This is an easy cheesecake recipe I borrowed from James’ mom. It is super simple (only 5 ingredients) and really delicious. To prevent the cheesecake from cracking, place a shallow pan of boiling water in the oven. Also, turn off the oven 5 minutes prior to the end of the cooking time and let cheesecake sit for 10-15 minutes in the oven, cracking the door slightly.
If the cheesecake does crack, just dress it up with whipped cream, caramel sauce, or fresh fruit to hid the imperfections. Bring cream cheese and eggs to room temperature before using (do not use fat-free or reduced-fat cream cheese). Be sure not to over mix once you add the eggs, it will whip air into the cheesecake and cause it to puff up.
3 bars (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 9-inch prepared graham cracker or chocolate pie crust
Preheat oven to 450F
Beat together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until just combined and smooth. Stir in eggs, careful not to over mix. Press into prepared pie crust.
Bake 10 minutes at 450F then reduce heat to 350F. Bake an additional 25-30 minutes, until edges are firm and center is still slightly wobbly.
Once removed from the oven, let the cheesecake cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes or more.
If you have an electric oven, like me, you might need to adjust cooking times and temperatures. I preheated the oven to 450F and then reduced heat to 350F as soon as the cheesecake was inside, because the oven takes a while to adjust temperatures. I also only baked mine for 30 minutes, then turned off the heat and let sit in the oven for another 5 minutes.
If your cheesecake puffs, let sit on a wire rack covered by a bowl or cake cover. The cheesecake will settle slightly after a couple of hours.
Once cheesecake is cooled to room temperature, refrigerate until ready to serve.
