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!

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    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 ☺

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    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.

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

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  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.

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  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.

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

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

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

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  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.

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

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