{"title":"How to Make Cheesecake","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/cooking/how-to-make-cheesecake","category":{"slug":"cooking","name":"Cooking"},"creator":{"name":"Nick's Kitchen","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2HNqPgeKtVr2gZmLeeIk3g","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayTT_t1MQS8"},"tldr":"Brown butter graham crust, lemon-rubbed sugar and a low-speed mix so it does not crack. Classic New York cheesecake with a quick berry sauce.","totalDurationSeconds":454,"difficulty":"medium","tools":[],"materials":[],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Brown the butter for the crust","text":"Melt your butter in a pan over medium heat and keep going past the melt. It will foam up and bubble, and then golden brown bits will appear on the bottom.The moment you see them, take the pan off the heat and pour the butter into a bowl. Left in the hot pan it goes from brown to burnt in seconds."},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Blitz the graham crackers","text":"Break the graham crackers into a food processor and pulse until no large pieces remain. Add a sprinkle of salt and a touch of sugar and pulse again.Then drizzle the brown butter in slowly while you keep pulsing. Stop when the crumbs look and sound like wet sand and just barely hold together when you squeeze a handful."},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Press the crust into a springform pan","text":"Check the springform clip is properly locked before anything goes in, then tip the crumbs into the base.Pat them flat and even across the bottom and let them come only slightly up the sides. A New York cheesecake crust lives on the base, not the wall.A flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup presses it flatter and more evenly than fingers will, though fingers work."},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Bake the crust to set it","text":"Put the pan on a sheet tray and bake for a couple of minutes while you make the filling. This sets the crust so it does not dissolve into the batter.Let it cool for a few minutes before the filling goes in."},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Rub the lemon zest into the sugar","text":"Zest a whole lemon into your sugar, then rub the two together between your fingertips until the sugar turns damp and sandy.This pulls the oil out of the zest and puts it into the sugar, so the lemon runs through the entire filling instead of showing up in occasional bursts."},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6: Beat the cream cheese and add the flavourings","text":"Break the cream cheese up in the mixer until it is smooth and even, then add the lemon sugar and mix again.Follow with the juice from half a lemon, the sour cream, vanilla bean paste and a small pinch of salt. Keep the mixer on low the whole time.The vanilla bean paste is worth it over extract - it gives the speckled look through the finished slice."},{"number":7,"title":"Step 7: Add the eggs one at a time","text":"Crack in four eggs, adding them one at a time and letting each fully disappear before the next goes in. Stay on low speed.Use room temperature eggs. They incorporate faster, which means less mixing, which means less air.Scrape the bowl down at the end so nothing unmixed is hiding at the bottom."},{"number":8,"title":"Step 8: Pour it in and tap out the bubbles","text":"Pour the filling over the cooled crust. It should be loose enough to settle level on its own without much spreading.Give the pan a few gentle taps on the counter to bring trapped bubbles to the surface, then bake it low and slow until the edges are set and the centre still has a slight wobble."},{"number":9,"title":"Step 9: Simmer the berry sauce","text":"Put berries, a little sugar and a splash of water in a pan over medium high heat. Once it bubbles at the edges, turn it down and let it go until the berries start to burst.Add lemon zest and a generous squeeze of juice, then stir in a cornstarch slurry made with a little cornstarch and hot water to thicken it."},{"number":10,"title":"Step 10: Chill, slice and spoon the sauce over","text":"Let the cheesecake cool completely, then chill it before you release the springform. Warm cheesecake will not slice cleanly.Cut with a warm dry knife, wiping it between slices, and spoon the berry sauce over each piece as you serve."}],"recipe":{"servings":"Serves 12","prepMinutes":30,"cookMinutes":75,"cuisine":"American","ingredients":[{"name":"cream cheese","notes":"4 blocks, room temperature","amount":"32 oz"},{"name":"granulated sugar","notes":"rubbed with the lemon zest","amount":"1 cup"},{"name":"lemon","notes":"zest of the whole lemon, juice of half","amount":"1"},{"name":"sour cream","amount":"1 cup"},{"name":"eggs","notes":"room temperature, added one at a time","amount":"4"},{"name":"vanilla bean paste","amount":"1 tbsp"},{"name":"salt","amount":"a small pinch"},{"name":"graham crackers","notes":"for the crust","amount":"about 1 1/2 cups crumbs"},{"name":"unsalted butter","notes":"browned, added to feel","amount":"about 6 tbsp"},{"name":"mixed berries","notes":"for the sauce","amount":"2 cups"},{"name":"cornstarch","notes":"slurried with hot water, for the sauce","amount":"1 tsp"}]},"lastUpdated":"2026-08-23T22:55:13.772Z","published":"2026-08-23T22:49:32.466Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}