Luscious, velvety, decadent: three words that perfectly sum up a good piece of cheesecake. As a baker and dessert enthusiast, what I love the most about cheesecake is that it is a perfect backdrop to showcase so many other flavors. Think about it. Cheesecake Factory has over 30 different flavors of cheesecake. From the minimalist “plain” to the “almost-too-much-going-on” varieties, there is so much you can do to satisfy any craving. Add in the fact that most people think making a cheesecake is massively difficult, having some solid cheesecake skills (and a decent springform pan) makes you look like a baking superstar.
While baking a cheesecake may take some time investment, most of the long recipe time is hands-off, while the cheesecake is in the oven. So don’t be intimidated. We’ll get through this together. Just…don’t decide you’re going to whip one up real quick before you have dinner plans and then end up 20 minutes late. I did that. I don’t advise it. Manage your time wisely, and you’ll come out a cheesecake champion.
When baking a cheesecake, you have tons of options: crust type, cheesecake flavor, fillings, toppings, flavor swirls… I love chocolate cheesecake, but my husband is partial to the classic variety. I compromised and decided to do an Oreo cookie crust with a classic cheesecake. Plus, Oreo’s were on sale at Target this week.
It can be a tad laborious to scrape out the filling from 2/3rds of a package of Oreo cookies, but you get into a rhythm pretty quickly. Crushing them up in a food processor was more satisfying than it probably should be. I need a hobby. Oh, wait…this IS my hobby! Throwing out the filling from 2/3rds of a package of Oreo cookies was a bit heartbreaking. My husband offered to eat it with a spoon. I resolved to find some use for it. I didn’t. The filling is a sacrifice for the greater good. Make sure to set aside a few unbroken Oreos for decorating if you so desire.
The crust is comprised of three ingredients: crushed Oreos, sugar, and butter. You could get away with skipping the extra sugar. I’ve seen this kind of crust made both ways. Pressing your crust into the pan is almost as satisfying as crushing up the Oreos. Go ahead and use your hands, though I like to use a heavy bottomed glass like a whiskey glass or tumbler. You can work the crust up the sides, or have a thicker layer on the bottom of the springform. Dealer’s choice.
Don’t expect it to be a very wet crust or for it to stick together perfectly. It should hold in place well enough that it will stay when you pour the cheesecake batter over top. Kind of like pie crust, you want it to be just moist enough to hold loosely together. The finer you grind the cookies, the better it will hold, but don’t worry too much about a few stray crumbs here and there.
As we talk about the things that satisfy me as a baker (besides pulverizing helpless, unsuspecting cookies in a food processor), cheesecake batter is one of those things, too. As you add the eggs one by one, the batter turns from lumpy cream cheese into this silky smooth batter that just flows perfectly from mixing bowl over the prepared crust. Make sure to spread it to the sides of the springform pan, but it shouldn’t need much help.
If you know your springform pan is watertight, you don’t have to worry about foil. I forgot to test mine before I pressed in the crust, so I added the foil around the bottom as a safety, just in case. In this recipe, we are baking using the water bath method, so the springform pan is going to go into a roasting pan (or anything you have that your springform pan will fit into), and you add boiling water before putting the whole thing into the oven to bake.
If you’re worried about the water-tightness of your springform, make sure not to fill the water past the height of the foil. If you’re rolling the dice, fill it so the water is half-way up the sides. Is the water bath necessary? If you’re following this recipe, yes. Is a water-bath baked cheesecake superior to all other cheesecake baking methods? That’s a matter of personal preference, and what you like in a cheesecake. This happens to be my favorite. New York Style cheesecakes are slightly different. One day, maybe I’ll do a side-by-side comparison of the different methods, but until I find that kind of time, you’ll just have to trust me that for this particular recipe, the water bath is a must.
The biggest pitfall in cheesecake baking, in my opinion, is determining when the cheesecake is done. Residual heat continues to bake the center as the cheesecake cools, so the center will have a trademark jiggle. Too much jiggle, you risk the cheesecake not being set. Too little? Dry, mealy cheesecake around the edges. Ew. Finding that perfect jiggle takes a little instinct, a bit of faith, and perhaps a You Tube video as a reference.
As my cheesecake cooled, it pulled away from the springform pan enough that I didn’t worry about the sides sticking when I released it. If yours doesn’t do that, you can gently run a knife around the edges. Contain yourself, though. Once it cools to room temperature, you need to chill it for a couple of hours as well. It’s worth the wait, I promise!
Once chilled, wait to decorate until you’re going to serve it, otherwise, you risk extra moisture. I mixed up a cookies and cream whipped cream, the extra of which was perfect for eating with the extra package of Oreos I had! (Remember, they were on sale!) Fresh berries, chocolate sauce, or some sort of fruity drizzle–all are solid options for decorating! The possibilities are endless.
One word of caution: make sure you have other people to help you eat this. It’s incredibly rich, and a little goes a long way. I’m not saying you can’t eat the whole thing by yourself. In fact, that kind of sounds like a dare. Challenge accepted, Cheesecake!
Cheesecake with Oreo Cookie Crust
A longer bake time in a water bath gives this cheesecake a silky, creamy texture. Original recipe compliments of Barbarabakes.com
Ingredients
- For the Crust:
- 2 cups (2/3rds of a pack) Oreo Cookies, with cream scraped out and finely crushed
- 1/4 cup Melted Butter
- 2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
- For the Filling:
- 4 8oz. packages Cream Cheese, room temperature
- 1 2/3 cups Granulated Sugar
- 3 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 4 Lg. Eggs
- 2 Lg. Egg Yolks
- 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup Sour Cream
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 325F. Set a kettle or pot of water to boil in preparation for the water bath
- Step 2 Mix together Oreo crumbs, 2 Tbsp Sugar, and butter until crumbs are moistened. Press into a 9″ springform pan. Set aside
- Step 3 In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. With mixer on low speed, add whole eggs and egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Finally, beat in vanilla and sour cream. Batter should be smooth. Pour batter into the springform pan on top of the crust
- Step 4 If your springform pan isn’t water-tight, cover bottom with foil. Place springform pan in a roasting pan (or a wide pan with high sides) and add boiling water until the level reaches halfway up the cake pan (or just below the level of the foil)
- Step 5 Bake for 70-80 minutes or until the cheesecake is slightly golden on top and edges are set. The middle should jiggle slightly and edges should pull slightly away from the sides
- Step 6 Remove the cheesecake from the water bath (and foil if using) and cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for three hours, or overnight
- Step 7 Decorate and serve!
Recent Comments