24ozfull fat cream cheese(3 8 oz or 250 gram packages)
1 ½cupsgranulated sugar
4large eggs
4teaspoonslemon juice
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
a pinch of salt
2cupssour cream or Greek yogurt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and lightly grease a 9" Springform pan.
In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar. Press into the prepared pan and up the sides about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until firm no longer moist. When done, reduce the oven heat to 275 degrees F.
Meanwhile, prepare your filling. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla and salt and beat on low speed until smooth. **DO NOT overmix. Overbeating the eggs will result in too much air which will result in cracks.
Add sour cream and beat on low until combined.
Pour into crust and smooth the top. Bake at 275 degrees F for about 2 hours or until the outer 2 inches are set but the center is still jiggly.
Turn off the oven and let sit in the warm oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes before carefully running a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cheesecake.
Let cool to room temperature before chilling in the fridge completely (chill at least 8 hours before serving), then remove from the pan and serve.
Baked cheesecakes store perfectly in the fridge for a few days, and the freeze wonderfully as well!
Video
Notes
*This recipe has updated since the original version, reducing the sour cream to 2 cups from 3 cups. It is still rich and creamy, but this should help with any problems readers may have had with it being too soft. We like a soft cream cheesecake. If you like a dry, firm cheesecake, this is not the recipe for you. *There should never be a problem with having too much batter. Please measure your Springform pan and ensure it is at least 9" across. If you are using a smaller pan, you can bake the leftover crust and filling in muffin cups for about 20 minutes.