Desserts

Classic Cheesecake with Pastry Crust

Classic Cheesecake with Pastry Crust recipe

photo by:kraft

With just a hint of lemon flavor in both the crust and filling, this creamy cheesecake in a buttery pastry crust makes the perfect ending to a special meal.

time

prep:

35 min

total:

4 hr 25 min

servings

total:

12 servings

add your photo

add to shopping list

add to recipe box

send/share

What You Need

1/3

cup butter or margarine, softened

1/3

cup sugar

eggs, divided

1-1/2

tsp. grated lemon zest, divided

tsp. lemon juice, divided

cup flour

pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

3/4

cup sugar

Tbsp. flour

Tbsp. milk

Make It

PREHEAT oven to 350°F if using a silver 9-inch springform pan (or to 325°F if using a dark nonstick 9-inch springform pan). Beat butter and 1/3 cup sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Blend in 1 of the eggs, 1/2 tsp. of the lemon peel and 1 tsp. of the lemon juice. Add 1 cup flour; mix well. Reserve 3/4 cup of the dough; cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Press remaining dough firmly onto bottom of springform pan. Bake 10 minutes; cool. Press reserved dough 2 inches up side of pan. Increase oven temperature to 450°F (or to 425°F if using a dark nonstick pan).

BEAT cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp. flour, remaining 1 tsp. lemon peel and remaining 1 tsp. lemon juice in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add remaining 3 eggs, 1 at a time, mixing just until blended after each addition. Blend in milk; pour into crust.

BAKE 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250°F (or to 225°F for a dark nonstick pan); continue baking 40 minutes. Run small knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Size-Wise

Savor a serving of this indulgent, special occasion dessert that is perfect for a party. One pie makes enough for 12 servings.

Rate recipes, or edit your previous ratings and more. Sign In

a cook

posted:12/25/2008

This cheesecake was the most like cheesecakes I remember as a young person. The flavor, just a hint of lemon and the texture were so perfect. Thank you. I will make this for special occasions.

caren5253

posted:6/11/2008

awful

shoneamakwa

posted:12/4/2007

I loved the pastry crust even though it is really weird putting it in the pan, however, the 5 of us did not care for the actual cheesecake filling. I will use this pastry crust recipe again but will try other cheesecak recipes until I find the one that tastes right.

TALKER

posted:4/18/2007

THIS IS SIMILAR TO OLD FASHION GERMAN CHEESE CAKE. WE ALSO ADDED SOUR CREAM, COTTAGE CHEESE AND VANILLA FLAVORING.

Lane30

posted:3/6/2007

Great cheesecake. Not too hard to make and I liked the pastry crust better than a graham cracker crust. I added some fresh red raspberries on top for color.

Rubi60

posted:1/28/2007

this went well although i did find it to taste very cream cheesy more than other cheesecakes.. i thought it needed something.. we used strawberry preserves on top... the crust i think was my favorite part it was so good

sba2

posted:9/14/2006

I love this recipe. Everyone one always enjoys it and asks for the recipe. I like to make it with lower fat cream cheese so that it is not too rich. Usually I used 1 package of original, 2 packages of the one-third less fat and 1 package of fat free.

a cook

posted:7/3/2004

This is a great cheesecake! I found that if I spray my pan with just a little cooking spray and put the crust in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before I make the cheese cake it makes the crust stay together better. My family loves it!

a cook

posted:10/12/2002

this cake is extremely versatile any topping that is added is sure to rave revues. i have 3 teenage sons and 1 daughter that all prefer their cheescake a different way. i 1/4 the cake giving each their own favorite topping: 1) chocolate sauce w/ rapsberrie 2) pineapple glaze 3) mandrin orange segments, kiwi and bananas 4) chocolate dipped strawberries w/ crushed almonds. i also added a little brown sugar into the pastry crust and omited the lemon zest this usually gives aslight bitter taste if there is any leftovers.