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Cakes

Easy Cheesecake

by Lisa

Trained pastry chef

Creamy baked cheesecake on a cookie crust

4.0 (5)out of 5, 5 ratings

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Prep
20 min
Bake
1 hr 10 min
Total
1 hr 30 min
Makes
12

A classic cheesecake is a real treat, isn't it? It's so creamy, delicious and easy. Everyone should have a simple cheesecake recipe in their recipe book, because everyone loves cheesecake, right? Cheesecake with cream cheese and a cookie crust: so easy and so delicious. Do you like your cheesecake best made with quark (a fresh, mild and slightly tangy German cheese; in the US use full-fat Greek yogurt strained overnight, or farmer's cheese; in the UK, quark from the supermarket chiller, full-fat if you can find it), with cream cheese, or even with schmand? If you like, you can also add cherries or apples to the cheesecake. It tastes wonderful!

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Enjoy, and have lots of fun baking and eating it :)

And if you're wondering what makes cheesecake different from a German Käsekuchen (the classic German quark cheesecake), this explanation will surely help.

American cheesecake differs from the classic German Käsekuchen in several ways, and that's exactly why it's so delicious and popular. Some of the most important differences are:

The texture: Compared to German Käsekuchen, American cheesecake is much creamier and denser. It's made with cream cheese, which gives it a smooth, silky texture. German Käsekuchen, on the other hand, is lighter and has a more crumbly texture.

The flavor: American cheesecake has an intense, sweet flavor that comes from cream cheese, sugar and often sour cream. German Käsekuchen is less sweet and often has a slightly tangy flavor because it's made with quark.

The crust: American cheesecake is often made with a crust of cookies or cake, which gives it a crunchy texture. German Käsekuchen usually has no base at all, or a shortcrust pastry base.

The method: American cheesecake is usually baked in a water bath to get an even, smooth result. German Käsekuchen is usually simply baked in the oven.

In short, American cheesecake is so delicious and popular because of its creamy texture, intense flavor and crunchy crust. Even though it's quite different from the classic German Käsekuchen, it's a unique and delicious bake that a lot of people love.

Ingredients

Makes 12

Crust

  • 6 tbsp80 gunsalted buttermelted. German butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter; European-style unsalted butter is closest. In the UK, unsalted butter.
  • 7 oz200 gbutter cookieswhole wheat, ground. German butter cookies (Butterkekse) are plain, crisp butter biscuits, often crushed for cake bases. In the US use petit beurre style butter cookies; for crumb crusts, graham crackers or vanilla wafers. In the UK, rich tea biscuits or petit beurre; for bases, digestive biscuits.

Filling

  • 35 oz1 kgcream cheeseat room temperature; about four and a half 8-oz blocks. A soft, full-fat fresh cheese. In the US use full-fat cream cheese; in the UK, full-fat soft cheese.
  • ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp200 gschmand (thick sour cream)at room temperature. Schmand is a thick cultured cream with about 20 to 24 percent fat, richer than American sour cream. In the US use full-fat sour cream, or half sour cream and half crème fraîche; in the UK, soured cream mixed with an equal amount of crème fraîche.
  • 4large eggsat room temperature
  • 7 tbsp90 ggranulated sugar
  • 2 tspvanilla sugaroptional. 1 packet = 2 tsp (8 g). Vanilla sugar is sugar flavored with vanillin (artificial vanilla), sold in Germany in small packets of about 8 g. In the US use 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar for each 8 g packet; in the UK, vanilla sugar sachets, or 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar per sachet.

Method

  1. Line the bottom of the springform pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F (170°C) convection (fan).

  2. Grind the butter cookies, mix them with the melted butter and press the mixture firmly into the pan. Prebake the crust for about 10 minutes, and make the filling in the meantime.

  3. Stir the cream cheese together with the schmand. Don't beat it, just stir briefly! Then add the sugar.

  4. Whisk the eggs thoroughly, then add them to the cream cheese mixture, stir briefly and pour it into the springform pan over the back of a spoon.

  5. Before baking, tap the springform pan carefully but firmly on the counter several times so the air bubbles rise out of the filling.

  6. Put the cheesecake in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the oven down to 275°F (130°C) convection (fan) and bake for another 40 minutes.

  7. After baking, turn off the oven, keep the door closed (!) and let the cheesecake rest in the oven for another 90 minutes.

  8. The cheesecake tastes best well chilled, so ideally keep it in the fridge overnight.