When it comes to cheesecakes, I like mine plain and simple; no extra frills. A plain Jane- no whipped cream, no fruits, no jams, nothing. Just a crumbly biscuit base, and a cheesy cake. Once in a while I do like to experiment with flavors too- I’ve had some brilliant raspberry, blueberry and mango cheesecakes in Pune. Though I’m a little hesitant to try flavors like chocolate, oreo, coffee, you get the drift…I’m not sure exactly what it is, but there’s something about these extravagant flavors mixed with cheese that is pretty turning off. I usually gravitate towards the Classic Baked Cheesecake, and I’m okay with that.
Now that I have seen (and learnt) how to bake the classic cheesecake, I might be experimenting with a few flavors too. This recipe is so easy, I can’t believe I’ve been hesitating to bake this for so long. Love it, adore it, eat it….here’s how-
800gm Cream Cheese (Try using the Philadelphia Cream Cheese)
400gm Castor Sugar
7 eggs
Vanilla Essence (few drops)
1.Start with the crust. Biscuits (preferably Graham crackers) and melted butter- fold them enough to form a loose mixture. Make sure it’s not too soggy nor too loose.
2.Take a bottomless mould, and cover the end with a silver foil (to prevent water from seeping in) Add the biscuit mixture to form the base of the cheesecake.
3.Cream the cheese and sugar for a couple of minutes- you could do this with a spoon, or with an electric beater.
4.Add the eggs and the vanilla essence IN ONE Go and mix for another minute. Once this is ready, pour the batter into the biscuit base in the mould.
5.Bake this at 160C in a water bath for 50 minutes.
Ta da!! It’s ready!!!! And it’s GORGEOUS.
Which cheesecake do you prefer- Plain Jane or Fancy Schmancy? Feel free to share your recipes!
Recipe courtesy Chef Gerwin D’souza- Courtyard Marriott City Centre Pune
