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Cheesecake is always a favorite dessert in our house. It is rich and creamy with a great smooth flavor!
This is the best sour cream cheesecake we make, and it is always a favorite. Who doesn't love a nice slice after dinner? It is also rich enough to impress guests at a party or barbecue.
Our sour cream-topped cheesecake uses 5 packs of cream cheese, which gives it a rich, creamy flavor. We use enough eggs to give the cheesecake the structure to hold all the ingredients together. Lemon juice and vanilla give it just enough flavor to make it great!
This is our go-to cheesecake since it is creamy and rich. We made this one using a sour cream topping, but you can top it with strawberries or a nice lemon curd.
Ingredients for Cheesecake
- Graham cracker crumbs- This gives the bottom of the cheesecake a base to sit on. It also has that tasty Graham cracker taste. You can crush the graham crackers or buy graham cracker crumbs.
- Butter- It gives the graham cracker a nice buttery taste and holds the crumbs together.
- Sugar- This helps in two ways: it gives the graham cracker crust a sweeter taste and it adds the needed sweetness to the cream cheese.
- Cream cheese- this is the main ingredient for the cheesecake.
- Flour- Adds a little thickening agent to the cake.
- Eggs- Eggs help bind the soft cream cheese together.
- Cream- This gives a smooth texture to the cheesecake.
- Salt- Always bring out the flavor.
- Lemon juice- For a little lemony flavor, not a lot, just a little.
- Lemon zest- Makes the cheesecake even more lemony!
- Vanilla extract- We always like the taste of vanilla in our cheesecakes.
Making the graham cracker crust:
We used graham cracker crumbs to make the crust, but you can also put about 12 whole graham crackers into the Cuisinart or smash them in a zip lock bag. Then, add sugar to the crumb mixture, then add melted butter and mix.
Making the sour cream topped Cheesecake:
In a stand mixer, whip the softened cream cheese for 1-2 minutes until soft.
Add the sugar, salt, and flour, then mix until all are combined. Now, add the sugar mixture to the softened cream cheese and whip for about 2 minutes, or until combined.
Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Then, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
Add the cream until all are combined, scraping down the bowl one last time. Then, pour the batter into the cheesecake pan that has been wrapped in tin foil around the bottom and part of the sides of the pan. Add hot water to about ⅓ of the way up the pan, then bake.
Let the cheesecake cool for about 1 hour, then refrigerate for about 4 hours, or better, overnight.
Make the sour cream topping by mixing sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract together. When the cake is done, let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes, then add the topping, and cook for abut 10 minutes.
Best Sour Cream Topped Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 90-95 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours- 2 hours 5 minutes
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 ¼ cups Graham cracker crumbs
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling:
- 5 packs of cream cheese
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sour Cream Topping:
- 2 cups (16oz.) full-fat sour cream
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the graham cracker crust by mixing the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar and melted butter. Mix just until crumbly, but slightly loose.
- Pour the graham cracker mixture into a springform cheesecake pan, patting it down into the pan, and slightly up the bottom edges.
- Bake in a 350ºF oven for bout 10 to 12 minutes. The crust should appear browned and firm enough to hold together. Let cool for a few minutes before you add the mixture.
- Make the cheesecake filling by adding the softened cream cheese to an electric mixing bowl and mixing for about 2 minutes, or until fully softened and smooth.
- Now, add the sugar, salt, and flour to the cream cheese and mix for another 2 minutes.
- Add the flour, followed by the eggs and egg yolks, adding each yolk one at a time.
- Add the heavy cream and mix again till incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl.
- Now, add the lemon juice, zest, and vanilla. Mix until fully incorporated.
- Place tin foil around the bottom and part of the sides of a cheesecake pan. Then pour the cheesecake batter into the cheesecake pan.
- Set the pan into a baking pan that has high sides. Then, pour in boiling water so that it is ⅓ to ½ up the side of the cheesecake pan.
- Bake in a 450ºF oven for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 225ºF, and bake for another 60-65 minutes.
- Once baked, turn off the oven and let it rest in the oven for 30 minutes before removing it.
- When the cake is done, make the sour cream topping by mixing the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla.
- Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes first, then spread the sour cream topping onto the cake.
- Put it back in the oven at 425ºF for about 10 minutes. The topping should not be brown, and it should look firm with a satiny finish.
- Once the cheesecake with sour cream topping is done baking, let the cake cool for about 1 hour, then put it into the refrigerator for about 4 hours or overnight.
- Once chilled, slice and serve with whipped cream on a small plate.
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