The World's Best Cheesecake Recipe

Cake:

6 large eggs
1 1/2 C sugar
2 lbs. (four 8 ounce packages) cream cheese, preferably Kraft's Philadelphia brand
1/2 pint sour cream
1/2 pint heavy cream
juice of one lemon
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 heaping Tablespoons flour

Crust:

1 1/2 C crushed vanilla wafers (you can also use crushed graham crackers, or digestive biscuits)
6 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 C sugar

Preheat oven to to 425°.

Add eggs, sugar, cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, lemon juice, vanilla, and flour to mixer. Beat (on low to to low-medium speed) thoroughly, until completely smooth.

Do not mix at high speed and don't overmix. If you do, the cake will overflow the pan. The bad news: the texture will be off (too light and fluffy). The good news: you can use the extra to make cheesecake cupcakes.

While cake mixture is beating, make the crust.

Mix crust ingredients together in small mixing bowl. Pour into 9" spring form pan, pressing into place with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

When crust is cool, and cake is thoroughly mixed, pour batter into the pan over the back of a big spoon, so the batter does not disturb the crust. Let it rest for 5 or 10 minutes.

Bake in 425° oven for 15 minutes. Then turn oven down to 275° and bake for 1 hour. Turn off oven. Do not open the oven door for 2 hours! After the 2 hours are up, remove cake and refrigerate.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 cup cold butter
2 tablespoons cold water


Filling:

2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 (21-ounce) cherry or strawberry pie filling

Mix flour, sugar, and cocoa in a bowl. Using two small knives, cut the butter into small pieces. Then, mix the butter with the cocoa mixture. The whole thing should form small crumbs (like cookie crumbs). Gradually add the water. Stir the mixture with a fork. It should all get sticky and hold together in a lump.

Take a small handful of the dough and form it into a small ball. Keep going until you have used it all up. There should be about 24 balls.

Grease the muffin cups with butter. Then smear the insides of paper muffin cups with the dough. Push it down into the bottom and along the sides, to create a sort of cup. The rest of the filling will go inside the cup. Place each cup in the muffin pan.

Now, get a mixing bowl and add the cream cheese and the sugar. Beat it well, until it's smooth (no lumps). Add milk and then the vanilla. Beat that all together until it's mixed well. Don't overdo it. Add the egg to this mixture and beat on slow speed.

Scoop out a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture and add it to each prepared muffin cup. Bake them at 325°F (160°C) for 15-18 minutes, until they are firm (test them with a toothpick - if it comes out clean, they're done). Remove from the oven and let cool for half an hour. Once they're cool enough to handle, remove them from the pans and let them stand until they're at room temperature.

Top with the cherry pie filling and refrigerate.

You can eat your cheesecake plain, garnish it with fresh berries, or go all out and make a topping.

Here are some options:

Blueberry Cheesecake Topping
1/2 C sugar
3 T cornstarch
1 pint fresh blueberries (or use frozen)
2 T lemon juice
1 T butter.

Combine everything except the butter in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it gets thick. Add the butter and let cool.

Raspberry Topping
2 C raspberries
1 C sugar
1 T cornstarch

Combine berries, sugar, and some water. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 minutes. In a separate, small bowl, mix the cornstarch and a little water. Add to the berry mixture. Cook, stirring, for five minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

Chocolate Ganache
1 C heavy cream
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

Melt chocolate and cream over very low heat (or use a double boiler). Stir constantly until smooth and thick. Pour it over a chilled cheesecake. Spread quickly before it hardens. Once the cake is covered with chocolate, return to the fridge to set. Keep any leftover ganache in the refrigerator, covered. If you want to reuse it, reheat it gently.

Strawberry Topping
1 pint strawberries
1/3 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Chop the strawberries. Set aside about 1/3. Add the remaining berries to a saucepan with the sugar and vanilla. Cook over medium high heat. Stir occasionally, until it thickens. Puree the mixture with an immersion blender (or use a regular blender). Then add the uncooked berries, and serve over your cake.

(Adapted from Baking 911)

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