Ingredients
24 ounces Philadelphia Cream Cheese
4 Eggs
1.25 cup White finely granulated sugar
6 tablespoons Lemon juice
4 tablespoons Vanilla extract
8 ounces Graham Cracker Crumbs
4 tablespoons Brown sugar
3 tablespoons Unsalted butter (melted)
16 ounces Sour cream (Knudsen’s is my preferred brand)
1/2-1 teaspoon Nutmeg - freshly grated if possible
1/2 teaspoon Cinammon
Preparation
Set out all dairy and eggs to come to room temperature before beginning to mix
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Wrap bottom and sides of springform pan with foil to prevent leaks
Gently butter sides of springform pan
Mix together graham crackers, melted butter, brown sugar and cinammon, and then spread into springform pan - with a thicker layer on the bottom and some crumbs on the sides of the springform pan. Gently pat down the crumbs with the back of a spoon.
Bake the cracker crust for approx 10 minutes until fragrant and a little more golden in color. Do not burn.
Beat cream cheese on low to medium with a paddle attachment - you do not want to incorporate too much air.
Add 1 cup sugar and mix. Stop and scrape down sides of bowl until sugar isn’t gritty.
Whisk eggs in a separate bowl, then gradually add to the cream cheese mixture
Add 8 ounces of sour cream to cream cheese mixture
Add the vanilla extract and the lemon juice to the cream cheese mixture just until incorporated
Pour batter through a sieve (to ensure no lumps), into springform pan, place a sheet pan underneath and place in oven. You can cover the cheesecake with a second sheet pan for the first 15-30 minutes of baking to keep it moist and prevent burning.
Remove sheet pan from top of cheesecake, and continue to bake until cheesecake has risen slightly and the center only slightly jiggles instead of waves of liquid motion.
If your oven has uneven hot spots, rotate the cake every 15-20 minutes
Cheesecake may take an hour or even 80 minutes to fully bake. You will know when its done when it only gently wobbles in the middle.
After cake is done, turn off oven and crack open oven door with a wooden spoon to let it gradually cool
Wrap tightly inside the springform pan and chill for a few hours or overnight before serving. Before releasing the springform pan sides, take a thin offset spatula or flat edged knife to loosen the crust from the wall.
For the top, I prefer to take 8 ounces of sour cream and mix gently with a little sugar, then spread on top
Sprinkle top with freshly grated nutmeg or decorate with fresh berries
Use a warm knife to cut slices cleanly
