Old Fashioned Cheesecake Recipes

These old fashioned cheesecake recipes are perfect for lovers of rich-tasting cheesecakes. Traditional cheesecakes are best made in a leak-proof spring-form pan, but you can adapt them to a deep-dish pie pan or cake pan if needed.

Homemade cheesecakes are very easy to make, but they may continue to bake for a short while after they've been taken from the oven, because of their density, so allow time for sufficient cooling before cutting and serving.

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Grandma's Tips for Perfectly Baked Cheesecakes

• Before mixing, let your cream cheese, eggs, and other ingredients sit on the counter for about 30 minutes to make sure they are at room temperature, so they will blend smoothly.
• Be careful not to over beat your cheesecake filling. Over beating will incorporate too much air in the batter and that will affect its texture when baked.
• Use a spring-form pan that has its bottom and the sides lined with aluminum foil to avoid leaks in the oven, and always place it on a baking sheet
• Place a shallow pan of water on a rack below the cheesecake to keep the oven moist.
• Don't peek! Keep the oven door shut during the first 30 minutes of baking.
• Your cheesecake is ready to remove from the oven when you can tap the side of the pan with a spoon, and the center barely jiggles which means it's almost set. It will solidify as it cools, and the result will be creamy and smooth in texture.
• Use a thin table knife dipped in hot water to carefully loosen your cheesecake away from the edges of the spring-form pan when it comes out of the oven. This will help keep the surface uniformly smooth as cheesecake slightly reduces in size as it cools. It also helps prevent unsightly cracks, and edges that are higher than the center of the surface.
• Allow your cheesecake to cool completely before removing rim of pan and let it chill thoroughly before serving.

Bonus Recipe…

Mini Mocha Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes

1 cup chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup evaporated milk

Instructions:

Crush about 10 chocolate cookies with icing filling to make 1 cup cookie crumbs. Combine cookie crumbs and butter in medium bowl; continue stirring until moistened.

Press 2 teaspoons of cookie mixture into each of 18 greased, paper-lined muffin cups. Sprinkle tops evenly with 1/2 cup chocolate chips.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in large mixer bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs and floor. Gradually beat in evaporated milk. Pour into individual muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.

Bake in preheated 300°F oven for 25 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire racks for 10 minutes; sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over tops of mini cheesecakes; chill in refrigerator for 2 hours or until firm.

Alternative Topping:

Remaining chocolate chips can be melted by setting cup in hot water for several minutes while gently stirring with a small spoon, and then drizzle melted chocolate over tops of mini cheesecakes to decorate. Makes 18 individual cheesecakes. —South Carolina Department of Agriculture