Sour Cream Cheesecake with Chocolate Cookie Crust
Every week, Yahoo Food spotlights a cookbook that stands out from all the rest. This week’s cookbook is Food52 Baking: 60 Sensational Treats You Can Pull Off in a Snap by the Editors of Food52 (Ten Speed Press), a community-based recipe site.
Photograph by James Ransom
Sour Cream Cheesecake with Chocolate Cookie Crust
Makes one 9-inch (23cm) cheesecake; serves 10 to 12
This cheesecake, which comes to us from Amanda’s mother, Judy, has a dual personality – a silky, tangy sour cream layer atop a traditional cheesecake. Amanda describes this dessert as “a middlebrow cheesecake with highbrow aspiration.” Don’t be intimidated by the fact that there’s more than one layer here; even though this cheesecake has more complex flavors and textures than your usual suspect, it’s just as easy to make.
The top shouldn’t crack – if it does, take the cheesecake out of the oven sooner the next time you make it. By the way, for the chocolate cookie crumbs in the crust, we recommend Nabisco’s Famous Chocolate Wafers.
Crust
1 1⁄2 cups (165g) chocolate cookie crumbs
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄4 cup (60g) salted butter, melted
Filling
16 ounces (450g) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 eggs
2⁄3 cup (135g) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping
1 1⁄2 cups (355ml) sour cream
1⁄4 cup (50g) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
To make the crust, put the cookie crumbs, cinnamon, and butter in a medium bowl and mix until the crumbs are evenly moist. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch (23cm) round springform pan and press it evenly across the bottom and about 1 inch (2.5cm) up the sides.
To make the filling, put the cream cheese in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer or stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, beat until soft and creamy. Add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla and beat until very smooth.
Carefully pour the filling over the crust and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 25 minutes, until the filling is set enough to jiggle when gently shaken and the edges look slightly puffed and golden.
Meanwhile, make the topping, stirring together the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
After the cheesecake has baked for 25 minutes, remove it from the oven and turn the oven temperature up to 450°F (230°C). Gently spread the sour cream mixture over the filling, then return the cheesecake to the oven and bake for 7 minutes longer. Let cool completely before slicing and serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Reprinted with permission from Food52 Baking: 60 Sensational Treats You Can Pull Off in a Snap by the Editors of Food52 (Ten Speed Press).
More cheesecake recipes to love:
Wi-Fi Cheesecake from ‘Nerdy Nummies’
Gingery Pumpkin Cheesecake from ‘Cooking with Seeds’
Cappuccino Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust from ‘My Life on a Plate’
