadelphia cheesecake that tastes amazing on its own or with your favorite topping.
Servings: 1 Cheesecake
Equipment
- 1 9-inch spring form pan
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs You can pulse full size graham crackers in a food processor or smash them up well in a ziploc bag
- 3 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoon granulated white sugar If you like a more decadent dessert you can use brown sugar instead of regular granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt or 1/16 teaspoon regular salt
Cheesecake Filling
- 24 oz cream cheese at room temperature This is three full blocks of cream cheese. You should take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator about 1 hour before you are ready to use it.
- ¾ cup granulated white sugar - plus 2 tbsp this is ¾ plus 2 tablespoons of sugar.
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven 425 degrees
Making the graham cracker crust
- In a large bowl, add your ground graham crackers, melted butter, salt and sugar and mix well.1 cup graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoon melted unsalted butter, 3 tablespoon granulated white sugar, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Now pour crust into bottom of your spring form pan and press it down on the bottom.
- Place the crust in the pre-heated oven for 2-3 minutes then remove and let cool.
Cheesecake Filling
- In a large bowl, add your room temperature cream cheese, and sugar and mix really well.24 oz cream cheese at room temperature, ¾ cup granulated white sugar - plus 2 tbsp
- Now add the eggs one at a time and mix well.3 large eggs
- Add vanilla and mix until incorporated.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour cheesecake filling into the springform pan over the pre-baked graham cracker crust.
- Take a large sheet of aluminum foil and place the springform pan on top.
- Now wrap the aluminum foil up the sides of the pan making sure there are no gaps.
- Place the cheesecake in a large roasting pan.
- Boil hot water. I like to use a tea kettle for this.
- Once water is boiling place the roasting pan with the cheesecake in it in the oven on the middle rack.
- Now pour the hot water into the roasting pan making sure that the water goes up the sides of the pan by 1 inch and gently slide the oven rack in to the oven and close the door.
Baking
- Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees and continue baking for about 40-45 minutes or until the VERY center of the cheesecake barely moves when shaken.
- Remove from the oven and lift cheesecake out of water bath then let cheesecake cool completely in the pan.
- Once the cheesecake comes to room temperature, place in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours or overnight to completely chill and set up. Do not remove from the pan yet.
- Once it is fully chilled you can run a sharp knife along the edge of the cheesecake and pan then remove the spring form mold.
- Top with your favorite toppings or enjoy as is. Keep refrigerated.
Notes
To freeze cheesecake:
Follow the instructions all the way through cooling the cheesecake in the fridge. Once the cheesecake is completely chilled, remove the side of springform pan and cover with 2 layers of plastic wrap.
Freeze for up to 1 month.
To thaw:
Remove the cheesecake from the freezer and place in the fridge to thaw gently overnight.
Storing
Homemade cheesecakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days without issue.
Nutrition
Calories: 3955kcal | Carbohydrates: 288g | Protein: 65g | Fat: 290g | Saturated Fat: 164g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 77g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1269mg | Sodium: 3175mg | Potassium: 1249mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 232g | Vitamin A: 10900IU | Calcium: 813mg | Iron: 7mg
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
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