The origins of cheesecake date back to ancient Greece, with cheesecake being served to Olympians in 776 BCE. That cake was cheese squeezed to eliminate liquid, then mixed with honey and spread on a wheat crust, baked, and served cooled.
Over time, the cake evolved to include other ingredients and morphed to more tart-like. The cake we are familiar with today arrived in the states in the 18th century, when a man named William Lawrence had an oops moment trying to recreate Neufchatel cheese, and ended up with the more spreadable cream cheese. As soon as it was discovered how to pasteurize the cheese, it became the standard for cream cheese cakes.
The Chicago-style cake shown here is a riff on the classic Sara Lee cheesecake, invented by Chicago baker Charles Lubin in 1949, and named after his daughter – you guessed it – Sara Lee. It has a graham cracker/ground nut crust, a classic cream cheese with egg filling, and topped with a sour cream layer. The sour cream layer is what sets Chicago style cheesecake apart from so many others. This layer gives it a bit of a tang and makes it a little denser and has a lush mouthfeel. They are firm on the outside and still moist and tender in the middle. Describe it how you will, I just call it delicious.
This recipe has been in my family for as long as I can remember. My cousin Fran preserved it from our grandmother, and it was a staple at all holiday dinners. Be sure to bring all chilled ingredients to room temperature for best blending, so no clumps. I hope you enjoy it for years to come as well!
Fran’s Cheesecake
Makes one 9” cheesecake
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 50-55 minutes
Chill time: 6 hours or overnight
Total time: 7.5 hours minimum (includes cooling)
For the crust:
1 cup ground graham crackers
3/4 cup ground nuts (I use pecans, my sister prefers walnuts)
1/2 cup melted butter
For the filling:
4 8 oz packages cream cheese
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoons lemon juice
For the topping:
2 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 9” springform pan on sides and bottom. Mix crackers, nuts and butter, press into the bottom of the pan.
2. Mix the room temperature cream cheese until smooth. On slow speed, add the eggs one at a time, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. The batter should be pretty smooth. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom several times while mixing.
3. Place the springform pan with the crust on a cookie sheet, then pour the batter into the pan.
4. Bake, uncovered, for 50-55 minutes. While baking, prepare the top layer, by mixing the sour cream, vanilla, and sugar. Mix until it is nice and smooth.
5. When cake is done remove from oven. Don’t worry if there’s a little movement in the cake. It should move a bit, but not be jiggly. Let it sit out to cool for 15 minutes.
6. Now, pour the top layer on, smooth it out and return to oven for another 5 minutes.
7. When you’re done cooking, cool the cake on a rack and then chill in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight. Longer is better to really get that cake set.
8. Before removing the sides of the pan, run a thin spatula around the edge to be sure nothing is sticking. Cut into 8-10 slices and enjoy! Keep leftovers (who are we kidding?) covered in the fridge. Enjoy!
If you love sweets as much as I do, check out some of our upcoming classes! Hands on Breakfast Breads and Pastries is offered twice in March (Friday, March 6 10am or Saturday, March 14 10am), and trust me, you don’t want to miss that one. Or, if you’d like to try a different kind of cheesecake, check out this post for Burnt Basque Cheesecake: A Cheesecake Like No Other.
Our travelers to Spain tasted Basque Cheesecake while in San Sebastian on a culinary tour there in 2024. Those tours have been so successful, we’re going to three destinations this year! Get your passport ready for the culinary trip of a lifetime to Ireland, Tuscany, or Iceland.
