This classic baked cheesecake is rich and creamy yet light, sweet without being overly sweet, and has a fresh tinge of lemon. With a couple of little but important tips, you will be very surprised how easy this is to make!
I think some people find the idea of making cheesecakes daunting, especially ones where the biscuit crust comes up the side like this one. But you know what? In my humble opinion, cheesecake is easier to make than cakes. You don’t need to worry about the cake rising, or even sadder is when it sinks in the middle while it cools (such a let down after thinking you’ve nailed it!). And it’s definitely easier than making pastry.
The risk of failure with baked cheesecakes is lower. There’s no rising agent, no gelatine to set it. Sure, you might end up with a cracked surface – in which case, just hide it under icing sugar and/or a pile of berries – or the biscuit crust cracks a bit.
See? How would anyone know if the surface is cracked?? 😉
The other thing (I think) people worry about is the biscuit crust. I always stress that the crust is going to crack but it always surprises me how well it holds together when I’m handling the finished cheesecake. It’s firm but has a little give so it doesn’t crack with the slightest bend.
One little tip I have to reduce crust cracking risk when handling the finished cake is to invert the base of the springform pan. Though the ridge around the base is small, sometimes it can be a real pain to transfer the cheesecake out of the base onto the serving platter. So make your life easier by inverting the base so it’s perfectly flat so the cheesecake will slide right off onto the platter.
And I think the other concern that people have is the thought of moulding the crust into the cake tin. But really, it is easy if you use a glass or cup to press the crumbs up the wall and flatten the base. See? (Baby Hands alert!)
There are many, many more technical tips I could share, but to be honest, I don’t overthink it. It’s hard to muck up the cheesecake filling, in fact, it’s the easiest part of the recipe. I’ve overcooked it by 15 minutes and while it was not quite as light as it should be, it was still lovely and creamy. I’ve experimented with different biscuits and once the crust on the side crumbled when I took it out of the pan. Of course I was disappointed, but I merely ran a knife around the edge to remove residual crumbs and served it as a cheesecake with only a biscuit base, as many cheesecakes are.
There is a video in the making. I was really keen to show you just how easy this to make. It would have been published with this post except a certain very large-furry-rascal with Giant Paws bumped the tripod while filming so I ended up with 10 minutes of footage of my dirty bench top.
I was extremely cranky with him. Yet look at him, eyeing the cheesecake! He still thinks he’s going to get some!!! Not a chance Dozer, not a chance!!!
What it tastes like
Even excluding fancy schmancy versions, the Cheesecake Spectrum is very broad and this version is a classic one that sits in the middle.
On one hand, you have cheesecakes that are very dense and creamy which weigh a ton. To be honest, these are my least favourite. Many no-bake cheesecakes have a tendency to be too heavy. On the other side of the Cheesecake Spectrum, you have cheesecakes that are so light and airy, it is almost like a mousse.
This one is in between. It is creamy and definitely indulgent, but not dense. The cheesecake filling is lightened up by beating it, the addition of sour cream and of course baking it which makes it rise slightly.
It’s sweet but not overly so. I have more of a savoury than sweet tooth so I don’t enjoy extremely sweet desserts too much.
And lastly, I don’t call this a lemon cheesecake because I only add a touch of lemon zest. But I really do think it makes a big difference – it just lifts the filling, gives it a slight fresh touch without being obviously lemon.
Does that makes sense?
All those words to describe the cheesecake. I should have just said – THIS IS DARN DELICIOUS!!! – Nagi x
- 250 g Arnott's Marie crackers (Aus) or 2 1/4 cups crushed graham crackers (US) (Note 1)
- 2/3 cup / 5.3oz / 150g unsalted butter , melted
- 1 lb / 500g Philadelphia cream cheese , softened
- 2 tbsp plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp / 125g / 4.5oz sour cream (full fat)
- 1 1/2 cups caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 eggs , at room temperature
- Berries!
- Icing sugar / confectionary sugar
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Preheat oven to 160C/320F (fan forced) / 180C/350F (conventional).
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Get a 20cm/8" springform cake tin. Turn the base UPSIDE DOWN (Note 2), butter lightly and place a piece of parchment/baking paper on the base. Then clip into the springform pan - excess paper will stick out, see photo below.
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Butter and line the side of the pan.
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Break up biscuits roughly by hand and place in a food processor OR crush in a ziplock bag using a rolling pin or large can.
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Place biscuits and melted butter in a bowl and mix - it will resemble wet sand. (Note 3)
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Pour into the prepared cake tin. Use a spoon or spatula to roughly spread it out over the base and up the walls. Use something with a flat base and vertical edges (I used a measuring cup) to press the crumbs up the wall and flatten the base. Make the wall 4cm / 1 3/5" high, measuring from the biscuit base.
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Use a mixer or beater to beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy - around 1 1/2 minutes.
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Add flour, beat until just combined. Add vanilla, sour cream, sugar and lemon zest. Beat until just combined. Add eggs one at a time, beat in between until just combined.
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Pour mixture into prepared crust.
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Bake for 45 minutes, rotating halfway. The top should be a light golden brown and hopefully not cracked, and it should jiggle slightly when you gently shake the pan.
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Cool the cake in the oven with the door open 20 cm / 8" (Note 4), then refrigerate for 4 hours.
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Top with berries, dust with icing / confectionary sugar, and serve with pride!
1. I find the absorbency of biscuits slightly different which is why the quantity of biscuits is slightly different. I am in Australia and with Arnott's Marie crackers, 1 packet is perfect. (Update: 1 packet 250g Arnott's Arrowroot also works perfectly).
With Graham Crackers, I pulverise 30 then measure out 2 1/4 cups and usually have a little bit left over. It's important to measure it out because otherwise the crumb will be too wet (hard to mould) or too dry (won't hold together).
2. The base of springform pans have a slight ridge. By inverting it, there is no ridge which makes it easier to slide the cheesecake on a serving platter without ruining the crust. There is no risk of batter leakage as the crust is thick enough to hold it all in.
3. Do not combine the biscuit crumbs and butter using the food processor as it can turn into a paste instead of a wet crumb which makes it very hard to press into the cake tin.
4. This helps stop the surface from cracking.
5. I have made this recipe using both US and Australian measures, using Australia Marie crackers and US Graham Crackers (the last packet I brought back!). The Graham Cracker crust is slightly crunchier because the biscuit doesn't crush to a fine sand like Marie Crackers do. Both are delicious!
6. No nutrition. Just accept that this is a treat! 🙂
Nagi, I live in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and can only get cream cheese in a tub. What adjustment shall I make to still make this cheesecake? Help! And thank you!
Hi Lisa! Reduce the sour cream to 1/4 cup 🙂 Your cream cheese is what we call “spreadable cream cheese” here that’s sold in tubs and it’s not as firm as block cream cheese. 🙂
You are a godess!
The cake looks perfect, no cracks and it appears to be set perfectly. Can hardly wait for Thanksgiving dinner to be over so we can get to dessert. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Yaaaaaay!!!! So glad to hear that Lisa! N x
Thank you for the fantastic recipe!
I live at a higher altitude (~ 3500′), and found that I needed to leave the cake in the oven for an additional 35 minutes to have it cook properly.
Tasted great though!
I’m so glad you were able to adapt it to work for your high altitude! Glad you loved it!! N x
Thank you Nagi for another delicious recipe! My dad loves cheesecake and he is visiting from overseas, so I made this one for dessert tonight and everyone loved it! The creamy texture is perfect and the biscuit base and sides held together beautifully! (Much to my relief when I was cutting it in front of the guests!!) I covered top with fresh whipped cream and berries. Great that you can make it the day before and take out of the fridge a couple of hours before serving so it’s nice and creamy on the inside. This will be my go to cheesecake recipe! Nagi, a lot of your recipes are now my “go to”!!
FANTASTIC!!! So glad you enjoyed this Michelle, thanks for letting me know! N x
Hi Nagi,
I really wanna make this but I don’t have sour cream. What would be a good substitute for sour cream? Thank you.
Use Plain (not flavoured) Yoghurt as a substitute for Sour Cream. Greek Yoghurt is best. 🙂
Hi Nagi
Can i make this cake 2 day in advance? If so does that mean it can be in the fridge longer tban 4 hours?
Thanks heaps
It will be fine in the fridge for 2 days Dorothy! 🙂
Thanks heaps Nabi. Xx
Hi Nagi just want to let u know that I baked it today and served it as my FIL belated birthday cake. They all love it. Thanks so much for your recipe n the tips. You make my 1st cheesecake so easy.
Cheers
Hi Nagi! My first cheesecake and it was a success! Thank you for always making us look good😊 I cannot wait for my next cooking adventure as I work tthrough your amazing recipes!
That’s great Mish! Thanks for letting me know! – N x ❤️
nagiii is ther a substitute for sour cream..
V don’t hav sour cream to buy🙁
Hi Nagi! I would like to say thank you for sharing this great cheesecake recipe. I have made it and it came out beautiful even on my first try! I had loads of compliments . Keep up your good work !
So great to hear Florence!! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x
Made this, and my family loved it! It’s just the right amount of richness that we expect from a good cheesecake. I added crumbled oreos in the filling and reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup because oreos are quite sweet already. Amazing. Instructions are clear and so easy to follow. Thanks so much for the recipe.
So great to hear Abigail!! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x
Hi! I was so happy to have found your recipe because I only had one springform pan which meant most recipes that required a water bath was not suitable for me. I tried this today and it turned out pretty well even though the butter leaked in the oven and I had some cracks on the top. Taste-wise and shape-wise it was completely fine though! My flatmate absolutely loved it too! The sweetness is a bit too much for me though, do you think it’ll be fine to reduce it a little?
Oooh I’m so glad to hear that SueAnn! Yes you can reduce the sugar in cheesecake 🙂 Try starting with 1/4 less sugar first. N xx
Hi Nagi. Do you use plain flour in this recipe? Thank you.
Yep sure do! Just updated recipe 🙂
Hi Nagi,
First of all, let me say that I adore all of your recipes. I’ve yet to have one fail on me.
I am making this cheesecake for a client and want to know if I can fold a cherry reduction through the cheesecake before baking to create a cherry ripple?
Thanks I’m advance.
I’m so glad you enjoy my recipes Andrea! A BIG YES to adding cherry reduction! The batter is thick enough. It will look stunning!!! N xx
nagiii is ther a substitute for sour cream..
V don’t hav sour cream to buy🙁