Desserts
Classic baked cheesecake with a graham crust
Cream cheese, cultured sour cream and a compact crust, with complete baking and chilling instructions for eight proposed servings.
- Total time
- 505 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Cuisine
- American-inspired
Ingredients
Crust
Filling
Method
Weigh the ingredients and prepare the pan
Wash your hands and prepare scales, bowls, a spatula, a paddle or hand mixer on low speed, a clean probe and a nonstick springform pan 20 cm in diameter and at least 6 cm high. Line only the bottom with baking parchment; do not add butter for greasing. Weigh 180 g plain graham crackers and 70 g unsalted butter. For the filling, weigh 600 g full-fat cream cheese, 140 g sugar, 150 g egg without shell, 120 g sour cream, 5 g vanilla extract and 1 g salt. The egg is approximately 3 large eggs, but weight takes priority: break them into a separate bowl, mix gently and weigh the portion to use. Keep egg and sour cream at 4 °C or below until mixing. Cut the cheese into pieces and let it soften for about 20 minutes while preparing the ingredients and crust; this is not an additional wait and it must not remain out for hours. Preheat the oven to 170 °C with conventional top and bottom heat during the last 15 minutes of this initial 20-minute preparation. Wash hands and utensils after handling raw egg and do not taste the unbaked filling.
Crush and press the crust
Crush the 180 g crackers in a sturdy bag with a rolling pin or in a food processor into fine crumbs without large lumps. Melt the 70 g butter in a saucepan over low heat for about 3 minutes, included in the initial preparation, without browning it. Mix all the crumbs with all the butter until evenly moistened. Transfer to the lined 20 cm pan and press with the bottom of a clean glass to make a level layer only on the bottom; do not build a crumb wall or add sugar or fat. Use the entire mixture and check for loose areas.
Bake the crust and let it cool briefly
Place the pan on a metal baking tray to catch possible leaks and bake the crust for 10 minutes at 170 °C on the middle shelf, until it smells toasted without burning. Remove with oven gloves and let it cool on a rack for about 15 minutes. Lower the oven to 160 °C during that interval; do not add another preheating period. Prepare the filling during the first 10 minutes of this cooling period using the next two steps; this leaves 5 minutes of net waiting. The proposed crust and cooling times must be extended if your oven requires it.
Mix cheese, sugar and salt without aerating
Put the 600 g softened cream cheese, 140 g sugar and 1 g salt in a bowl. Mix on low speed for about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom with a spatula, until no large lumps remain. Do not whip or use high speed: aim for a dense cream, not foam. This mixing and the next step take about 10 minutes within the 15-minute crust cooling period. If the cheese is still too firm, continue gently and add the actual extra time, without leaving dairy out of refrigeration for hours.
Incorporate egg, sour cream and vanilla
Divide the weighed 150 g egg into 3 portions of 50 g. Mix each portion in on low speed just until incorporated before adding the next. Add the 120 g sour cream and 5 g vanilla extract; mix gently until uniform. Scrape the sides and bottom to include all ingredients without beating in bubbles. This proposal contains no whipped cream, flour, gelatin, juice or topping. Do not taste the raw mixture; clean utensils that touched egg and use a clean spatula when filling the pan.
Fill and bake, checking the center
Pour all the filling over the cooled crust, level gently and place the pan on its tray on the middle oven shelf at 160 °C. Bake for about 55 minutes, beginning checks at 45 without repeatedly opening the oven. This proposal uses no water bath. Look for set edges and a center that moves gently as one piece, not as free liquid. Check that the center reaches at least 71 °C with a clean probe; movement, color and photographs do not replace that measurement. If it has not reached temperature, continue and add the actual time. Protect the surface if it browns too much. Remove with oven gloves without opening the hot ring; a crack-free surface or browning identical to the image is not promised.
Cool briefly, then chill completely
Leave the cake in its pan on a rack for about 45 minutes after baking, then transfer to a refrigerator at 4 °C or below without waiting for it to cool completely on the counter. Use a heat-resistant surface and leave room for air circulation; protect from contamination with a clean loose cover that does not touch the hot cake. Do not accumulate more than 2 hours out of refrigeration after baking, or 1 hour if the surroundings exceed 32 °C; refrigerate earlier in that case. Allow a reference 360 minutes of chilling until the center is cold; extend and add that time if needed. Once it stops steaming, cover without pressing the surface. The plan adds 20 minutes initial preparation, 10 crust baking, 15 cooling with 10 filling preparation overlapping, 55 filling baking, 45 final cooling and 360 chilling: 505 estimated minutes. Cheese softening and preheating are included in the initial preparation; actual cooling is not deducted and no kitchen trial is claimed.
Unmold cold and divide into eight portions
When thoroughly cold, carefully run a thin spatula around the edge, open the ring and remove the bottom parchment while moving the cake to a plate. Divide into 8 similar portions with a clean knife, wiping it between cuts. Serve without fruit, sauce or extra crackers: these are outside the calculation. The 1266 g is the initial ingredient weight, not the finished cake weight or the weight per portion. Quantities, timings and eight portions are proposals awaiting kitchen confirmation. Store covered at 4 °C or below; as a conservative, untested quality proposal, consume within 24 hours after chilling. Remove only what you will serve and promptly return the rest to the refrigerator. Do not reuse plate leftovers or establish shelf life by smell.
The step photos are illustrative.
Notes
Nutrition facts
One eighth of the cake; 8 proposed servings
- Protein
- 8.9 g
- Carbohydrates
- 40 g
- Fat
- 40 g
- Saturated fat
- 22 g
- Fiber
- 0.8 g
- Sugars
- 26.5 g
- Sodium
- 432.6 mg
Estimate awaiting confirmation, not analysis or a kitchen trial. The 1266 g is initial weight, not measured cooked yield. USDA 174957 groups plain or honey graham crackers including cinnamon: a generic reference, not confirmation of a specific brand. References are full-fat cream cheese and cultured sour cream, not light products or whipping cream. Reference vanilla extract contains alcohol; complete removal during baking is not assumed. Brands, moisture and salt alter values. Specific heat or handling losses are not calculated, and fruit, sauces and accompaniments are excluded. Missing data is never replaced by zero.
Reference source: USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy
For general information only; it does not replace advice from a qualified health or nutrition professional.
About this recipe
A proposed classic baked cheesecake with a graham cracker crust, full-fat cream cheese and cultured sour cream, without topping or a water bath. The proposal makes 8 servings and takes 505 minutes including chilling. Quantities, timings and yield await kitchen confirmation.
Frequently asked questions
Can I replace the cream cheese or sour cream?
This formula proposes pasteurized full-fat block cream cheese and cultured sour cream, not light products or whipping cream. Other dairy changes water, fat and texture; adapt quantities, baking and nutrition before substituting without assuming the same result.
Why is the complete time so long?
The 505 minutes include 20 initial preparation, 10 crust baking, 15 cooling with 10 filling preparation overlapping, 55 filling baking, 45 final cooling and 360 chilling. Cheese softening and preheating happen during initial preparation. Add actual extra baking or cooling time; this is more than active work.
How do I check doneness and when do I unmold?
The edges should set and the center should reach at least 71 °C with a clean probe; slight movement does not replace a temperature check. Cool briefly and refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32 °C. Wait until the center is cold, allowing 360 minutes refrigeration as a reference, before opening the ring; extend if necessary.
