Reviewed: Feb. 12, 2008

This was my first time making a cheesecake and I could not believe how simple it was. It turned out perfectly! I used all organic ingredients and made a side dish of topping with strawberries cooked in a little water and sugar and thickened with cornstarch for those who wanted it. No one could resist it and the cheesecake connosieurs were delighted. I've made two more since then and it turns out perfectly every time. One important note however: I didn't use egg in the shortbread base the first time and it was excellent. When I used the second time the base was more "cakey" and so I have reverted to the shortbread base without egg. It's unbeatable!

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Mai Forrester

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Reviewed: Feb. 12, 2008

I think this recipe is best left to sit for at least 24 hrs in refrigerator. Also you should keep the crust thinner or it tastes doughy when finished. I made a strawberry sauce and it was very good.

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rhondarella

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Seattle, Washington, USA

Living In: Poznan, Greater Poland, Poland

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Reviewed: Feb. 3, 2008

This cheesecake recipe is the BEST! I have made cheesecake before and this is the best recipe thus far. I have no intention of ever using another recipe again. This is IT! I put apples and caramel on the crust before I pour the cake batter into the pan. My boyfriend loves caramel and apples and so next time I think I am going to drizzle caramel on the top as well. My cake cracked on the top, but then again I had to use a food processor to mix the batter because I do not have my mixer where I currently am living, so I had to use the processor. I was worried about overbeating, and the cake did crack right down the middle. No biggie, if it was summer time I would have just topped the cakes with fresh strawberried. Sides came out perfect, however the crust was a bit thick. Next time I make this I am going to use less crust and bake it less, that way its not so thick and hard (I may have overcooked it due to a temperature problem with my over - NOT the recipe). I would highly recommend this recipe for anyone! It's easy and DELICIOUS! So versatile and anyone will enjoy this cake. As a lifelong New Yorker, I can honestly say this cheesecake is better than all the deli and specialty cheesecakes made here in NY!

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YumYum

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Reviewed: Jan. 29, 2008

AMAZING!!!!This would have 5 stars if the baking time was appropiate! I had to try twice with this one to get it right. The original baking time of 1 hour was not near long enough (and I have a newer oven)! I baked it for 2 hours at 200, added vanilla, and it was perfect! Thanks.

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rebecca

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Jan. 29, 2008

Holy CHEESECAKE Batman!!!......WOW there is no doubt that this is the ultimate perfect cheesecake recipe. I used the allrecipes.com article: “Making Cheesecake Filling”. As for the crust, I do like my graham cracker crust. For the crust I used a bit of a couple of different recipes and I made 1 ½ the recipe. FYI Vanilla is a must for almost everything (if it is not called for in the recipe, I usually add at least 1 tsp). I press the crust up the sides of the pan as well as the bottom. Then refrigerated it while making the filling. To me, the article made me more nervous about bubbles and cracks…at the end I didn’t have any bubbles or cracks. Creaming the cheese is important. I left mine out for over an hour or so, it was very easy and quick to cream it. I followed the article and recipe (except to add vanilla) as laid out. I placed a 9x13 pan of water on the shelf directly under the pan, I’m not sure if this helped or not. Superb outcome…….I made 2 cheesecakes within 2 days – 1 reg fat and sugar and one low-fat and Splenda with cornflakes crust. My parents absolutely loved the Low-fat No Sugar cake….For those with sugar and fat intake limits, the substitution of the low-fat and Splenda truly works with this recipe!!....Also, as I made the second one, I still followed the article, but didn’t fret so much and it still came out perfect… I found this recipe and the article really not hard to do, it’s just following the recipe and using a specific process that help

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RUTH

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Shelton, Connecticut, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 23, 2008

Awesome! The creamiest cheesecake I have ever made and I have made quite a few. Following others suggestions, I owe the creamines to the long baking time at a low heat. I baked it at 400 degrees for 10 min. then turned the temp. down to 200 degrees and finished baking it for 3 hours. Then I turned the oven off, cracked the door and cooked it in the oven before refrigerating. Also as suggested I added 2 tsp. vanilla to the cheesecake and for the crust I eliminated the sugar and used 1/2 c butter. I'm glad I did. I substituted maple syrup (and added an extra 1/8 c. flour) for the white sugar for health reasons and it was way too sweet for me. Next time I will only use 1 to 1 1/4 cup maple sugar. The creaminess was just amazing!

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Lynnje

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Reviewed: Jan. 20, 2008

Tried this recipe for the first time and I can truly say it was the best cheesecake recipe to date. I'm not quite sure about the crust but I may play around with the ingredients on my next attempt. As far as the filling and baking instructions go there are no good reasons to change or tweak the original.

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BigSausage

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Reviewed: Jan. 18, 2008

This is a great recipe. It is the first time I made a cheesecake(not from a box) and it turned our perfect. Great flavor, no cracks! This is the best recipe for beginners. You may have to adjust cooking times.

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randy

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Auburn, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 10, 2008

My very first attempt at baking a cheesecake and it turned out better than great. It was better than a friends whom I always ask to bake my cheesecakes for me. Never again. 5 stars all the way around. Even the crust was something new for me. Better than the graham cracker. I have added this to my recipe box and will be sure to also add to my flash drive for safe keeping with my others. Thanks a million for this wonderful recipe.

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Southern-Girl

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Cleveland, Mississippi, USA

Living In: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 10, 2008

This was incredible. Amazingly creamy and delicious. I used a 10" spring form pan like recommended, and I didn't need to worry about excess crust. It coated the bottom perfectly. I sprayed the pan with vegetable spray and had no problem with sticking. I followed the directions, didn't worry about steam baths or anything, and it baked beautifully. It did end up with a crack, but it didn't affect the taste. I let the cream cheese reach room temperature and then I whipped it with a mixer before adding any other ingredients. This was one wonderful cheesecake. I served it plain with a strawberry topping on the side that I found on this site. Delicious both ways.

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ELISAP

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Reviewed: Jan. 8, 2008

Love this recipe. I have been using it for about 3 years or so, and it always comes out great. Everytime I make it, I get rave reviews and it's devoured. I've even had people offer to pay me to make it for their parties! Wanted to share a few things I've learned over the years. 1) Use dental floss to make the initial cuts. If your crust is thinner, it will even cut the crust. Then, completely clean your knife between cuts (pain in the rear but worth it) 2) Like others, I only use 1/2-2/3 of the crust on the bottom. 3) I didn't have heavy cream or sour cream once, cooked it without & it turned out just fine. I'm a sucker for just plain, thich & creamy cheesecake but I think a little vanilla or lemon zest would be good. This is truly the best recipe ever. It's very forgiving, easy to make and everyone will be extremely impressed.

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REGENCYREADER

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Reviewed: Jan. 1, 2008

The taste was absolutely fantastic!! Very rich and filling though!!! It was a little lumpy but I think that was because I was stuck using a old hand mixer. Next time I'll use my Kitchen Aid.

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wileyscherries

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Poway, California, USA

Living In: Tierrasanta, California, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 27, 2007

this is the best.hands down..i substituted with 1/3 cup of sour cream instead of hvy cream. i used 1 tsp of vanilla and 2 tsp of tru-lemon for flavoring.i made the crust mixture but i decided to only fill the bottom of the 10 in. spring form.so. i divided the dough in fourths and used 3 of the fourths.the next cheesecake i make tomorrow im going to try to use only two.in other words, half the recipe for crust.but ,since im on a roll, i just may make 2 cheesecakes tomorrow since i'll have extra dough for it. believe me this cheesecake doesnt stick around in the fridge too long!excellent!i did have a crack ,but not till the very end of the cooling process.but for cheesecake bakers we all know this is not uncommon.if you slice it right ,no one needs to ever know.right?

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beans

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Reviewed: Dec. 27, 2007

This is a great cheesecake!!! I made this on Thanksgiving and now I'm asked to make it every family event. Many of the reviews helped me a lot to make this perfect. Some things to keep in mind are, do not beat everything together it will make air bubbles and that will cause cracking. Also when going from 475 to 200, if you have a very hot oven go down slowly... a cheese cake that is at a hot temp then to a cool temp fast will crack easily. One last thing that can cause cracking is over cooking...if you notice cracking turn oven off early and let cool inside. Also for the taste I use 4 1/2 Philadelphia cream cheese bars it taste a lot better for some reason with a little less then the given amount.

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Jacqui

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Dec. 27, 2007

I was so afraid of making cheesecake. The waterbath, the cracking. It made me queasy to think about it. I made this recipe for Chtistmas day and what a SUCCESS. Everyone raved about how good it was. I couldn't believe it was so easy. I will adjust the crust next time. I didn't spread it up the sides, so it ws pretty thick on the bottom. That's just my preference though. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Wonderful!!

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CLMITCH65

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: Pemberton, New Jersey, USA

Living In: Lumberton, New Jersey, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 26, 2007

Overall hte cheesecake came out pretty good, and everyone liked it. I had a hard time with the crust when i baked it, and i prefer a grahm cracker crust instead of what is used here. The filling tasted good, but mine was a little runny in the very center. I will make again, but with differen crust, and a few more minute in the oven. I also find it helpful to but a pan full of water under the cheesecake in the oven as it cooks. It helps with the cracking.

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barrtopia

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Rochester, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 25, 2007

Wonderful recipe!! This was one of the dessert selections for our Christmas Eve dinner last night; everyone loved it and raved about it. (The short dough crust is amazing.) I did add 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the batter after reading all of the other reviews, but otherwise I made this exactly as written...delicious cheesecake. There was a crack or two on the top, but I always get those when I bake cheesecakes...they still always taste great and the texture remains perfect, not to mention that I always put some kind of topping on...the cracks are no big deal. Last night I put cherry pie filling on top. Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe...I agree...it makes the "definitive" cheesecake.

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LEXIANDJACK

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 23, 2007

This is the absolute hands down best cheese cake recipe I have ever made. I made this for a christmas party and EVERYONE raved about it. Even one friend who is from New York and has been making cheesecakes for years loved this recipe and demanded that she have a copy. The only adjustment I added was vanilla. I am going to make this recipe again today, but I will need to adjust the bake time, as my cake could have used a few more minutes baking to be perfect. The taste was spot on, the texture was superb.

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NIQUMA

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Reviewed: Dec. 20, 2007

i follwed the recipe. i read the other reviews but to perfect it a "tad" more. i lined my spring form pan with parchment paper. i also pre-heated my oven with a water bath. i followed the oven cooling methond **perfect outcome!** after the cooling, i made a sour cream topping (1 cup sour cream, 1 tblspn of sugar, & 1/4 vanilla: stir until well blended. spread on top of cooled cheesecake) i won't use another cheesecake recipe after i tried this one! Thanks

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