Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys

You do not have to go to the Big Apple to enjoy a cheesecake, follow the below recipe and relish this delicious cheesecake it at home with your friends.

Ingredients:

For the Crust-

1. 2 cups or 475 g of Graham cracker crumbs- almost 2 packets
2. 2 tablespoons of sugar
3. Salt, a pinch
4. 5 tablespoons of butter

For the Filling-

1. 2 pounds or 900 ml of cream cheese at room temperature
2. 1 and 1/3 cup or 230 g of granulated sugar
3. Salt, a pinch
4. 2 teaspoons of vanilla from the beanstalk or vanilla extract
5. 4 large eggs
6. 2/3 cup or 160 ml of sour cream
7. 2/3 cup or 160 ml of heavy whipping cream

For the Topping-

1. 2 cups or 475 ml of sour cream
2. 1/3 or 35 g cup of powdered sugar
3. 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Equipment required-

1. 9 inch X 2.75 inch high springform pan
2. Heavy duty, 18 inch wide aluminum foil
3. A large, high sided roasting pan

Aside from these we will also need 2 quarts of boiling water

Method:

For crust-

Preheat oven to 350 F, set a rack in the lower level of the oven. Using a food processor or a blender, make crumbs of the graham crackers until they are finely ground. Put that in a large bowl and mix it with sugar and salt, later add in the butter and mix it with your hands to get an even mixture.

Now preparing the springform pan, you need a square piece of aluminum foil much bigger than the pan. Start folding it over the pan gently making sure you do not cause it to tear up. Repeat this process using another square piece of aluminum foil for a second layer of foil. This prevents the water from entering into the pan which will contain the cheesecake. If you want to be extra safe include another square piece of foil (as a 3rd layer) and it over the pan and fold in the tops so it doesn’t poke out.

Put in almost all of the mixed graham crumbs into the pan, leaving about a 1/4 cup, in case the crumb layer cracks we can use this extra crumb to cover it. Now very gently press down the crumbs using your fingers, until they form an even crumb layer at the bottom of the pan, the edges may be a level higher. Place this crumb filled pan in the oven at 350 F for about 10 mins. Remove from the oven and set it aside to cool down.

Now reduce the oven temperature to 325 F.

For Filling-

Use an electric mixer with the paddle attachment to prepare the filling, cut in the cream cheese into small blocks and run it at a medium pace. After 4 mins, add the salt and vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, beat for almost a minute after each addition. Heavy cream should be added now, whisk until the mixture looks uniform. Always scrape down the sides into the bowl, scrape away the thicker bits of cream cheese that has not been incorporated.

Pour the filling on top of the cooled crumb layer in the springform pan, smooth the top using a spatula. Now place this pan in a heavy base, high-raise roasting pan and pour in the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the pan, creating a water bath. Place this in the oven carefully, for 1 and 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool slowly. Sudden cooling of the cheesecake will cause the crumb layer to crack easily.

Remove it from the oven after an hour and then cover the pan with a foil and place it in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4 hours.

For topping-

Mix the sour cream with powdered sugar and vanilla in a large bowl, until you get a smooth mixture. Keep it in the refrigerator until your cake is ready to be served.

Slowly, using a butter knife, slide through the edges of the cake and then remove the side pane. Spread a thin layer of sour cream mixture and use a raspberry sauce (not part of this recipe) to dribble over it and serve.