| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 31 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Inactive: | 6 min |
| Cook: | 2 hr |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 33 graham cracker squares, crumbled
- 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus additional, for brushing the pan
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 20 ounces cream cheese
- 1 1/4 cups sour cream
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 3 yolks
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Brush some of the melted butter around a 9 by 3-inch cake pan. Adhere parchment to the bottom and the sides.
- In a small bowl, combine crumbled graham crackers, the remaining melted butter, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the parchment-lined pan. Place remaining crumbs on a sheet pan and bake both the crust and the remaining mixture for 10 minutes. Cool. Reserve additional crumb mixture for sides.
- In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat sour cream for 10 seconds. Add the cream cheese and sugar and mix on low for 30 seconds and then turn up to medium. Scrape the bowl.
- In a separate container, combine vanilla, eggs, yolks, and heavy cream. With the mixer on medium, slowly pour the liquid mixture in. When half of it is incorporated, stop and scrape. Continue adding the mixture until the rest of the ingredients are incorporated. Once completely combined, pour into the cooled crust.
- Lower oven temperature to 250 degrees F. Place cheesecake into a preheated water bath, in the oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and open the door for one minute. Close the door for one more hour. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place in the refrigerator for 6 hours to completely cool before serving.
- When ready to serve, place the entire cake pan into a hot water bath for about 15 seconds. Unmold onto a cake round or serving dish. Take the remaining graham cracker mixture and press into the sides of the cake.
- To slice, place your knife into a hot water bath and wipe dry each time you make a pass through the cake.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 661 |
| Total Fat | 43 g |
| Saturated Fat | 23 g |
| Carbohydrates | 62 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 36 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Cholesterol | 140 mg |
| Sodium | 441 mg |
Reviews
Best. Cheesecake. EVER! Only change is that I cook It for 2 hours, then turn off the oven and leave it for another hour! Comes out perfect every time!
Good cake but the vanilla in the directions is not noted in the ingredients.
How do you remove the cake from the pan when using a regular cake pan?
I made it for our family, it was delicious! Made it for two different friends’ birthdays, and got rave reviews! Does anyone know how long this recipe would could in smaller 4” springform pans instead of the regular size?
I love love love this cheesecake. Similar to the ones made by Mick’s Restaurant in Atlanta. Except, my copy of this recipe from years ago is identical except for the addition of 1 Tbls cornstarch. The cornstarch provides a little structure so the cake can stand up without sagging.
I make double this recipe, substituting Nabisco Famous Wafers for the graham crackers, and adding 1/3 package of crumbled Oreos to the mix. Bake in a commercial 4″ high cake pan with parchment on the sides AND bottom. Springform pans only leak, and it is imperative to bake this in a water bath.
BEST CHEESE CAKE EVAH!
This was a super easy recipe and tasted awesome. I just used a standard spring form pan and did not use the water bath. Mine turned out great both times I have made it. The biggest issue is getting my son and wife to wait six hours for it to cool and completely setup!
Great flavor, but way too soft. Next time I’ll leave out the cream, and maybe add two more eggs.
the best recipe! Thank you! Please note, there is another video that shows the process a bit more. You need to slowly add the egg mixture to the sugar, cream cheese mixture. Not sure why they cut that portion out of the above video. Also, I have found the need to cook about 10 more minutes than Alton Brown says to, and then turn the oven off, DON’T open the door, let it sit for another hour. I also haven’t found the water bath cooking to make any significant difference, so I don’t do that step anymore. This allows me to use the traditional cheesecake pan.
Great recipe! I’ve made this again and again for years and it always turns out absolutely perfect! Thanks Alton!
The 1 hour bake time must be a misprint. This recipe on Alton Brown’s website stated to cook for 2 hours.