Classic Cheesecake Recipe

a buttery graham cracker crust no one can deny its simple decadence. For the best results bake in a water bath.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
1 and 12 cups 180g graham cracker crumbs about 12 full sheet graham crackers
14 cup 50g granulated sugar
5 Tablespoons 71g unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake
32 ounces 904g fullfat brick cream cheese softened to room temperature
1 cup 200g granulated sugar
1 cup 240g fullfat sour cream at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice optional but recommended
3 large eggs at room temperature
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Instructions
Adjust the oven rack to the lowermiddle position and preheat oven to 350F 177C.
Make the crust If youre starting out with full graham crackers use a food processor or blender to grind them into fine crumbs. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in sugar until combined and then stir in the melted butter. Mixture will be sandy. Try to smashbreak up any large chunks. Pour into an ungreased 9inch or 10inch springform pan. With medium pressure using your hand pat the crumbs down into the bottom and partly up the sides to make a compact crust. Do not pack down with heavy force because that makes the crust too hard. Simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumbycrumbly and you can use the flat bottom of a small measuring cup to help smooth it all out if needed. Prebake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the hot pan on a large piece of aluminum foil. The foil will wrap around the pan for the water bath in step 4. Allow crust to slightly cool as you prepare the filling.
Make the filling Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on mediumhigh speed in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream vanilla extract and lemon juice then beat until fully combined. On medium speed add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition until just blended. After the final egg is incorporated into the batter stop mixing. To help prevent the cheesecake from deflating and cracking as it cools avoid overmixing the batter as best you can. You will have close to 6 cups of batter.
Prepare the simple water bath see note If needed for extra visuals see my How to Make a Cheesecake Water Bath the visual guide will assist you in this step. Boil a pot of water. You need 1 inch of water in your roasting pan for the water bath so make sure you boil enough. I use an entire kettle of hot water. As the water is heating up wrap the aluminum foil around the springform pan. Place the pan inside of a large roasting pan. Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust. Use a rubber spatula or spoon to smooth it into an even layer. Carefully pour the hot water inside of the pan and place in the