Go Back

No Fail American Flag Cheesecake

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

Crust
  • 1 1/2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
  • 6 Tablespoons Salted butter melted
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 3 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
Filling
  • (3) 8oz Packages whole fat cream cheese I use Philadelphia brand
  • 1 Cup Granulated sugar
  • 3 Large Eggs
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Top creamy layer
  • 1 Pint Sour cream
  • 3 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
American Flag Topping
  • Blueberries
  • Raspberries
Lemon Buttercream Frosting (to fill in fruit)
  • 1/2 Cup Salted butter Room temperature
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Extract
  • 2 Cups Powdered sugar
  • 1-2 Tablespoons Milk
  • Pinch of salt

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
  2. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter and cinnamon. Press firmly into bottom and sides of a 9-or 10-inch springform pan. Set aside.
  3. Beat room temperature cream cheese and gradually add sugar a little at a time. The trick to making this cheesecake extra creamy is beating the cream cheese and sugar really well before adding the eggs. I like to whip the mixture until it is very smooth and fluffy. Add in vanilla bean paste or extract. Scrape edges, beat again.
  4. Now add the eggs one at a time and mix just until smooth and incorporated.
    *Use a spatula to scrape edges and bottom of the bowl, make sure there are no remaining lumps*.
  5. Pour filling into crust. Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes. No water bath is needed!
  6. In a mixer or medium bowl, whisk sour cream, sugar and vanilla.
    When your cheesecake has baked for 1 hour and 5 minutes, remove from the oven and spoon sour cream topping evenly on top of cheesecake. Lightly spread with a spatula or spoon and return to oven for 10 minutes more.
  7. Cool 25 minutes or so before slowly opening and removing your springform pan.
  8. I like to allow mine to cool enough to room temperature that I can add plastic wrap over the top without it causing condensation. It will still get a little bit in the fridge, but you can remove the wrap and dab the top with a paper towel if needed.
  9. Refrigerate (I like to make it the day before or give myself 6-8 hours of setting time in the fridge) before decorating with the American Flag topping.
American Flag Topping
  1. Make a batch of the lemon buttercream. This is optional but will be so pretty to pipe in-between the fruit.
  2. With a large knife, very lightly mark lines for where you would like to add your blueberries and the stripe lines with the raspberries.
  3. Add fruit.
  4. Use a star nozzle to pipe frosting in-between the fruit stripes.