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Ingredients
- 5 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 6 large eggs
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pint sour cream (low-fat is fine)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch springform pan. (See notes if you have a 9-inch springform.)
- Fill a roasting pan 1/4 full with hot water. Place your springform pan in the water bath and wait 10 minutes to see if any water seeps into your springform. (If so, dry it, grease it and place your springform in a pie dish. Then place the pie dish with the springform in the water bath.)
- In a large mixing bowl, add one block of cream cheese and beat it until creamy. Continue adding one block of cream cheese at a time and beating well. There must not be any lumps in your batter. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition on low. Add the remaining ingredients one at a time, mixing to combine after each addition. When all ingredients have been added, beat on high (or as high as you can without splashing) for seven minutes.
- Transfer the batter to the springform pan (filling it no more than 3/4 of the way to the top; see notes) in the water bath and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Then lower the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for 50-55 minutes. The top should be set, except for a small circle in the middle. Do not insert anything into the cheesecake to test it, or it will crack. Turn off the heat and let the cheesecake stay in the oven with the door ajar for one hour.
- Remove the cheesecake and let it finish cooling on a wire rack. Refrigerate the cheesecake overnight before cutting into it. Store it in the refrigerator for up to three days or freeze it for up to 3 weeks.
Notes
If you only have a 9-inch springform pan, fill it 3/4 full with the batter. Bake the remaining batter in two ramekins or another suitable baking dish, in a water bath. Update 6-11-16: Even with a 10-inch springform, do not fill your pan any higher than 3/4 full. Bake any extra batter in ramekins in a water bath.
