Baking With Dorie: Creamy Cream Cheese Cheesecake Recipe For Passover

My Creamy Dream: A Passover-Perfect Cheesecake

As a busy professional, time is always of the essence. Finding recipes that are both delicious and easy to execute is a constant quest. This cheesecake recipe, adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s "Baking: From My Home to Yours," has become my go-to dessert for special occasions and weeknight treats alike. The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity and adaptability. It's a classic New York style cheesecake, creamy, rich, and utterly satisfying. And the best part? It's easily modified to be Passover-friendly, making it a perfect centerpiece for Seder or any springtime gathering.

What I love most about this recipe is the balance of flavors. The tangy cream cheese is beautifully offset by the sweetness of the sugar, and the hint of vanilla adds a touch of elegance. The graham cracker crust (easily omitted for Passover) provides a delightful textural contrast, but the cheesecake shines even without it. The recipe is quite forgiving. Even if the crust isn't perfectly even, or if the cheesecake cracks slightly during baking (which it often does), it still tastes incredible. The slight imperfections just add to its rustic charm.

The process itself is quite straightforward. The crust comes together quickly, and the cheesecake batter is surprisingly easy to whip up. It requires a little patience while baking and chilling, but the results are well worth the wait. I often prepare the cheesecake the day before, allowing the flavors to meld and the texture to set perfectly. Serving this cheesecake is always a joy. The look on people's faces when they take their first bite is priceless, a testament to the pure deliciousness of this creamy confection.

Beyond the Passover adaptation, I've found this recipe to be incredibly versatile. I've experimented with different crusts – a simple digestive biscuit base, a pecan-shortbread variation, even a chocolate crust. The filling can also be tweaked. Adding a swirl of fruit puree or chocolate ganache elevates the dessert to new heights. The possibilities are truly endless. And the ease of preparation means that I can create something truly special without spending hours in the kitchen.

This cheesecake is more than just a dessert; it's a symbol of comfort, celebration, and the joy of simple pleasures. It’s a recipe I cherish, one that brings smiles to the faces of those I share it with, and a reminder that even the most luxurious desserts can be achievable within the constraints of a busy life. Whether it's a quiet night at home or a grand family gathering, this cheesecake has earned its place as a staple in my recipe repertoire.

So, embrace the simplicity, allow yourself the indulgence, and let the creamy, dreamy goodness of this cheesecake transport you to a moment of pure, unadulterated bliss. Trust me, it's worth every delicious bite.

Step-by-step

• To make the crust: Butter a 9-inch springform pan—choose one that has sides that are 2 3/4 inches high (if the sides are lower, you will have cheesecake batter leftover)—and wrap the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil; put the pan on a baking sheet.
• Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl.
• Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. (I do this with my fingers.)
• Turn the ingredients into the buttered springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs along the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides.
• Don't worry if the sides are not perfectly even or if the crumbs reach above or below the midway mark on the sides—this doesn't have to be a precision job.
• Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven.
• Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350°F and place the springform on a baking sheet.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the cheesecake.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
• To make the cheesecake: Put a kettle of water on to boil.
• Working in a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it is soft and lives up to the creamy part of its name, about 4 minutes.
• With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light.
• Beat in the vanilla.
• Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition—you want a well-aerated batter.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.
• Put the foil-wrapped springform pan in the roaster pan.
• Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure that nothing has been left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan.
• The batter will reach the brim of the pan. (If you have a pan with lower sides and have leftover batter, you can bake the batter in a buttered ramekin or small soufflé mold.)
• Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into the roaster to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
• Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, at which point the top will be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan.
• Turn off the oven's heat and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon.
• Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its water bath for another hour.
• After 1 hour, carefully pull the setup out of the oven, lift the springform pan out of the roaster—be careful, there may be some hot water in the aluminum foil—remove the foil.
• Let the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
• When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and chill the cake for at least 4 hours, although overnight would be better.