07
2012Vanilla Cheesecake – sheer unadulterated HEAVEN!
So, October is going to be cake month here on LinsFood. My plan is to put step by step instructions to a couple of my celebration cakes, one of them being the very popular Tinkerbell cake. I shall, however, start with my favourite cake – vanilla cheesecake, I could have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, again and again!
This is my take on the classic New York cheesecake and it always reminds me of the time I met my husband. A week after we met, he went off to work in Chicago and soon after, he faxed me a menu for The Cheesecake Factory, a restaurant that specialises in my idea of Heaven! I knew right then he was the one!
More often than not, I refuse to have a base or crust for my various cheesecakes as I think it’s a crime to mar perfection!
I fiddled with this recipe quite a bit but this version is probably from the 4th or the 5th try – I kept going back to this & finally decided I couldn’t better it!
MAKE THIS A DAY BEFORE
Ingredients
900g full fat cream cheese (I always use Philadelphia, their larger pack is 300g)
250g caster sugar
4 eggs
150mls full fat evaporated milk (I have used semi skimmed & it was still very good)
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp cornflour
2 tsp vanilla paste (I love the richness and the seeds, Madagascan vanilla is best)
2tsp lemon juice
Method
1.Preheat oven to 200 C, 180 c fan. Line a 9 inch/23cm springform tin and grease it, including the sides.
2.In a tabletop mixer (or large bowl with handheld whisk), beat cream cheese on medium low till creamy for about 30-60 seconds. Add the sugar gradually as you keep whisking.
3.Next add the two flours, scraping down the sides if you have to.
4.Add vanilla, lemon juice and then the eggs, one at a time.
5.Finally, add the evaporated milk & whisk till just mixed. Don’t overbeat. Check for lumps, squash the bigger ones with a wooden spoon but don’t worry about it too much.
6.Pour the mixture into the prepared tin gently.
7.Bake at the initial high temperature for 10 minutes. This aids the rise.
8.Reduce temperature to 110C/90C fan and bake for another 35 minutes. When done, the cake should still have a slight wobble in the middle.
9.Let cool in the oven with the door shut for 2 hours. As the cake doesn’t have a base, it needs to be slightly firmer.
10.Cover loosely with foil & refrigerate overnight.
There are various toppings out there for cheesecakes. My favourite is serving it with a simple strawberry coulis.
Frankly, this is SO good on its own too!
mjskit
The title of this post says it all! YUM! Awesome looking cheesecake!
Coffee and Crumpets
Hi Lin! Thanks for stopping by and letting me discover your splendid blog!
Your family sounds very much like mine…very multicultural. That’s the best thing in terms of food!
Your cheese are looks great and a whole month dedicated to cakes….that’s my kinda month!
Nazneen xx
Glamorous Glutton
This looks great, I love the idea of no base, just all that creamyness. Thanks for following me on twitter. GG
LinsFood
Hey Asmita, it does have eggs! But you could substitute the eggs for gelatine, something I do for my girls.
Helene Dsouza I Masala Herb
Hi Lin!
I just discovered your blog through Asmita. =)
Your cheesecake looks so prefect and decadent, I wish I was so good at making them. Maybe I ll recreate your recipe one of these days. Thanks for sharing!
Asmita
Hi lin,
I am making this soon. What i love about this, apart from the fantastic flavor is that it is eggless.
What a superb vegetarian cheesecake recipe!
Katerina
Beautifully made cake! Definitely something worth making!
Jenn and Seth
that looks AMAZING! pure bliss!
Choc Chip Uru
Utterly dense piece of heaven – bookmarked
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Balvinder
Full fat evaporated milk, you mean that comes in cans. Seems very rich but delicious looking.
torviewtoronto
deliciously done cheesecake