Dad's Famous Cheesecake

This is my dad's cheesecake recipe that he's made every Christmas since I can remember.

A sweet and creamy cheesecake filling is combined with an easy graham cracker crust for the right amount of creaminess and crunch.

It's the perfect dessert topped with fresh berries or homemade strawberry syrup.

My Dad's Famous Cheesecake Recipe

We love cheesecake! There are a variety of flavors we make often, including double chocolate (so rich and decadent) and pumpkin cheesecake in the Fall.

But in my house, this cheesecake recipe is famous! My dad was never much of a cook while I was growing up. But every Christmas he would put the apron on and make two of these cheesecakes, one for each side of the family.

Over the years he perfected the recipe to his liking, with many scribbles and notes written over the original recipe. Now, my dad has MS and is in a wheelchair. But he still makes us cheesecake at Christmas and we relish every bite.

Today I wanted to honor him and his tradition by sharing his wonderful cheesecake recipe here on the blog. This cheesecake is relatively simple to make, but the key secret is to mix the ingredients very well. This will give you the smoothest creamiest results.

Recipe Ingredients

CRUST: This is made from a combination of graham cracker crumbs (or crushed graham crackers if you're unable to find the crumbs), cinnamon, melted butter and a pinch of salt.

FILLING: The filling is made with cream cheese, eggs and sour cream as the base. Sugar and vanilla add the flavor.

TOPPINGS: Growing up, my dad always served ours with strawberry sauce. You can also serve with sliced fresh berries.

How To Make The Cheesecake

This cheesecake comes together in two main steps, the crust and the filling, with an additional optional topping:

1. Mix the crust ingredients together. Press firmly into a springform pan.
2. Beat together filling ingredients thoroughly using the full recipe instructions below.
3. Pour into pan over crust. Bake for 60 minutes, then let cool completely.
4. Add fresh strawberries and other ingredients to a pot. Bring to boil and simmer until the fruit breaks down. Chill in the fridge.
5. Serve strawberry sauce over top of the sliced cheesecake and enjoy!

Recipe Tips

• You will need a springform pan for this recipe. It's a special kind of pan that has a base that separates from the side.
• Mix ingredients very well. My dad has made many mistakes over the years and emphasizes this in his notes. A well-mixed filling truly makes the best cheesecake.
• I recommend setting a timer while mixing. That way you know you're mixing enough.
• I'm unable to find graham cracker crumbs locally (it's hard to find "specialty items" in my town) so I used regular graham crackers and made them into crumbs using my food processor. This could also be done by adding the crackers to a bag and beating them with a rolling pin.
• Place the springform pan on a baking sheet lined with aluminum. The cheesecake may leak a little through the bottom as it bakes and this pan will catch that liquid.
• Let the cheesecake chill completely (preferably overnight) before serving. I always find that cheesecake tastes better the next day or two. You can make this recipe the night before you plan to serve.
• For toppings, you can use whipped cream, whipped coconut cream, fresh berries, strawberry sauce, or even jam.

More Dessert Recipes

• Strawberry Angel Food Dessert is made with only 4 ingredients. It's an easy dessert to make for a large crowd.
• Classic Devils Food Cake is a vintage recipe made with simple ingredients.
• Strawberry Pineapple Cake is light, fluffy and creamy made with fresh strawberry and pineapple.
• Chocolate Angel Food Cake is airy, light and fluffy - it's one of my favorite ways to make a cake.

Did you love this dessert recipe? Be sure to leave a rating below!