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The Perfect Cheesecake

Posted on 04/06/2010 by Maura

(Just to reiterate, I only use water baths on rare occasions, so that is why there is a big ol’ crack in this cheesecake.  Makes it look rustic)!

I often wonder what my speciality will be–what everyone will request I bring to every family gathering, every get together, every social event.  I dream that my family will call me asking, “Maura can you bring your famous ______.”  Yes, I get a lot of requests for my crap dip, but I’m longing for something more.  I want something bigger–a main dish or a dessert, preferably.

That is exactly what this recipe is.  Through the power of the Internet, I found this family’s secret cheesecake recipe that Chaos in the Kitchen was nice enough to share.  It was her mother-in-laws recipe that had been passed down.  It makes the perfect cheesecake, every time.  The method is very time consuming, though, as it must sit in the oven for a while after it is finished baking, and the cake must be refrigerated for 24 hours before serving, so don’t make this when you’re in a hurry.  But, please do make it.  You won’t regret it.

The Perfect Cheesecake

Adapted from Chaos in the Kitchen

Ingredients

Cake:

20 oz. of cream cheese, room temp (2.5 bars)

1-3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 eggs

3 tablespoons corn starch

2 cups whipping cream (or heavy cream)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 crust, prepared in a 10 inch springform pan (I use an Oreo crust consisting of 2 packages of crushed Oreos and 1 stick of melted butter)

OR you can use a graham cracker crust recipe

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a bowl fitted for a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.

Add one egg at a time while mixer is running, thoroughly mixing in between and scarping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Add cornstarch, cream and salt.  Beat on the highest speed for about 5 minutes, until the batter is light and fluffy.  You really want to beat the heck out of it.

Stir in lemon juice.  Pour the batter into the crust and bake for one hour.  At the one hour point, check to see that a toothpick comes out clean.  The cake will still be very wet, but should shake like Jell-o, not water.  If the toothpick doesn’t come out clean, cook until it does.

Turn the oven off, leaving the cheesecake in, and leave in the oven for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes is up, crack the door and let the cake cool to room temperature in the oven.

Once it is at room temperature, place it in the refrigerator overnight.

About Maura

I have a secret: I cannot do anything in moderation. I always have to take things to the extreme, at the expense of my own and my family's sanity and often times my dad’s checkbook. When I started taking horseback riding lessons, I insisted on having a pony. When I ice skated for probably the second time, I made my mom buy me ice skates that were never again worn. When I thought I wanted to be a teacher, I made my parents turn one of the rooms in the basement into a school room, stocked with an overhead projector, pull-down maps and a real, classroom-sized chalkboard and white board. When I discovered cooking I bossed my older sister around in the kitchen for an entire day, forcing her to make dozens of recipes with me against her will and then had her do all the dishes (sorry Cait). And, when I discovered food blogs I bought the biggest binder I could find, printed out 250 recipes in one day and laminated and categorized each one. My dad was not happy about the ink situation. So, what does this tell you about me? For one, you can trust that every recipe I post is more than delicious and has been meticulously tried and tested for you. Also, that I’m an anal freak. Enjoy! View all posts by Maura → This entry was posted in Cakes, Dessert and tagged cake, cheesecake, Dessert. Bookmark the permalink. ← The Pioneer Woman’s Potatoes Au Gratin Butterscotch-Apple Cake →