How to Make a Perfect Cheesecake

A perfect cheesecake is a delicate balance of tangy cream cheese, sweet sugar, and rich eggs. It’s also an art form that takes patience, precision, and practice to master. After all, it can be challenging to get the proportions just right if you’re new to baking. Fortunately, there are some tips and tricks for making sure your cheesecake bakes up beautifully every time!

Take a Look at the Ingredients

Cheesecake is a dessert consisting of two layers of baked cream cheese, soaked in sugar syrup or sour cream, with some form of fruit or rum-flavored cake on top. The ingredients are eggs, cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and graham cracker crusts with extra graham crackers for the top.

Using Tools

To make a perfect cheesecake, you will need: 

Measuring cups, spoons, wooden spoons, electric mixer, round pans with removable bottoms (springform pan), wire racks for cooling, water bath (optional), food processor, or blender.

You also need a pastry brush for brushing down the sides of the pan to prevent air bubbles during cooking.

Process to make

Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit or 170 degrees Celsius. Next, line the round pans with parchment paper and pour some graham crackers on the bottom of each pan, so about three layers are covering it halfway through. Then, beat cream cheese in an electric mixer together with the sugar until smooth. Next, beat the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and eggs one at a time into the mixture before pouring it into the pan(s). Bake for 30 minutes or until the middle is just set. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before placing in the refrigerator for at least four hours to chill thoroughly. Once chilled, remove cheesecake carefully from the pan by running a knife around the edge of the cake, loosen it, release the springform pan by pushing it up until you hear a snap. Next, cover with your favorite fruits or top with some chocolate syrup.

Directions

There are many different ways to make cheesecake, but this is a simple recipe: mix together 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs with 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons melted butter until moistened. Press into an 8-inch springform pan and chill while you mix ingredients in a separate bowl. Beat 8 ounces cream cheese and 1 cup sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in 2 eggs, one at a time. Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and peel 1 lemon (grate the rind into the mix). Pour into springform pan on top of chilled crust and bake for 10 minutes at 425°F, then reduce temperature to 200°F and continue baking for 40-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Chill overnight (the longer you leave it to chill, the easier it will be to remove the pie from the pan). Top with strawberries or blueberries before serving. 

Things to note

The cheesecake will be very difficult to remove from the pan once cooked, so it is essential to line the pans first before adding the crusts and cream cheese mixture. You can also use wax paper or aluminum foil if parchment paper isn’t available for lining the bottom of the pans.

Try not to overwhip your eggs because this creates air bubbles that may arise during baking, which might cause cracks in your baked cheesecake.

Instead of beating with low speed, just until smooth after each addition of eggs, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract.

Conclusion

If you’re a fan of cheesecake, this article should be perfect for you. We’ve listed all the ingredients and steps to make one from scratch. If it’s your first time baking a cake like this, don’t worry! There are plenty of recipes on our site that can help guide you through the process with photos and detailed instructions.