Joanna Gaines Classic Cheesecake Recipe

Joanna Gaines Classic Cheesecake Recipe is a traditional American dessert. This thick, velvety cake sits on a buttery graham cracker crust and uses a mix of full-fat cream cheese and sour cream for a tangy, smooth finish.

If you do nothing else, make sure every single ingredient is at room temperature before you start. That’s the difference between a silky, professional filling and a lumpy batter that ruins the look of your slice. I’ve learned that if the cream cheese is even slightly chilled, it won’t bond with the sugar, and you’ll be left with tiny white dots throughout the cake.

The water bath is doing more work than you’d think here by keeping the oven air damp. Without that gentle steam, the edges of the cake will puff up and brown like a loaf of bread, leading to a massive crack right down the center. I made this for my sister’s birthday last year, and letting it cool slowly in the oven was what finally gave me that perfectly flat, unblemished top.

Joanna Gaines Classic Cheesecake Recipe Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups (180g) graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

• 32 ounces (904g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (240g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

How To Make Joanna Gaines Classic Cheesecake Recipe

• 1. Prep the pan and oven: Adjust your oven rack to the lower-middle spot and preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan so the crust doesn’t stick when you’re trying to serve it.
• 2. Bake the crust: Stir the cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter together until the mixture looks like wet sand. Press it firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of your pan, then bake for 10 minutes before letting it cool on the counter.
• 3. Beat the cheese: Use an electric mixer to cream the softened cheese and sugar for at least two minutes until it’s light and airy. Scrape the bowl often so you don’t leave any thick patches of unmixed cheese hiding at the bottom.
• 4. Add the dairy: Mix in the sour cream, vanilla, and lemon juice until the batter is completely uniform. Lower the mixer speed to the slowest setting and add the eggs one at a time, stopping the very second the yellow disappears into the white.

Don’t keep the mixer running once the eggs are in. If you beat too much air into the batter at this stage, the cheesecake will rise like a souffle in the oven and then collapse into a wrinkled mess as it cools.

• 5. Prep the water bath: Wrap the outside of your springform pan in two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil to keep the water out. Place the filled pan inside a larger roasting tin and pour boiling water into the tin until it reaches an inch up the side of the cake pan.
• 6. Bake gently: Slide the whole setup into the oven and bake for 55 to 70 minutes. You’re looking for the edges to be set and firm, but the very center should still have a slight jiggle like set gelatin when you gently shake the pan.
• 7. Cool in stages: Turn off the oven and prop the door open just a few inches with a wooden spoon. Leave the cake inside for one hour to let the temperature drop slowly, then move it to the counter to reach room temperature before putting it in the fridge.

Leaving the cake in the cooling oven is the most critical step for preventing cracks. The sudden shock of cold kitchen air causes the protein in the cheese to shrink too fast, which pulls the surface apart.

Recipe Tips

• Use brick cream cheese only: Avoid the spreadable tubs meant for bagels because they contain extra stabilizers and water that will prevent the cake from setting properly. The heavy, silver-wrapped bricks provide the dense texture this recipe is known for.
• Tap the pan on the counter: Before you put the cheesecake into the water bath, give the pan a few sharp taps on a flat surface. This forced any large air bubbles to rise to the top and pop, which keeps the inside of your cake solid and smooth.
• Grease the sides of the pan: Even though the crust only goes up a little way, rub a bit of butter on the upper walls of the springform pan. As the cake cools and shrinks, it needs to slide down the walls; if it sticks to the metal, it will tear itself open.
• Clean your knife between slices: To get those sharp, clean edges you see in photos, dip your knife in a tall glass of hot water and wipe it dry before every single cut. This prevents the sticky filling from dragging across the top of the next slice.
• Check your foil for holes: Before you pour the water into the roasting tin, make sure your foil wrap is tall and tight. A single tiny tear in the foil will let the water seep into your crust, turning the graham crackers into a soggy, unappealing mush.
• Wait for the wobble: Don’t wait for the center to look solid before you pull the cake out. A cheesecake continues to cook from the leftover heat for about twenty minutes after it leaves the oven, so if it’s already firm, it’s actually overbaked.

What To Serve With Classic Cheesecake

A simple drizzle of strawberry sauce or a handful of fresh blueberries is all this heavy cake needs. The tartness of the fruit helps balance out the massive amount of sugar and fat in the filling.

If you want a more decadent finish, a bit of salted caramel or chocolate ganache works well too. A strong cup of bitter espresso is the best drink to serve alongside a slice to help clean your palate between bites.

How To Store Classic Cheesecake

• Fridge: Cover the pan loosely with foil or plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. The flavor actually gets better after the first 24 hours as the lemon and vanilla have more time to blend with the cream.
• Reheat: You should always eat cheesecake cold or at room temperature, so never put it in the oven or microwave. If it’s been in the fridge, let a slice sit on the counter for 15 minutes to soften the crust slightly before eating.
• Freeze: This is one of the best desserts to freeze. Wrap the fully chilled cake in several layers of plastic wrap and it will stay perfect for up to 3 months; just thaw it in the fridge overnight before you plan to serve it.

Joanna Gaines Classic Cheesecake Recipe Nutrition Facts

Per serving (1 of 12):

• Calories: 510 kcal
• Protein: 8g
• Fat: 38g
• Carbohydrates: 34g
• Sugar: 28g
• Sodium: 320mg

FAQs

Try More Joanna Gaines Recipe:

• Joanna Gaines Cinnamon Squares
• Joanna Gaines Tres Leche Cake
• Joanna Gaines Carrot Cake