Cheesecake

Never mind the sour cream, farmer's cheese, cream cheese, water bath, and worrying about a sunken center. The filling for this delicious cheesecake has just four simple ingredients, and the cake bakes in a mere 30 minutes. Now THAT'S easy! INGREDIENTS                                             Volume   CRUST 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs OR zwieback crumbs 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon (1/3 cup) melted butter 1/8 teaspoon salt FILLING 2 cups (2 large packages) cream cheese, at room temperature 2 large eggs 2/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract TOPPING (OPTIONAL) 12 ounce bag frozen raspberries, a scant 3 cups 1 to 3 tablespoons sugar, to taste 1 to 2 tablespoons Pie Filling Enhancer; use 1 tablespoon for a looser sauce, 2 tabl...

Serves 8 to 10 Cheesecake should never be a source of anything except pure bliss. Not distress. Not frustration. Certainly never tears. Just dreamy, decadent, nonstop bliss. But as delicious as cream cheese is, it needs some helpers to become a tasty cheesecake. Most recipes either use heavy cream or sour cream; either will do the job of softening the texture of the cheese and adding some moisture. Personally, I prefer sour cream because I like the extra hit of sour tang it adds to the cake. You also need a few eggs to hold the cake together. Three whole eggs do the trick quite nicely. I also add an extra yolk, which enhances the cake's velvety texture. (Whites tend to lighten the cake, which is actually fine — if you don't feel like separating that fourth egg and don't mind some extra airiness in the texture, just add in the whole egg.) What You Need Ingredients For the cheesecake: Butter, for coating the pan 2  pounds  full-fat cream cheese 1...