Cheesecake Factory Cheescake

Cheesecake is a very interesting dessert. It seems like it would be easy enough, just cream together some cream cheese, sugar, and eggs, right? Not so much. You have to worry about the texture of the filling, the crunch of the crust, the heat in the oven, the jiggle! I've made a couple of cheesecakes and while I've been able to avoid the infamous CRACK I have yet to perfect crust... I put the cheesecake in a water bath (to ensure even cooking), but no mater how much foil I wrap it in, water always seeps in. I'm at a loss. I mean the texture is perfect and the taste is amazing, but the crust doesn't have that crunch that I want. Oh well, maybe I'll just have to forgo the water bath and live with a cracked cheesecake...


This recipe I got from one of those copycat sights. It was originally for the White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, but I wanted to keep it simple so I substituted half a vanilla bean for the chocolate and raspberries. I used a graham cracker crust to keep it traditional but you could use Oreos, or gingersnaps, or any other hard cookie that will be able to stand up to the thick and creamy filling. After the cheesecake was done baking and had cooled in the fridge I took it out and bruleed the crust. I'm kind of obsessed with brulee-ing things! I've actually gotten pretty good at it, if I do say so myself.

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake (adapted from Cheesecake Factory)

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup butter, melted

4 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 eggs, room temp

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 9" springform pan.

2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and the melted butter until uniform. Press mixture into the bottom of your pan and half way up the sides. Place in fridge until ready to use.

3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.* Add the sugar and beat until combined. Mix in the sour cream, vanilla bean, and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until just incorporated.

4. Pour the filling into the chilled crust. Tap the pan a couple of the times to bring any bubbles to the surface. Take a toothpick and pop the bubbles. Place in the oven for 70-80 minutes or until there is only a 2" jiggle in the center. Turn off the oven an leave the cheesecake in there until cooled. Take out of the oven and put in the fridge to chill for at least 6 hours. Serve with your favorite topping!

*Your cream cheese must be completely soft or else you will end up with a chunky filling!