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The Ultimate World's Best Basic Cheesecake Recipe (no water bath)

I set out on a journey to find the world's best cheesecake recipe. I found it. The crust is thick but not hard. The cheesecake is smooth and neither too firm nor too squishy. It's the ultimate, world's best cheesecake.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 15 minutes
Cooling and Chilling4 hours
Total Time7 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cheesecake
Author: Go Sweet Fox

Equipment

  • KitchenAid Mixer
  • Spring Form Pan 9 or 10 inch
  • Parchment Paper (cut to fit the spring form pan)
  • Flat Bottomed Cup (or something similar to press the crust)

Ingredients

The Graham Cracker Crust

  • ¾ C Butter, melted
  • 2½ C Graham Cracker Crumbs
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

The Cheesecake

  • 16 oz Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese
  • 16 oz Lucerne Brand Cream Cheese (see more in notes)
  • 1¼ C Sugar
  • ½ C Sour cream
  • 2 tsp Vanilla
  • 4 Large eggs

Instructions

To make the Graham Cracker Crust

  • Prepare the spring-form pan by placing parchment paper at the bottom and lightly spray the paper and sides of the pan with cooking spray. You can line the sides with parchment papers as well, but I found that to be unnecessary.
  • Melt the butter (the flavor of the crust can be more toasted if you brown the butter. To do this, stir the butter over medium heat. It will start to bubble and then the bubbling will go back down. It should start to brown shortly thereafter).
    ¾ C Butter, melted
  • Put graham cracker crumbs in a medium bowl.
    2½ C Graham Cracker Crumbs
  • Mix the cinnamon into the graham cracker crumbs
    2 tsp cinnamon
  • Add the melted butter into the bowl and mix with a whisk until moistened.
  • Place graham cracker crust mix into the spring form pan.
  • Press the crust around the pan evenly using the bottom of a flat cup. (Note: I prefer a thicker, flat crust so that there is an equal amount of crust in each bite. If you wish to have the crust go up the sides, you can do so by pressing the crust against the sides of the pan.)
  • Note: I do not pre-bake the crust.

To make the cheesecake filling

  • Preheat the oven to 250°F.
  • Place all of the cream cheese into the KitchenAid mixer bowl. Using the beater attachment (not the whisk), mix the cream cheese until smooth. Medium speed is fine. Do not worry about overmixing the cream cheese. You need to make sure it is smooth at this step (and before you add the eggs).
    16 oz Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese, 16 oz Lucerne Brand Cream Cheese
  • Add the sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Continue mixing. You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl using a spatula. You will mix until it looks smooth and uniform in color.
    1¼ C Sugar, ½ C Sour cream, 2 tsp Vanilla
  • Add the eggs, two at a time. You only mix until the eggs are incorporated into the mix (ie: uniform in color). You do not want to overbeat the eggs. I've use the KitchenAid at low speed and finish with a hand whisk just to ensure no eggs are missed.
    4 Large eggs
  • Pour the cheesecake mix onto the crust in the spring form pan.
  • You can even out the top of the cheesecake with a spatula or by lightly tapping the bottom of the pan flatly against the countertop.

Baking the Cheesecake

  • Bake the cheesecake at 250°F for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Place the cheesecake on the top rack so it is in the center of the oven. Also, place a large cookie sheet on the bottom rack beneath the cheesecake. The cheesecake may "weep" extra moisture from the butter or fat from the cream cheese. The cookie sheet will catch this and help avoid mess in the oven.
  • After one hour, turn off the oven and crack it open slightly. You can wedge a hot pad against the oven door to stop it from closing all the way. This will vent the oven while allowing the residual heat to continue the baking process. All the cheesecake to sit in the oven for an additional 60 minutes.
  • After this second hour, the center of the cheesecake should still be a little jiggly. Remove it from the oven and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature (about another hour). Allowing the cheesecake to cool will help prevent it from "sweating" in the refrigerator.
  • Chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best.

Notes

Note on cream cheese: Using only Philadelphia cream cheese makes the cheesecake too soft. You have to find a mix of cream cheese that produces the texture to your liking. I use half Philadelphia and half Lucerne. Lucerne cream cheese is available at Safeway and Albertsons. I've tried other mid-priced cream cheese brands, but Lucerne always turns out the way I like it. 
I will not use Walmart (Great Value) cream cheese. It just does not turn out well. It seemed to always come out too firm.