Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A tall, silky-custard cheesecake flecked with real vanilla bean, baked low and slow in a water bath so the top sets flat and crack-free. A buttery graham crust, a whisper of lemon, and a long overnight chill do most of the work — all you have to do is not rush it. Finished with lightly sweetened vanilla crème fraîche cream, it's the restaurant slice you were going to pay $38 for.

Ingredients

• 12 sheets graham crackers (about 1¾ cups fine crumbs)
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

• 32 oz full-fat block cream cheese (4 eight-ounce blocks), room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 whole vanilla beans, split and scraped
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature

• 1 cup heavy cream, cold
• 1/2 cup crème fraîche, cold
• 3 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 whole vanilla bean, scraped (or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste)

• 2 quarts boiling water
• heavy-duty aluminum foil

Instructions

1. Set the cream cheese, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, and ½ cup heavy cream on the counter 1½ to 2 hours before you start. Genuinely room-temperature ingredients are the single biggest factor in a lump-free, crack-free cheesecake — cold cream cheese will not smooth out no matter how long you beat it.
2. Heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the lower third. Wrap the outside bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with two overlapping sheets of heavy-duty foil, crimping tightly at the rim so no water can seep in. Lightly butter the inside of the pan.
3. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor to fine crumbs (or crush in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin) to get about 1¾ cups. Mix with 3 tbsp sugar, ¼ tsp salt, and the melted butter until the crumbs look like damp sand.
4. Press the crumbs firmly into the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the sides, using the flat bottom of a measuring cup to compact them. Bake 12 minutes until fragrant and just golden. Cool on a rack while you make the filling, then lower the oven to 300°F.
5. Rub the scraped seeds of 2 vanilla beans into the 1⅓ cups sugar with your fingers for 30 seconds to break up the clumps and spread the specks evenly. Whisk in the cornstarch and ½ tsp salt.
6. In a stand mixer with the paddle (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese alone on medium-low for 2 minutes until completely smooth, scraping the bowl and paddle twice. Add the vanilla sugar mixture and beat 2 minutes more on medium-low, scraping down at least once. Keep the speed low throughout — you want no air in this batter.
7. Beat in the sour cream, ½ cup heavy cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until uniform, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs one at a time, then the yolk, mixing just 15 seconds after each and scraping the bowl between additions. Stop the moment the last egg disappears; overmixing traps air, which is what causes puffing and cracks.
8. Pour the batter through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl (this catches any stubborn lumps), then pour it over the cooled crust. Rap the pan gently on the counter 5 or 6 times and pop any surface bubbles with a toothpick.
9. Set the foil-wrapped pan inside a large roasting pan and place it on the oven rack. Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes 1 to 1½ inches up the sides of the springform. Bake at 300°F for 80 to 95 minutes.
10. The cheesecake is done when the outer 2 inches look set and matte, the center 3 inches still jiggles like loose gelatin, and an instant-read thermometer inserted 1 inch from the edge reads 150°F (about 145°F in the very center). Do not bake until the center is firm.
11. Turn the oven off, prop the door open a few inches with a wooden spoon, and leave the cheesecake in the cooling oven and water bath for 1 hour. Then lift it out, remove the foil, and cool on a rack to room temperature, about 2 hours.
12. Run a thin knife around the inside rim to release any stuck edge (this prevents cracks as it contracts), cover loosely, and refrigerate at least 8 hours and ideally overnight — 24 hours is best. The texture goes from soft to dense and sliceable only after a full chill.
13. Just before serving, whip the cold 1 cup heavy cream, crème fraîche, powdered sugar, and the seeds from the remaining ½ vanilla bean to soft peaks, about 90 seconds. Release the springform ring, slice the cheesecake with a hot dry knife (dip in hot water and wipe between cuts), and serve each slice with a spoonful of vanilla cream.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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