Next week, July 30^th is National Cheesecake Day! What a great way to celebrate one of my favorite desserts with you. The one thing that makes a cheesecake, a cheesecake, is that they are dense and heavy. But the recipe that I am sharing with you is light and not as filling. I made this for 4^th of July and everyone went back for seconds.

I topped my cheesecake with fresh raspberries but of course, you can top with any fruit you’d like or with nothing at all. For those who are gluten-free; simply switch the graham crackers for gluten-free graham crackers. This alternative will not change the cheesecake and you can’t even tell that’s it’s a gluten-free crust. Another occurrence that many bakers find is their cheesecake may crack. If this happens, it’s the perfect reason to put fruit on top.

The best way to prevent you cheesecake from cracking is letting it cool down in the oven. During the summer once the cheesecake seems to be about done I’ll shut my oven off and leave the cake in there about 30-45 min. For the last 15 minutes, ill open the oven door but leave the cake in the oven still, and then I’ll take it out and let rest on a wire rack. For Winter I usually leave the cake in the oven for about an hour with the oven door closed. 15 minutes before the hour is up I’ll check the temperature of the oven, and if it seems to be nearing room temperature ill open the door and leave the cake in the oven. I won’t take the cake out until the oven comes back down to normal temperature. From their you’ll have the perfect, delicious cheesecake!

Do you have any tips on making the perfect cheesecake? Share them by leaving a comment!

Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 12 graham crackers, crushed
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 24 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• ¼ cup sugar
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• mixed berries, to serve

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
2. In a bowl, add the crushed graham crackers and melted butter and stir to combine.
3. Place the graham cracker mixture in a greased 8-inch (20-cm) springform pan, spreading them in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until it turns slightly golden on the top.
4. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese and sugar using a hand mixer until smooth.
5. Add the eggs and vanilla, and continue beating until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
6. Add the cream cheese mixture to the top of the graham cracker crust.
7. Bake for 1 hour, or until it looks semi-jiggly in the center and set on the edges.
8. Refrigerate for 12 hours, or overnight.