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Classic Cheesecake

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Recipe photo courtesy of Jonny Valiant

A crumbly graham cracker crust and silky cream cheese filling make this New York-style cheesecake a winner.

Source: Everyday Food, April 2009
Total Time Prep Servings

Ingredients

For Crust

For Filling

Directions

  2. Watch: How to Cook with Martha: How to Juice Citrus

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Reviews

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How would you rate this recipe?
1585
  • mevans8029309634
    14 FEB, 2019
    Love it! It was so good and creamy! My best recipe yet!
    Reply
  • ALR11186676DW
    7 FEB, 2019
    This cheesecake is "The Bomb"!!! No matter where I take it everyone loves it. It does take a while to do, but well worth it. The last time I made it I put sliced strawberries on the top and laid them out in a sunburnt pattern and put a strawberry.glaze on them. It couldn't have looked better. Thanks Martha E
    Reply
  • battah_501
    6 FEB, 2019
    Works every time, i’vedone this several times. What I love most : 1. just the right combinationof sweet, tangy and creamy cheese 2. Simple recipe, no need to beat up whipping cream in another bowl and then fold etc 3. EVeryone loves this!
    Reply
  • Teresa11967
    22 NOV, 2018
    I made this several times. Now it's a Thanksgiving tradition. Love the texture and the taste. It tastes really good with blueberries on top. The only down side to this is sometimes it does crack, but I just cover it with the fruit. Nobody notices it.
    Reply
  • maggie120360
    11 JUN, 2018
    The cheesecake came out PERFECT - no cracking! So creamy and delicious, the lemon adds a freshness and tricks you in to believing it's a light and "healthy" dessert, ha! I did change 2 things, though...I did not add sugar to the crust as the graham crackers are sweet enough and I added a tablespoon of vanilla. I would mention that you need to buy the larger size aluminum foil in which to wrap the pan because the regular size isn't big enough.
    Reply
    • kimberleya718
      3 SEP, 2018
      Ooooops I didn’t mean to comment on ur comment ha
    • kimberleya718
      3 SEP, 2018
      I Love Love Love Martha but am very disappointed in this recipe My crust was perfect the cake was light and airy. But that’s not what I was looking for. I wanted a very dense heavy cheesecake. It tasted more like a flourless custard cake. Now don’t get me wrong, it was DELICIOUS but it was not what I wanted. Also I omitted the lemon cause I hate lemon cheesecake. But i think the sour cream is what killed it for me. I sliced a 1/2 strawberries and sprinkled a tbsp organic sugar on them and let them soak in the sugar the whole time it was baking. I then chilled the pan in an ice bath as well and topping the cake with the Juicy strawberries balanced it out better
  • chancesare24
    12 AUG, 2018
    I LOVED this recipe. My mother and grandmother always made cheesecake and this recipe was my mother's favorite, EVER, which says a lot! I beat the mixture quite a bit more than suggested and it turned out light and fluffy - just the way I LOVE it.
    Reply
  • justinjustinst
    25 NOV, 2016
    It needs vanilla. Was it's omission a mistake? 2 t.
    Reply
    • nealcrosson1
      19 APR, 2018
      That's why it has lemon. If you add vanilla, you should omit the lemon and zest.
  • nealcrosson1
    19 APR, 2018
    I make this recipe at least once a year and it's perfect every time. I think it's important to remember that all of the ingredients need to be at room temperature. Gently take the chill off of your eggs by placing them in warm water for 15 minutes, changing the water if necessary. I would also recommend some more elaborate notes about removing it from the oven; when the time is up, turn off the oven but do not immediately remove the cake.
    Reply
    • nealcrosson1
      19 APR, 2018
      Open the door slightly and allow the heat to escape for about 15 minutes, then open the door fully for about 15 minutes, then move the cake to the stove, later to the counter. Only when the cake is completely cool, move it to the refrigerator. Do not cover the cake until thoroughly chilled.
  • MS11876216
    24 MAR, 2016
    I made this following every single instruction, watching Sarah Carey's marvelous video, and I am heartbroken. I bought huge heavy duty foil. I have examined it and there is still not a pinhole in it, but my cheese cake came out of the oven standing in an inch of water. I haven't cut it yet, but the bottom is obviously sodden. What is that, condensation? Why isn't it happening to everyone? (though I did see one other commenter having this problem) I am devastated, but not deterred. Advice please!
    Reply
    • helpfulthingsco
      4 MAR, 2018
      Easy Bath Cheesecake Wrap to the rescue!
    • MS11876216
      25 MAR, 2016
      OK! is was not a disaster. The cheesecake was divine and the water only seeped in a teeny-tiny bit around the edge. Still ~ is there a trick to the foil? Do I wrap the pan very tightly or make a loose well in it? I have this lovely Williams-Sonoma Goldtouch Springform Pan that has a slightly raised base (maybe 1/4 inch). It is said to clamp very tightly; though as I said some moisture did come in. Is this the wrong type of pan for this water bath?
      • MS10036352
        22 MAY, 2016
        While recipe is not bad it is certainly not the best of Martha's Cheesecake recipes. (If you google Martha Stewart's best cheesecake recipe you'll find 5 or so variations). regarding the question of how to do the foil - it took me one or two tries to get it right. I use 2 sheets of XL grill sized heavy duty foil running in opposite directions. Simply place your pan with your pre-baked crust in the foil, bringing the foil up to or even above the pan. You should have no leakage.
  • lsbenham
    24 MAY, 2017
    My nephew requested "plain cheesecake " for his birthday. I wanted to try the MS Classic recipe I'd seen on Martha Bakes. Everyone loved this cheesecake, even the "I hate cheesecake crowd". It was silky and delicious. I have made dozens of recipes, this will be my goto in future. Follow instructions explicitly. Use three layers of HD 18" foil so there are no leaks. I made MS ganache tart and this cheesecake to follow dinner for 20 people ... there was only 1 small piece of each left-over ... Yahoo!! Martha and Team !!
    Reply
    • helpfulthingsco
      4 MAR, 2018
      I have mentioned before, that's a lot of expensive tin foil to be throwing out every time! Buy the one-time reusable silicone Easy Bath Cheesecake Wrap instead! Solves every problem for baking in a water bath, and even if you don't use a wter bath, the Wrap will catch any leaks coming from the springform pan before they hit the oven bottom making a smelly, smokey, burnt on mess that is very hard to clean!

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