THIS. This was our Christmas dessert this year. It's dangerous making a cheesecake for three people. Half of it is in the fridge beckoning me at this very moment. "Bridget...eat me! I won't go straight to your thighs; I promise." Besides being delicious, cheesecake is a liar.
I created this recipe a few years ago for The Pioneer Woman Food & Friends, but somehow I never put it on the blog. Please forgive me.
This cheesecake is, as the title suggests, perfect. It's creamy, it's luscious, it's fluffy. This cheesecake is rich without being too heavy. It's sweet, but not overly so.
There are a few secrets to making it...including a water bath...and it bakes beautifully and without cracking every time.
Classic Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Cookie Crust
Crust:
2 cups gingersnaps crumbs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch fine sea salt
Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 & 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) Greek yogurt (2% or full fat), room temperature
Topping:
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Wrap 3 layers of foil around the bottom of a 9”
springform pan.
In a blender or food processor, pulse the crust ingredients together
until combined. Press into the bottom of the springform pan and bake for
10 minutes. Remove from oven onto a cooling rack.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed
until no lumps remain. Add in the sugar and salt; continue mixing on low
until the ingredients are incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom
of the bowl as needed.
Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until fully
incorporated. Continue scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as
needed. Keeping the mixer on low speed, add in the lemon juice, vanilla,
and Greek yogurt. (Stir the yogurt first if it has separated while
coming to room temperature.) Mix just until combined.
Pour the filling into the pan and place it into a large roasting pan.
Place the pan into the oven and quickly pour hot water into the roasting
pan so that it comes up about 1 inch up the foil-wrapped springform
pan.
Bake for 55-70 minutes or until the cheesecake is set on the sides and
just jiggles a bit in the center when the pan is shaken. Remove the
cheesecake from the water bath and place back in the warm oven. Turn the
oven off and crack the oven door. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1
hour.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven and run a thin knife along the edge
of the pan. Let the cheesecake continue to cool to room temperature.
Place in the refrigerator for several hours to chill completely.
Before serving, make the whipped cream:
Place a mixing bowl and mixer’s whisk attachment in the freezer for a
few minutes. Pour the whipped cream into the chilled bowl and add the
sugar and vanilla. Beat just until stiff peaks form. Place in a piping
bag fitted with a star tip.
Run a thin knife along the edge of the pan once more before removing the
sides from the pan. Pipe whipped cream across the top. Serve with more
whipped cream on the side if desired.
You are going to LOVE it. Serve it for New Year's Eve or New Years Day. Such a treat...with or without any toppings.
*portions of this post were originally posted here.
