New Year’s Eve is upon us – somehow, it always seems to get lost in the Christmas hullabaloo, and we get rather short notice for what always calls for something a little special and all its own. Here’s a large, rich cheesecake that despite its, uh, unsophisticated theme, always has people reaching for more. It works well for a party because of its size, and from the standpoint of New Year’s Eve, provides serious ballast for an evening of imbibing. This should line a tummy well enough to slow down the effects of any alcohol.
It’s lush and creamy, the filling laced with broken-up Oreos hiding under a sour cream topping, the whole thing laid out in a buttery Oreo crust. Buy the largest package of regular Oreos (not the Double Stuff), which will give you a little more than what’s called for in the recipe, thus thoughtfully allowing for the cook’s mandatory ingredient-testing. If you really can’t bring yourself to eat the extras, toss them in with the ones for the crust; the amount needed in the actual filling is, to my way of thinking, just right. More crumbs for the crust make it easier to spread and pat it, which can be frustrating if you don’t do it very often.
Just one more thing: Be sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature, so things will mix up smoothly.
For the crust:
25 Oreo cookies
4 Tbs. butter, melted
For the Filling:
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 c. sugar, plus another 1/4 c. sugar
2 Tbs. flour
4 large eggs, room temperature
3 egg yolks, room temperature
1/3 c. whipping cream, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla, plus another 1 tsp. vanilla
15 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped
2 c. sour cream
a 10-inch springform pan and a baking sheet to set it on
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the rack in the middle of the oven. Butter the springform pan.
Break up the 25 Oreo cookies–I just crumble them in quarters–and put them in the food processor. Process until they’re crumbs. Add butter and blend. (Without a processor, I’d put the cookie pieces in a sturdy plastic bag and run a rolling pin over them to crush them, then mix the crumbs and butter in a bowl.) Pat the mixture evenly over the bottom and about 2/3 of the way up the sides of the springform pan. The edges will be irregular, but that’s okay. I really don’t want people thinking I use a commercial crust for my cheesecake. Refrigerate the pan while you prepare the filling.
Beat the cream cheese in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Use the paddle beater rather than the wire whisk type, if you have a choice, and beat on medium speed until it’s smooth. Add 1 1/4 cups sugar, beating until it’s light and rather fluffy, stopping to scrape down the bowl occasionally. Sprinkle in the flour and mix it in. Leave the beater on low and mix in the eggs, one at a time, still scraping the bowl frequently, and the egg yolks the same way. Mix until smooth, add the whipping cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla, and mix them in.
Pour about half the batter into the prepared crust. Sprinkle the chopped Oreos evenly over the batter.
Carefully pour the remaining batter over the Oreos. If needed, you can smooth the top with a spatula. Sometimes some of the Oreos rise to the top. That’s okay.
Place the pan on the baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Drop the oven temperature to 225 degrees and bake for an additional 55-65 minutes or until the cake is set. The center should jiggle only slightly.
Remove cake from oven. Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees. Stir together sour cream, remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla in small bowl. Spread the mixture evenly over the cheesecake, and return it to the oven. Bake it 7-8 minutes until the sour cream sets. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate.
Run a sharp, narrow-blade knife around the edge of the pan before removing the sides of the pan prior to serving.
Serves 10-12.
-Ann
Comments
One response
I just came across your website, very cool. This is an amazing looking cheesecake, I hope to have time later this week to bake it! Do you know of a healthier alternative to regular cheesecake?