Mom’s heavenly cheesecake
Every year growing up, my mom would make my dad a cheesecake on his birthday. Not just any cheesecake, but what she called “heavenly cheesecake.” After enjoying this many times, I suspect the name is because it has an insane amount of cream cheese and is, as my dad says, “DG” (aka, damn good).
Fast forward to me meeting John, and I quickly learned cheesecake is his favorite dessert too, so I started making it for him, but I make a mini version now.
The quirk about John’s love of cheesecake though is that he only likes it plain, no flavors, no flair, no toppings. I like some flair though, so I started making an optional cherry topping, which could easily sub in any seasonal fruit you like. Or, you can enjoy it plain like dad and John.
Mom’s heavenly cheesecake
This is for a 4.5-inch springform pan (double up on the ingredients below for a classic 9-inch size cheesecake)
WHAT YOU NEED
Cookie Crust
1/2 cup cookie crumbs (graham crackers or Biscoff work great)
1.5 TBS butter, melted
1.5 TBS granulates sugar
Cheesecake Filling
20 ounces / 567 grams cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 TBS flour
2 eggs (if making for a 9-inch cheesecake, use 3 eggs)
1.2 cup sour cream
Optional Cherry Topping
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted
3 TBS water
1 TBS granulated sugar
1/2 TBS corn starch
Juice from half a lemon
HOW TO MAKE IT
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine the cookie crumbs, melted butter and sugar in a bowl. Pat down in your springform pan and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool while you make the cheesecake filling.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until whipped and combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time until fully mixed, then beat in the sour cream until fully combined.
Chef’s note: Use all the cream cheese, don’t get cute here and think you know better.
Pour the filling into the cooled crust, bake for 60-65 minutes, or until the center is almost set. Let cool completely and then refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours before serving.
Chef’s note: Yes, the cake will crack on top and it will sink down, it’s fine, life is about letting go.
If you’re making the cherry topping, add the cherries, sugar, corn starch and lemon juice to a small saucepan and simmer until thickened and the cherries start breaking down, about 10 minutes or so. Remove from heat and let cool, serve on top of the cheesecake at room temp.
