Vanilla Bean Cheesecake is everything you think it can be… and then some! It is the perfect accompaniment to any meal. It can be left plain, or topped with anything you desire… from fruit, to caramel, to chocolate. The possibilities are endless and quite delicious! We chose to top it with some caramel and chocolate sauce… Such a delicious treat for a special occasion!
When baking a cheesecake, it is so important to let your ingredients come to room temperature. If you try to make a cheesecake with cold ingredients, it will be lumpy and will not combine properly.
Begin by making your crust. Crush some graham crackers (I like to use my food processor), and combine that with sugar and butter.
I happened to have some vanilla sugar on hand, so I used vanilla sugar in the crust. I think it gives it an extra boost of vanilla flavor.
Bake the crust for about 10 minutes. Then, it’s on to the filling!
Again, make sure that your cold ingredients (cream cheese, sour cream, eggs) sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Start by splitting the vanilla beans lengthwise, and scraping out the tiny seeds with a knife. If you do not have access to vanilla beans, I believe a good substitute would be 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. But I highly recommend you find some beans if possible! I have ordered these vanilla beans and been pleased with their quality. Save the used pods, too. Grab a jar, fill it with some white granulated sugar, and plunge the used pods into the sugar. Cap tightly, and give it a shake. After a few days, you’ve got vanilla sugar! It’s perfect for giving an extra vanilla boost to your baked goods. I also like it in place of regular sugar or honey in teas.
Begin by beating together the cream cheese and vanilla bean scrapings.
See the vanilla bean specks? Make sure to scrape down the bowl really well. Don’t forget the bottom! Next, add the rest of the ingredients, except the eggs.
Beat those really well. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again.
Mix in the eggs all at the same time. You want to mix just until the eggs are blended in. It should be the consistency of a thick pudding at this point.
Pour the filling into the prepared crust.
Bake in a preheated oven. To help keep the cake from cracking, I recommend adding a pan of boiling water on the bottom rack of the oven. You can alternatively bake it in a water-bath, but that’s a lot of trouble (more than it’s worth, for me!). Once the cheesecake has baked, let it cool for about 10 to 20 minutes at room temperature. Then, stick it in the refrigerator to chill out for several hours or overnight.
When it’s time to serve, remove the sides of the pan, cut, and serve! Keep your knife very clean to help make nice, clean cuts.
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
Ingredients
- Crust
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- Filling
- 4 8 oz. packages cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 vanilla beans or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
Instructions
- Mix together crust ingredients and press into the bottom and up the sides (about halfway) of a 9? springform pan. Bake in a preheated 325 degree F oven for about 10 minutes.
- Scrape vanilla bean seeds from pods. Add to cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Beat together until well combined, making sure there are no lumps. Add sour cream, sugar, and flour; mix well. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl well between additions. Beat in eggs just until mixed. Pour into prepared crust.
- Bake in a preheated 325 degrees F oven for about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Center will jiggle slightly when cheesecake is done. Let cool at room temperature about 10 to 20 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely. Chill for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight) before serving.
Adapted from Philadelphia Cream Cheese Classic Recipes Cookbook
March 2, 2011 at 1:17 amThis cheesecake looks so good it makes me want to slap somebody.