Basic (cream Cheese) Cheesecake

Total Time: 1 hr 33 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 13 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup sifted flour
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 1/2 lbs cream cheese (five 8-ounce packages)
• 1 1/4-1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Recipe

• 1 crust:.
• 2 cream butter and sugar together.
• 3 add egg yolk and vanilla.
• 4 gradually add flour and lemon zest, and mix until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.
• 5 grease the bottom only of a 9-inch springform pan.
• 6 pat dough evenly over the entire bottom of pan.
• 7 bake bottom crust at 350°f for 5 minutes.
• 8 cool completely before greasing sides of pan.
• 9 filling:.
• 10 note: all ingredients must be at room temperature!
• 11 in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar together on lowest speed until well blended, scrape sides of bowl.
• 12 add flour and salt, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each.
• 13 scrape bowl, then add 2 egg yolks.
• 14 add vanilla, lemon zest and heavy cream, stir to mix well.
• 15 pour batter into prepared pan and bake in a preheated 500°f oven for 8 minutes.
• 16 turn oven temperature down to 350°f and continue baking for one hour.
• 17 remove from oven and cool cake completely before removing the sides of pan.
• 18 refrigerate until ready to serve (at least 4 hours).
• 19 note: i have never used a water bath with this recipe and have never had the cheesecake crack. overbeating the filling and overbaking the cake is what will cause cracks.