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STEPS
INGREDIENTS
First we're going to preheat the oven to 350°
Get out all your batter ingredients. We want the eggs, sour cream, and cream cheese to reach room temperature.
Then get out your 9 inch spring form pan and a sheet of parchment paper.
Place the platform of the springform pan underneath the sheet of parchment paper and place the ring on the top. Line it up and press down so the ring fits over the bottom platform.
Once the ring fits securely over the platform, lock it into place.
Get all your ingredients needed for the crust together, graham cracker crumbs, butter, and white granulated sugar.
Pour 2 cups of the graham cracker crumbs into a microwavable dish
Add 1 tablespoon of white granulated sugar.
Stir with an invisible spoon. Because apparently that's how I did it. 😜🙅
Add 5 tablespoons of butter, preferably salted.
Throw it in the bowl with the graham cracker crumbs and the sugar
Microwave for 65 seconds on high power.
It should come out looking like this.
Stir it up. You don't want it too wet- you just want it moist and spreadable.
Dump the crust into your springform pan
Smooth out with a wide spoon
All smooth :)
This is exactly what it should look like
Place across in the oven when it has been preheated
Set an eight minute timer
Pour yourself a glass of chocolate milk while you wait 😋. Or wine! Or both! 😆
Most likely you will not notice any color difference (it's already golden brown, y'all) when you pull the crust out after eight minutes… that's okay, it's baked. Allow the crust to cool thoroughly.
Time to start the batter! Open all your cream cheese packages that have hopefully reached room temperature. Use a rubber spatula to scrape ALL the cream cheese into your mixing bowl.
Measure out 1 cup of sugar and add this into the mixing bowl with the cream cheese.
Put mixer at LOW speed until ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
What your batter should look like at this point.
Stop the mixer and measure two tablespoons of flour
Add to batter while mixer is stopped. Resume mixing at LOW speed.
Measure your sour cream
Stop the mixer to add this ingredient.
At this time preheat the oven to 325°.
Make sure you scrape the sides of the bowl where your mixer can't reach. Everything needs to be smooth!
At this point (in my kitchen) it's time for a new spatula because uhhhh. The last one might have gotten licked. 😶
Crack your three large eggs into a separate bowl to make sure no egg shells sneak in the batter.
Pour into the batter while it's mixing at LOW speed.
Add your vanilla flavoring next.
Mix it up!
Your oven should be fully preheated by now
Stand back and admire your batter. Grab a spoon and make sure it's delicious.
Pour the batter (all of it) into the cooled springform pan.
So pretty. Keep on pouring....
Tada!! Almost done.
Throw the cake in the oven for 35 minutes.
Check your email
Do the dishes
Check the cheesecake when your timer goes off.
This one's just starting to bubble! Not quite done.
Set a ten minute timer
10 minutes later- better! But still not done. You want the cake to pull away from the edges.
Back in for 10 more minutes!
10 minutes later. This is what I'm talking about. Perfect.
Beautiful. Not even cracked. (Sometimes your cake will crack in the oven. Don't worry! That's fine.)
Put it somewhere where air can get underneath it- this will help it cool. Cover it with a glass or porcelain plate immediately. After it's cooled it needs to be refrigerated overnight.
*THE NEXT DAY* Get out the caramel and the pecans.
We're going to toast these pecans - they will taste 10 times better. Spread your pecans out evenly on a parchment lined jellyroll pan. Put them in the oven at 350° for seven minutes.
While your pecans are in the oven let's get your container ready. If this cheesecake is for you just use a plate… But you can find a fancy cake container at your local bakery for three dollars or so.
Loop some tape so it's sticky on all sides- place it underneath your doily on the platform of your container.
Like so.
Press down on the doily over the tape so it secures the doily.
I usually use a craft glue gun to secure the doily to the bottom of the container. However, our kitchen was recently remodeled and nothing is easily found. 😁
Voilà. It might look a little crinkly but that's okay as the Cheesecake will cover that up.
Get a little caramel on a fork
Smear just a little on the top of your doily, this will help keep the cheesecake in place.
At this time, pull your cheesecake out of the fridge. Okay, so it cracked while being refrigerated… no worries! I'll show you had to fix that.
You'll need a cup of boiling water, and icing spreader, and a clean rag
Dip your icing spreader in the cup of boiling water, like so.
Slide between the cake in the edge of the springform pan.
Slowly slide the icing spreader around the sides of the pan, turning the pan with your other hand.
Pull it out every few inches and clean it off, did that in the water wipe it on the rag.
Like so.
Open up the latch
If you have done a thorough job separating the cake from the sides of the pan, you will see that the pan opens up around the cake.
Slowly lifted off, careful to not break any cake with it.
Get ready to use your icing spreader again
After dipping it in the boiling water, carefully scrape off any especially brown areas… This is not burnt necessarily, but the cake will look better without them.
After that, continue dipping the icing spreader in the water and smoothing along the sides of the cake. See the before on the left and the after on the right
The sides of the cake should look like this
Dip your icing spreader in the water again and push down the cracks on the cake towards the other cracks.
We are basically smoothing these altogether.
All better. :)
Using the piece of parchment paper, gently pull the cake off the bottom of the pan.
If you followed the recipe, you should be able to hold the cake in one hand without it cracking.
Like this. 🙅
Carefully little with the cake over the doily and make sure it is centered.
Get a wide spoon and your caramel
Use the spoon to guide the caramel out of the jar and put your preferred amount on the top of the cake
Is the spoon to push the caramel up to the edge so that you have an even circle
Like so. ;)
Grab a handful of your perfectly roasted pecans.
Sprinkle them onto the top of your cake as desired
Tada!! Be very proud of yourself, you just made a gourmet cheesecake that retails that at $60.
Make sure you take some good looking pictures of that cheesecake before you put it back in the fridge.
Oh yes.
And hey. If your cheesecake doesn't look this good the first time, don't worry about it… I have made hundreds. •literally•
Carefully place the lid over your container and place your cheesecake in the fridge.
Any feedback makes my day… Thank you for your likes, and your comments! And for sure let me know if you make it!!