Description
It’s simplicity speaks loud… Big, Bold & Beautiful with a unique floured crust giving each 2-inch-thick bite a mouthful of THE most deliciously creamy cheesecake EVER!
Ingredients
Scale
CRUST
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks
CHEESECAKE
- 5 (8 oz.) packages *Neufchâtel cheese, softened
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 whole eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
Instructions
CRUST
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of a 9-inch round, springform baking pan and place over a cookie sheet; set aside.
- In a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a long-tinned fork, cut butter into the flour, sugar and 2 egg yolks until a solid ball of dough forms.
- Press about 1/3 of the dough onto the bottom of the baking pan. Release and remove the spring; set aside. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Assemble sides of pan with the bottom.
- Press the remaining dough about 2-inches up the sides of the pan. Double line the outside of the baking pan with foil to prevent leakage. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F.
CHEESECAKE
- In a large bowl, beat cheese until smooth. Beat in sugar, flour and salt until smooth. On low speed, beat in whole eggs and 2 egg yolks and cream until well blended.
- Pour batter into crust. Be sure to stop about 1/4-inch from top rim of the crust. The cheesecake will rise slightly and then sink once cooled.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees F. Then, reduce temperature to 200 degrees F and bake for 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes longer or until set. Cheesecake should remain firm 2-inch from sides of cake with the center jiggling slightly when moved. Note: The cheesecake will set upon cooling. Do NOT poke holes in the cheesecake – this may cause cracking.
COOLING
- Once baking is complete, allow cheesecake to cool in the oven turned off for 30 minutes.
- Remove cheesecake and allow it to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes with sides of the pan still in tact.
- Run a butterknife along the outside perimeter of the crust to loosen from the sides of the pan. Refrigerate uncovered for 3 hours or until chilled.
- Cover and continue to chill for 9 hours or more in the refrigerator.
- Run knife along the outside perimeter of the crust one last time. Release the spring. Using a clean, dry paper towel, lightly dab the top of the cheesecake to absorb any moisture. Cut into 8 equal slices and serve with a strawberry topping or any fruit desired. ENJOY!
Notes
Crust portion of the original recipe was doubled to give cheesecake a more stable foundation.
Regular cream cheese may be substituted for Neufchâtel cheese. (I prefer Neufchâtel cheese because it’s naturally 1/3 less fat than cream cheese)
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours