Lola’s Kitchen: Cheesecake Recipe

Posted April 22, 2016 by Lola in Lola's Kitchen / 20 Comments

Lola’s Kitchen is a feature on Lola’s Reviews where I talk about all things related to food, cooking and baking. These posts can be recipe posts, tens list posts about food or recipes or more discussion type posts about food. I love cooking and spend some time in the kitchen almost every day, so I wanted to give it a place on my blog as well. The banner for this feature is designed by Michelle from Limabean Designs.

Here in the Netherlands cheesecake used to be relatively uncommon, so for a long time I didn’t know cheesecake existed. Until I tried a cheesecake in a bagel store once a few years ago and I was sold. I love the cheesecake, from the crumbly crust to the rich filling. I’ve actually made cheesecake a few times, once the recipe form the store where I first ate, which actually used quark instead of cream cheese, it does taste different, but very good too. The idea of using Bastogne cookies for the crust came through them as I love those cookies for cheesecake crust, but you can use any cookies you prefer. I also made a pecan pie cheesecake combo once, not sure if I still have that recipe. Recently I was looking for a cheesecake recipe as I wanted to make it once again and this time with cream cheese and I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest. I tweaked it a bit to my own taste and then decided to share this delicious recipe with you. The crust is flavourful and crumbly thanks to cookies as basis and the cheesecake is airy, light, fluffy and totally delicious. It only requires a few ingredients, but it can take some time to make, I blame crumbling all those cookies.
This recipe is based on Plain Chicken their The Best Homemade Cheesecake Recipe
Cheesecake-close-up

Ingredients

Cheesecake-ingredients

  • Cookies Crumbs – 250 gram/ 3 cups
  • Butter – 100 gram/ 1/3 cup
  • Cream Cheese – 200 gram/ 8oz
  • Sugar – 225 gram/ 1 cup and 2 tablespoons
  • 4 eggs – separated
  • Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon
  • Vanilla Essence – 1 teaspoon

I used Bastogne cookies as basis for the crust, but you can pick any cookies you like. If you prefer a thinner crust you can use less cookies, but I like my crust a bit thicker. Measurement is for the crumbs. I use a 24 cm/ 9 1/2 inch spring form, but you can also use a smaller one. My cheesecake is relatively flat, but it will be a bit higher with a smaller springform.

Method

  1. First start with the crust. Crumble all the cookies till they are very fine crumbs. I usually crumble the cookies between my hands and then make them into fine crumbs with a mortar and pestle.
  2. In a small pan heat the butter on a low fire, until molten. Remove from the fire and stir the cookie crumbs through it. Place baking paper or aluminum foil on the bottom of the springform and coat the sides with a bit of butter. Then throw the crust mixture into the springform and with your hands of a measuring cup or normal cup spread it over the bottom and sides, until evenly coated.
  3. Now preheat up the oven to 160 degrees Celsius/ 325 degrees Fahrenheit. And get started on the cheesecake batter. Split the eggs using an egg splitter. Throw the egg whites in a medium sized bowl and the egg yolks in a medium – big sized bowl.
  4. With a mixer beat the egg whites till they are stiff, white and creamy. Set aside.
  5. Now add the cheesecake, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla essence to the bowl with the egg yolks and mix until well combined. Now add the egg whites mixture to this owl as well and mix slowly until the two mixtures are well combined.
  6. Pour the mixture in the crust coated sprinform and bake it for 35 minutes. After that turn off the oven and let it stand in the oven with the door closed for another hour. You can skip this step, but the cheesecake will cool down slower and won’t sink as much if you let it stand in the oven.
  7. After the hour remove the cheesecake from the oven. You can eat it now, but it’s even better the next day, still I can’t help but try a piece right away. Store the cheesecake in the fridge up to 5 days.

Pictures

butter

molten-butter

crust-mixture

crust

egg-whites

stiff-egg-whites

Cheesecake-sugar-egg-yolks-lemon-juice-and-vanilla

Cheesecake-sugar-egg-yolks-lemon-juice-and-vanilla-mixture

add-egg-whites

cheesecake-mixture

Cheesecake-before-oven

Cheesecake

Variation Tips

  • Don’t separate the eggs. Separating the eggs makes for a fluffier and lighted cheesecake, but a lot of recipes don’t separate the eggs and just mix the four whole eggs through the batter at once.
  • Cheesecake with fruit and whipped cream. Add whipped cream and/or any fruit of your choice to the top of the cheesecake once it’s cooled down.
  • Coconut and Mango Cheesecake. Inspired by I Wash You Dry her Coconut and Mango cheesecake recipe. Add 3/4 cup coconut flakes to the crust and add teaspoon coconut extract to the the cheesecake batter. Once cooled down top with whipped cream (1 cup), mango (1) and roasted coconut flakes (1 cup).
  • Lemon or Orange cheesecake. Add the zest of a lemon or two oranges to the batter and an additional tablespoon of lemon or orange juice.
  • Chocolate topped cheesecake. Once the cheesecake is cooled down warm some Heavy cream (1/4 cup) and pour it over chocolate chips (3/4 cup). Once chocolate chips are molten and well combined pour it over the cheesecake. This chocolate sauce is inspired by The First Year blog their caramel turtle cheesecake.

What’s your favourite flavour cheesecake?

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20 responses to “Lola’s Kitchen: Cheesecake Recipe

  1. There is NOTHING in this world better than Cheesecake. Maybe only Chocolate cheesecake. I love that you use crumbled cookies. I’d love a chocolate cheesecake with crumble oreos 🙂

    • I agree! I love cheesecake, it’s so good! I once have tried a flavoured cheesecake in a store in city close by which was really good. I can’t remember the exact flavour, I think it was something fruity. But besides that I’ve only ever had plain cheesecake.

  2. oh I love cheescake, and there is many ways to add variety to it. I usually use just egg whites, with reduced fat cream cheese, tastes the same but gives it a more healthy option. I love to top mine with fruit either blueberries or cherry.

    • I didn’t knew you could also make it with only egg whites. When I am making cheesecake I usually don’t worry about being healthy ;). A bagel store here sells cheesecake too and their recipe uses quark instead of real cheesecake, I can imagine that’s probably a bit lighter too. It also tastes good, but very different than with real cream cheese.

    • I am not a fan of cherries, but cheesecake with fruit is a good combination. I once ate a fruity cheesecake in a store here somewhere, I think it was orange cheesecake? It was really good.

    • Now I want to try your mom’s fancy cheesecakes! Pumpkin layered cheesecake? That sounds delicious!
      I always loved cheesecake, although so far I stay with the normal one and haven’t tried out any different flavours.

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