Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

Total Time Prep: 35 min. Bake: 1 hour + chilling
Yield 16 servings
Test Kitchen Approved
Scrape real vanilla beans fresh from the pod for this extra-special vanilla bean cheesecake.

Ingredients

  • 45 vanilla wafers, crushed into crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • FILLING:
  • 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 vanilla beans, scraped

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300°. Wrap the bottom half of a 9-in. springform pan with 3 layers of aluminum foil.
  2. In a large bowl, combine cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake until lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Let cool.
  3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth, 4-5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low; add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 5 minutes. Beat in cream, vanilla and vanilla beans until smooth and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Pour filling into cooled crust.
  4. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan. Bake 60-70 minutes or until cheesecake is slightly jiggly in the center. Let cool at room temperature, up to 1 hour. Cover; refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
  5. Remove sides of springform pan. Slice and serve.

Nutrition Facts

1 slice: 349 calories, 24g fat (12g saturated fat), 92mg cholesterol, 252mg sodium, 31g carbohydrate (23g sugars, 0 fiber), 5g protein.

Our family loves all cheesecake, and we use this recipe for any holiday or celebration. We all have our favorite flavors, so we often make sauces (caramel, chocolate, lemon or berry) to drizzle on top. —Lori Davis, Highland, Utah
Recipe Creator

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