Cheesecake is such a versatile dessert and everyone seems to love it… I mean, there is an entire restaurant chain dedicated to its worldwide popularity.
One of the best things about a cheesecake is the endless list of ways that you can flavor it and doll it up. From graham cracker crusts to chocolate crust or no crust at all! From a deeply browned burnt basque cheesecake to clean white one.
Whether you are serving it plain or absolutely smothering it with berries, as long as you have a good solid cheesecake recipe in your repertoire, your options are endless!
Today, we are baking up a simple vanilla bean cheesecake and I am topping it with some fresh figs and berries. It is going to be beautiful, delicious and dotted with delicate vanilla beans speckles.
Whether you want to serve it up plain or add all sorts of spices, toppings or garnishes, this is the basic cheesecake recipe you should be starting with.
Let’s get it started…
Begin by making your crust.
This is my basic graham cracker crust recipe, but you can feel free to make it your own by using different cookies or adding various spices.
Now this recipe is easy and ready in minutes, but you can use a pre-made crust too, if you prefer.
Now that the crust has been handled, it is time to whip up your filling.
Step #1 is to let 24 ounces or 3 eight ounce bricks of cream cheese, 3/4 cup of sour cream and 3 large eggs come to room temperature. If you follow my blog, you will know that I am very flexible when it comes to the whole room temperature ingredients rule, but when it comes to cheesecake, it is necessary.
Step #2 is to use an electric hand mixer to whip the room temp cream cheese and sour cream with a cup of granulated sugar until fully combined. In my opinion, this cheesecake is perfectly sweet. It is not overly sweet like some cheesecakes can be, it is just sweet enough.
Step #3 is to add 2 teaspoons of fresh citrus juice (orange is my favorite, but any citrus will do) along with a teaspoon of vanilla extract and the caviar from a whole vanilla pod.
I feel it necessary to prepare you for how pricey a vanilla pod is. They are not cheap, but the flavor you get out of one of them is truly fabulous, so buy one, use a sharp knife to cut the pod in half and do your very best to extract every bit of that caviar and add it into your cheesecake batter.
You’ll be glad you did…
Last, but not least, add your eggs one at a time mixing just enough to incorporate them as you do.
You do not want to whip a bunch of air into this batter. You want it to be creamy and have all of the ingredients fully combined, but you don’t want to whip a bunch of air into this one. Whipping too much air into a cheesecake batter can cause the batter to shrink, crack or pull away from the crust as it bakes and we don’t need that negativity in our sweet treat.
Let’s talk about baking cheesecake…
Do we need a water bath?
A water bath or bain marie is a method of baking something inside of a baking dish that is placed inside of a larger baking dish filled with an inch or two of hot water. The hot water helps to insulate the outside of the baking dish which creates a gentler, more even heat. This method is often used for cheesecakes as it helps prevent the outside edges of the cheesecake from overcooking and can help the cheesecake from cracking. *Notice I said “can” help it from cracking…
Cheesecakes crack sometimes and unless you plan on your cheesecake being photographed and featured in a prominent place, I wouldn’t worry to much about it.
If you are confident in your “foil wrapping a springform pan” skills or really want the best cheesecake beauty insurance you can get yourself then bake it in a water bath, but if you are nervous about pouring hot water around your springform or are using a cast iron skillet like I am today, you can alternatively add the hot water into a large baking dish placed on a lower rack instead. This way, no water will risk working its way into your cheesecake, but you will still get the steaminess that can help the top of your cheesecake turn out picture worthy.
Bake your cheesecake in a 325 degree oven for 55-65 minutes. The larger your baking vessel, the thinning your cheesecake and it will be done quicker. Now if you use a 9″ springform, you will have a thicker cheesecake and it could take the full 65 minutes or maybe even a few minutes longer depending on how accurate your ovens temperature is.
You are looking for the outer edges to be puffed up and look set and the middle to have a little bit of wobble when you gently shake the pan. If the middle appears to be liquidy still, let it bake a little longer.
A little wobble is good, but sloshing is not.
When your cheesecake is fully baked, turn the oven off and crack the oven door open a few inches. Let your cheesecake cool in the oven for an hour. As the ovens hot air slowly escapes through the crack in the door, your cheesecake will start to cool down very slowly and this gently temperature shift can help prevent cracking or shrinking.
After this hour in the open oven, let the cheesecake cool on your countertop for another hour, cover it with foil and chill for a minimum of 4 hours.
Once your cheesecake is fully chilled, add something pretty. Today, I added fresh figs, blackberries and I reserved a few tablespoons of the crust mixture and sprinkled it over the berries because I love texture and it looks pretty.
Pretty food tastes better, right? Well, I am obsessed with those gorgeous vanilla specks all over this cheesecake. They help you prepare yourself for just how delicious this cheesecake is going to be.
It is thick, creamy, rich and full of bold vanilla flavor that stands up on its own or is a great base for any toppings you love. Berry compote, anyone?
If you are looking for a wonderful cheesecake recipe that is simple to bring together, can be made well in advance and flavored or garnished in so many ways then you need to give this vanilla bean cheesecake a try.
You are going to love it…
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs (16 full graham crackers)
- 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoons of butter, melted
- a pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves or your favorite warm spice
Cheesecake Filling
- 24 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
- 3/4 cup of sour cream, room temperature
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1-2 vanilla bean pods
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons of fresh citrus juice
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
Garnishes
- fresh fruit
- nuts, crushed
- honey
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
Make the crust...
- Use a food processor to grind the graham crackers down to a fine crumb
- In a large bowl, mix 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, 1/2 cup of melted butter and a pinch of your favorite warm spice in with the graham cracker crumbs until everything is evenly distributed
- Lightly grease a deep 9" or 10" springform pan or an 11" cast iron skillet, transfer the graham cracker mixture into the pan and press out evenly throughout the bottom and sides being sure to keep the sides as thick as the bottom
- Pre-bake the crust for 9 minutes in a 350 degree oven and then transfer onto a heat proof surface to cool while you make the cheesecake filling
Make the filling...
- Reduce the oven heat to 325 degrees and add a deep baking vessel onto the bottom rack of your oven
- Bring a teapot or large saucepan of water to a boil
- In a large bowl, beat 24 ounces of room temperature cream cheese with 3/4 cup of sour cream and a cup of granulated sugar until smooth and creamy
- Slice 1-2 vanilla bean pods in half and scrape out the seeds, add the seeds, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons of citrus juice and mix until fully combined
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until they are just incorporated to avoid over mixing this filling
- Transfer the filling into the cooled crust and use a rubber spatula to smooth the filling evenly throughout the crust
Bake the cheesecake...
- Carefully transfer the cheesecake onto the center rack of a preheated 325 degree oven
- Immediately pour several inches of boiling water into the baking dish on the bottom rack and close the oven door as quickly as possible
- Bake the cheesecake for 55-65 minutes or until the outer edges look lightly puffed and set and the very center is still just a little bit jiggly
Cool the cheesecake...
- Turn the oven off and open the door just a few inches
- Allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour
- After the hour, transfer the cheesecake out of the oven and let it continue to cool at room temperature for another hour before covering with foil and chilling in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight
Garnish & serve...
- Top with fresh fruit, crumbled nuts and a drizzle of honey
