July 30 is National Cheesecake Day! Try baking one of your own to celebrate!
Ingredients
- 2 cups of graham crumbs
- 1 cup of butter or margarine, melted
- ½ cup of white granulated sugar
- 2 tsp of nutmeg
- 2 blocks of cream cheese (6oz)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ cups of white granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325o The lower temperature will help the centre cook without burning the exterior.
- In your 8’ spring pan or baking dish, pour in your graham crumb, ½ cup of sugar, nutmeg, and melted butter. Using your hands gently combine everything until it becomes equally incorporated. It should feel like wet sand. If mix seems too dry you can add a little more butter to help it stick.
- Spread the mixture evenly across the base of the pan and firmly press down into an even layer. Feel free to use a heavy glass or another pan to help pack it down.
- Set aside while preparing the filling.
- In a large bowl add your cream cheese blocks, sour cream, and sugar.
- Beat the two ingredients together either with a hand mixer on speed 2, or by hand if you prefer. We are looking for the mixture to be smooth and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and continue mixing. At the end you should have a smooth, thick batter that coats the blades of your mixer.
- This step is optional but if you have anything you’d like to add to the flavour profile, now is the time. I like it plain, or with a bit of lemon extract or zest. You can also use a quarter cup of melted chocolate or a handful of crushed berries.
- You’ve made it! This is the easy part. Simply pour your batter overtop of the prepared base, smooth out the top to make it as even as possible, and place it in the oven. Let it bake for 45 minutes to an hour. If you’re feeling fancy, you can spray some water into the oven around the halfway point. This steams the oven and can give the cheesecake a more even tone. You know it is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven, rest at room temperature until completely cooled, and enjoy your delicious cheesecake.
