Additional Recipes and References
- Free! How to Bake, a free 250 page baking book
- Free! Easy Cheesecakes from A to Z (Includes “A Cheesecake Troubleshooting Guide)
- Free! A Manual for No-Bake Cheesecakes
- Springform Pans from Round to Square
- Click to see the Cheesecake Recipe Index with over 40 additional recipes
Ingredients
For the crust
2 cups crushed gluten-free cookie crumbs or cracker crumbs. If you use cracker crumbs, add 1/4 cup sugar.
6 tablespoons butter, melted.
For the filling
2 1/2 eight-ounce packages of cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1. In a nine-inch spring form pan, mix the cracker crumbs and the melted butter. Press the crumb mixture into a crust across the bottom and about one inch up the sides. Bake the crust for eight minutes.
2. In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese with the sugar. Add the salt. Add the eggs, vanilla, and milk all at once. Mix until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Pour the filling mix into the crust.
3. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until the cheesecake filling is set.
4. After the cheesecake has cooled for ten minutes, with a thin-bladed spatula, loosen the edges of the cheesecake from the pan so that the cake will pull away from the pan as it cools. Remove the rim of the pan after it has cooled for about forty-five minutes.
5. Serve with toppings of your choice.
My cheesecakes always develop cracks across the tops. What causes that?
Too much air entrained in the batter is usually what causes cracks in the tops of cheesecakes. To avoid this, don’t over mix. Whisk the eggs before adding them to the batter and mix on low speed just until blended. If there are other ingredients to add, mix them in with a spatula.
How do I tell when my cheesecake is done?
There are two ways to tell if your cheesecake is done. The most foolproof is with a knife or spatula. Slip it into the center of the cheesecake. If it is done, the knife will come out clean.
Sticking a knife in the cake mars the top surface with a cut. With experience, you can tell when the cheesecake is baked with the “jiggle test”. The cheesecake will be almost set when you try to jiggle it. We suggest using the knife test for your first few cheesecakes and jiggle the cake. By observing how a baked cheesecake jiggles, you’ll soon be able to tell without the knife.
