Simple Baked Cheesecake

17/11/2023

Here is the recipe for a classic baked cheesecake:

Ingredients

200 g of digestive biscuits (or another type of dry biscuits)
100 g of melted butter
500 g of cream cheese (like Philadelphia or similar)
130 g of sugar
1 sachet of vanillin or the seeds of a vanilla pod
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
60 ml of fresh cream

Preparation

Start by preparing the cheesecake base. Finely chop the biscuits and mix them with the melted butter until you get a homogeneous mixture. Press it into the bottom of a springform pan (about 22 cm in diameter) previously lined with parchment paper. Leave it to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes so that it solidifies.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 160 °C.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with sugar and vanillin until smooth and lump-free.
Add the eggs and the yolk, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Finally, incorporate the fresh cream and mix until the mixture is homogeneous.
Pour the cheese filling over the now hardened biscuit base, level with a spatula and bake for about 60 minutes or until the surface looks golden and the center is still slightly wobbly.
Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool inside with the door slightly open to avoid temperature shocks that could create cracks on the surface.
Once cooled, transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (even better if overnight) before serving.
If desired, you can garnish the cheesecake with fresh fruit, fruit coulis, chocolate, or whatever else you prefer before serving.

Fun Fact

Cheesecake is a dessert with ancient roots; it is said that the Greeks already prepared it for special occasions. The modern version, the one we know today, started to take shape in New York, where with the use of cream cheese, it has evolved into the current version that is popular all around the world.