Thursday, September 17, 2009

Cheesecake Doesn't Have To Be Intimidating

Cheesecake is one of the desserts that I love but I used to think I could never make one of my own. It scared me and looked like it was complicated and expensive to make. And I'm here to tell you that neither are true. It's just as easy as baking a cake as long as you know three very simple tricks. So here's how to do it.

For the crust you'll need:

1 package of graham crackers ($.40)
3 tablespoons of sugar ($.15)
3 tablespoons of melted margarine ($.07)


For the filling:

4 8-ounce boxes of cream cheese at room temperature($3.92)
1 cup sour cream ($.65)
1 cup white sugar ($.80)
4 eggs ($.27)
3 tablespoons flour ($.07)
1 tablespoon vanilla ($.05)

Rough total for ingredients $6.38 (a whole cheesecake around here would cost $25)

Preheat the oven to 325. Crush your graham crackers to equal one cup of crumbs. I use my food processor.

Mix with melted margarine and sugar.



Then press into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan.



Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven.

Set oven to 450 degrees and cream together cheese, sugar and flour.


Add eggs one at a time.


Slowly blend in sour cream and vanilla.



Pour into crust.



TRICK NUMBER ONE:

Put an ovenproof pan of water on the bottom rack and put your cheesecake on the top rack. The moisture will keep the top of your cheesecake from cracking during cooking time.



Bake for 10 minutes and then turn oven to 250 degrees and bake for one hour.

After one hour, the cheesecake will look pale and jiggle in the middle. Everything in you will tell you to cook it longer but really, it's done.

TRICK NUMBER TWO:

Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for one more hour. Don't remove it. This will keep the center of your cheesecake from falling and leaving a higher rim around the edges.

Remove from oven when timer goes off and set on a cooling rack.

TRICK NUMBER THREE:

Take a sharp knife and carefully slide it around the edges to loosen the cake. Otherwise when you release the sides of your pan, it could pull on the cake and cause a crack in the top.

Now release the sides of the pan and let cool completely.

Chill for several hours or until ready to serve and top with your favorite topping.

It's really that simple and cheap!

I tried to capture a picture of the finished product but my flash bleached out the picture and I had a crew of 5 hungry people who didn't want to wait while I tried to solve it. But here it is...



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11 comments:

Quiltpiecer said...

I LOVE cheesecake and have never tried making it. But you make it look so easy! Thank you for sharing!

Susannah said...

Ohhhh! Wonderful tricks! I seldom bake cheesecake, although it's my fav. dessert. Printing off your recipe so I'll remember to try your techniques.

My entry is all about the miracle of olive oil, the biblical "recipe" for longevity. My post includes some folk remedy beauty treatments. I hope that's OK. Thanks for hosting! :~D

e-Mom @ Susannah's Aprons

Unknown said...

Wow, now I want to go make a cheesecake! That looks great!

Hoosier Homemade said...

That looks yummy! Thanks for hosting!
~Liz

SnoWhite said...

Thanks for the great tips about making cheesecake!!

Amy Green (Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free) said...

Ok, just read your about page and am feeling quite extravagant about our grocery bill for 2 people and 4 dogs. I don't know if I'd change it, though. We eat well and I have a special diet I must follow. You have helped me to remember to use what I have on hand and, honestly, I've done a fabulous job with that. Anyway - thanks for hosting!!

Johnlyn said...

Thank you so much for taking the time to show us how to do this. You are awesome!

Nicole Feliciano said...

You make it look easy! Thank you for the joyous gathering each week. That is one good-looking cheesecake. Hope you get a chance to swing by Momtrends. As always, I link up to your blog. Have a great weekend.

http://momtrends.blogspot.com/2009/09/friday-food-perfect-and-healthy-blt.html

Miss Sue said...

Thanks Gayle :) I did not know the trick with the oven proof dish and water. Love it!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the tips... I suddenly have a craving for cheesecake!!!!

Shannon

Lauren said...

I loved the tips! One of my faves is a no bake cheesecake I make when I need a fast and cheap something, or I have a cheesecake craving and don't want to wait all those hours! I just take a thing of cream cheese a mix till soft add some vanilla, then mix it all together with a thing of cheapo cool whip then poor into a crust. I made this for Thanksgiving one time when I was working retail and had no time, my ex-bf's uncle said it was the best cheese cake he ever had! lol