Pages

March 25, 2013

Cheesecake (made in the crock-pot)


I don't know what it is about cheesecake, but I have never had any success making it.  Granted, the last time I tried to make it was probably 12 years ago.  When I first started getting into baking I tried to make cheesecake and it was a total disaster.  The water bath leaked into my pan and it was a total mess.  The next time I tried it I think it was a faulty recipe or something because the flavor and texture were just not right.  After those two failed attempts I decided it would be a long time, if ever, that I would try making cheesecake again.  I'm sure my thighs were thanking me anyway.

However, I recently came across a recipe for cheesecake made in the crock pot, which I found to be very intriguing.  Could this be the method that I need to achieve cheesecake success?  I printed out the recipe and set it aside for a while, pulling it out every once in a while pondering whether or not to give it a try.  Finally this weekend I decided to do just that.  Now, I know I've been posting a lot of crock pot recipes lately, but really for the most part, I don't use mine that often.  Fingers and toes crossed that this would not be yet another cheesecake disaster.

I did not use a spring-form pan (I think the ones I have must not be very good and I didn't want leaking to occur again).  It was a little challenging finding a pan that would fit in my crock pot while still leaving enough room around all sides so it could sit in a water bath.  The original recipe must have been for a larger crock pot than the one I have, so I had to make some adjustments in order to make it work (I have a 4 quart crock pot).  I have to say that I was VERY impressed with the results!  It really came out perfectly....and I will be the first to admit that I was shocked!  It was the perfect size for the three of us also - I really didn't want it to be so big that it would be sitting around all week tempting me every day.  This lasted the three of us for 2 days, which was just right.  I was so thrilled with the results, I may even be inspired enough to try making it in the oven again......we'll see.


Cheesecake in the Crock-pot (adapted from www.crockpotladies.com)

2, 8 oz packages of cream cheese, at room temp
2 eggs, at room temp
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp sugar

Mix the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until well blended.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until blended before adding the the second egg.  Mix in the vanilla.  In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and 1 tbsp of sugar.  Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until well blended.  

Spray a 7 1/2" x 5 1/2 " round pan with cooking spray (you may have to adjust your pan size to fit your crock-pot).  Press the graham cracker crumb mixture into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan - make sure you have a smooth even layer.  Pour in the cream cheese mixture, and carefully place the pan into your crock-pot.  Carefully pour water into the bottom of your crock-pot - enough water so that it goes about halfway up the outside of the pan.  Place lid on the crock-pot and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours, or until the center is set.  Remove the pan from the crock-pot and let it cool for about an hour before transferring to the refrigerator.  Chill in fridge for at least an hour before serving. 

14 comments:

  1. Your recipe is just like the one I use for mini cheesecakes that I bake in paper lined muffin tins. It's a good basic recipe. Also, if you use the water bath method for baking cheesecakes, just wrap the spring form pan in aluminum foil. I prefer not using the water bath method. Love your recipes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Believe it or not, I DID wrap the pans in tin foil and it STILL leaked! I guess I didn't do a great job at or something. I think I'm not going to mess with the water baths unless I do it in the crock-pot! Thank you for visiting & commenting ☺

      Delete
    2. I'm not a fan of crockpots I was just curious about this recipe. However, when I make cheesecakes I don't set the pan in water, I set a pan of water on the rack underneath. Perhaps you should try that out instead.

      Delete
    3. I suppose I could try that also - seems like a better option than buying new pans! Thanks for visiting & commenting ☺

      Delete
  2. This is surprising since you don't want water to get into the bottom of the cheesecake nor do you want it to touch the cheese mixture......interestng that this worked in a crock pot. But I'll take your word for it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Maybe I didn't explain myself that well, but you place a pan inside the pan of the crock-pot. The pan you place inside needs to be smaller than the crock-pot so you can add water to the crock-pot - therefore it is sitting in a water bath. This is how I did it and it worked for me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is amazing - I would never think to make a cheesecake in a crock pot. And it looks so rich and delish!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought the same thing! Thanks for visiting & commenting....I hope you'll give this one a try ☺

      Delete
  5. I have family coming next week I am going to have to try this sounds wonderful

    ReplyDelete
  6. I prefer the cheesecake recipe I adapted from a basic lemon one years ago. No water bath needed really.
    400g crushed chocolate digestive biscuits (US would be similar of crushed Graham crackers and some crumbled dark chocolate), mixed with a couple of pinches of powdered ginger and 50g demerera sugar.
    Melt about 100g of butter / margerine (I use the microwave) and mix in the crumbled mix, then press into a suitable tin / dish. I use about a 10" square lasagne dish. Place in the fridge / freezer to set.
    Juice and zest 2 oranges, mix with 50g caster sugar and either 2 packs of cream cheese or 1 pack and a similar amount of greek style yoghurt for added sharpness. Blend until smooth.
    Make up a single sachet of gelatine or similar and stir in thoroughly. Just as it starts to stiffen whip in a 1/4pt of single cream.
    Pour the top over the base and set to chill.
    Serves plenty as it's rather rich, freezes well but takes a long slow defrost to be ready again. Takes about 1/2 hour to make. Much simpler than having to cook due to having eggs in the mix.

    ReplyDelete
  7. i wonder if i could adapt this for my 3.5 qt i just bought.

    ReplyDelete