Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping

This easy cheesecake recipe with a sour cream topping will be the last cheesecake recipe you'll ever make! Totally foolproof with an easy graham cracker crust, buttery cheesecake layer, and tangy sour cream topping that goes over everything aka hides any cracks in your cheesecake! You. Will. Love. This. It's perfect for any celebration or to give as a gift! Make it with garlic pork roast and asparagus casserole for a lovely holiday meal, or lunch for Mother's Day!

People are so particular about their cheesecake, have you noticed? Flavors, topping, height, secret tricks and ingredients - it's a whole thing.

This is my VERY favorite cheesecake - the only one I've made for more than ten years, honestly. It's a very delicious, very foolproof, basic cheesecake with tons of great flavor and has a sour cream topping that will absolutely make you fall in love.

It's the best cheesecake recipe ever, I'm sure of it.

Recipe Notes

• To hold it's shape, cheesecake should be made in a springform pan - you can buy them anywhere for not much money, so don't freak out.  Other than that, this cheesecake recipe is full of very basic pantry ingredients and kitchen equipment - nothing fancy, only delicious cheesecake as your reward.
• The sour cream topping for this cheesecake is made during the initial baking period and adds tons of great tangy flavor AND makes the cheesecake nice and smooth, so we don't have to worry about cracks or anything our grandmothers warned us about.
• The steps are very simple for this cheesecake recipe, but there is some time involved - about an hour to bake and at least 3 hours to cool and set, preferably 4 hours to overnight. Plan ahead and make this in advance; it's a perfect make ahead dessert, especially during busy holidays.
• This is a SIMPLE cheesecake recipe. We don't mess with a water bath while baking or anything that feels overly fussy - simple ingredients, a little bit of time, done.
• The filling of this cheesecake recipe is gluten free, and you can make the entire thing gluten free with a GF Graham Cracker Crust. If you're into gluten free desserts, an old-fashioned chocolate chess pie with GF pie crust is also delicious on a dessert table!

Ingredients and Ingredient Notes

• For the crust, butter, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs. YUM.
• For the filling, cream cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Simple!
• For the topping, sour cream, a little more sugar and vanilla. Boom.

~if you have extra cream cheese, this cold buffalo chicken salad uses a bit of cream cheese and is absolutely delicious!~

Notes: There are only two important notes for these ingredients: use full fat dairy, and let the cream cheese get really soft before you start.

Important Pro Tip #1: Most baking recipes (and all recipes, really) are tested with full-fat dairy, and honestly that's what you should be using. There are some health reasons to go against this, but using full fat dairy will keep the texture and flavor of baked goods really consistent.

Important Pro Tip #2: The cream cheese should be very soft (out on the counter for at least 2 hours) to allow the filling to mix smoothly together before it gets poured into the graham cracker crust. Softened cream cheese is our friend.

Step By Step Instructions

Springform Pan Preparation

First, preheat the oven to 325F and prepare a springform pan (9-inches if you have it, but anywhere in the 8-10 inch range is fine) with parchment paper AND cooking spray.

To do this, take the ring off the base of the pan and place a square of parchment paper on top of the pan base - it should overhang by a few inches on all sides.

Place the ring over the parchment paper AND the base, then re-attach the ring to the base with the parchment in between the two pieces (the ring is holding the parchment paper on the base).

Spray the entire thing with cooking spray, and the pan is prepped.

Graham Cracker Crust

• For the graham cracker crust, mix the graham crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl - it'll be crumbly and a bit clumpy.
• Dump all of the crust mixture into the prepped pan and use your fingers to mash it down until it's very smooth. You can push a bit of the crust up the sides of the pan OR flatten it to the bottom of the springform; totally your call based on how you'd like the finished cheesecake to look.
• Press the crust until it's nicely packed and fairly smooth - we don't want any gaps in the crust where air or filling could sneak through.
• Set the prepared crust aside while you make the cheesecake filling.

Cheesecake Filling

• The filling is very simple - all ingredients go into a stand mixer bowl (or a large bowl if you prefer using a hand mixer), and get mixed with the paddle attachment until very smooth.
• This can take a few minutes to really incorporate the cream cheese; take your time and let the mixer work until there are no clumps left in the mixture.
• Pour the filling into the crust you made and carefully transfer the cheesecake to the oven to bake.
• Bake the cheesecake for 55-70 minutes until it's just barely jiggly in the center and golden at the edges.
• The timing for the baking will depend on your oven and the width of your springform pan; wider pans will cook in less time, deeper/narrower cheesecakes will take more time to cook.

Sour Cream Topping for Cheesecake

While the cheesecake is baking, mix together the sour cream, vanilla, and sugar in a small bowl. You can use a spoon or small whisk to do this - just mix until the sour cream is smooth and incorporated with the sugar.

Finishing the Cheesecake

• When the cheesecake has cooked, let it rest for 10 minutes to deflate a bit - this makes a perfect natural well for the sour cream topping. (VERY similar to how I ice my chocolate quinoa cake, which also uses a springform pan!)
• Starting from the inside of the cheesecake, pour the sour cream topping into the springform pan and spread it to the outer edges - I like to leave a bit of an edge, but you can also spread the topping to the edge of the cheesecake.
• Bake the cheesecake with the topping for 10 minutes more, then remove the cheesecake from the oven.

PHEW YOU DID IT!

Baking and Timing Notes:

The only thing now to do is distract yourself while this beauty cools, and it REALLY needs to cool: 2 hours on the counter, then 2 or more hours in the fridge. I love making this first thing in the morning or the day before I'm going to serve it so I can do other things while the cheesecake is baking and cooling.

Serving and Leftover Storage

When the cheesecake is FINALLY cool (I know, I know), remove the ring from the springform pan and use a sharp knife to cut small slices of the cheesecake.

Pro Tip for Slicing Cheesecake: To make really clean slices, dip your knife in hot water before slicing each piece.

Keep leftovers covered in the fridge - I just put the springform ring back on the cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap or Press and Seal, then stick it in the fridge.

Cheesecakes admittedly take some time, but the end result is absolutely glorious - creamy, cooling, hearty cheesecake that is such a lovely treat after a yummy meal or as an addition to a holiday dessert table.

I hope you love this!

Other Foolproof Dessert Recipes

Recipe

Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping

Lindsay Howerton-Hastings

Super simple cheesecake with a sour cream topping! You will absolutely love this cheesecake, the only recipe you'll ever need! PS the gift of a cheesecake is like...not a bad gift.

4.97 from 53 ratings

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Equipment

• ▢
  Measuring Cups And Spoons
• ▢
  Springform Pan
• ▢
  Mixer

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

CRUST

• ▢ 6 tablespoons melted butter
• ▢ 3 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

FILLING

• ▢ 3 packages cream cheese full fat, very soft
• ▢ 5 eggs at room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt

TOPPING

• ▢ 1 ½ cups sour cream full fat
• ▢ ¼ cup sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 325F. Prepare a springform pan with cooking spray and/or parchment, see note below.
• In a small bowl, combine the crust ingredients: melted butter, sugar, and graham crackers crumbs. Press the crust mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan, pushing a little bit of the crust up the sides if you’d like (this is a personal aesthetic choice, go where the spirit leads you).
• Separately, mix the filling ingredients (cream cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt) with a mixer on medium speed until combined and very smooth. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust.
• Bake the cheesecake for 55-70 minutes (see note on timing) until just barely jiggly in the center.
• While the cheesecake bakes, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla for the topping.
• Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes (leave the oven on). This is an important step to let the cheesecake naturally deflate.
• After 10 minutes, spread the sour cream topping evenly on the cheesecake. Return to the oven and bake the cheesecake for 10 minutes more, then carefully remove from the oven.
• Let the cheesecake cool on the counter in the pan (do not remove the pan ring until ready to serve to allow the cheesecake to set properly) for at least 2 hours, and then move to the fridge for at least 4. Preferably, cool on the counter for several hours and then in the fridge overnight.
• Remove the outer ring from the springform pan before serving. Slice, serve, devour. You did it!

Notes

How To Tell When Cheesecake is Done: Depending on how wide your springform pan is, your cheesecake may need more or less time to cook. The cheesecake will be done when it is slightly jiggly in the center, but not rippling or very liquid-appearing. For 9-inch springform pans, the initial bake time will be 60-70 minutes. For wider pans, check the cheesecake beginning at the 50-minute mark. (I have had someone ask me before how to know how large your personal springform pan is and, I, um, well, measure it.)

Springform Pan Size: I love a tall cheesecake, and usually make this recipe in a 9-inch pan. However, the 10-inch size can be a bit more manageable and the cheesecake will cook faster in that size.

Parchment Paper: I place a piece of parchment paper on the inside of the springform pan, between the bottom and top sections, then clip the top (round) section over the bottom of the pan AND the parchment paper. This allows for the removal of the pan ring, and the cheesecake can slide (with the parchment paper) onto any platter you like for easy serving.

Room Temperature Ingredients: Having the eggs and cream cheese at room temperature will ensure a very smooth, creamy filling. I get them out first thing in the morning if I know I’m going to make this cheesecake, then let them sit out for at least 3 hours to warm up and soften.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

This post was originally published in December 2011 and has been updated with better text and instructions to make the recipe even more foolproof.