Cooking Lesson #292: Instant Pot Creamy Cheesecake

…from the California Kitchen

 How you doin’? This Creamy Cheesecake is what I classify as a California-style Cheesecake. It is basic, creamy and lends itself to a number of different cheeses—ricotta, mascarpone or even cottage cheese—and a wide variety of toppings—or just a great simple cheesecake all by itself. You can use flavored or unflavored full fat yogurt in place of the sour cream. In fact, when you really come down to it, it’s hard to make a mistake when making this cheesecake in your Instant Pot.
 
While I have offered cheesecake recipes in the past, I love this one for its simplicity, flexibility and creamy texture of the final cheesecake. This cheesecake will last for at least 5 days refrigerated… unless it is consumed first!
 
Prep time:  30 minutes
Instant Pot Cook time:  20 minutes, plus release time
Chill time:  6 hours or overnight
Yield: 6 servings (1 6-inch Instant Pot springform pan)
 
Ingredients
For the graham cracker crust
1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
 
For the cheesecake batter
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
 
For the sour cream topping (optional)
3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla if you prefer)
 
Directions
To make the graham cracker crust

1. Preheat an oven to 350⁰ F.
2. Butter the bottom and sides of a 6-inch springform pan.
3. Line the bottom and sides (making a collar) with baking parchment and then butter the parchment.
4. In a bowl of a food processor, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Process all ingredients well.
5. Press the crust crumbs into bottom and up the sides of the springform pan over the parchment.
6. Bake the crumb crust in the middle of the preheated oven for 15 MINUTES or until it begins to brown.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.

To make the cheesecake batter

1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
2. Blend in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract and salt.
3. Fold in the sour cream.
4. Transfer the batter to the prepared springform pan. Gently tap the pan against the counter to pop any air bubbles.
5. Pour 1 cup of water into your Instant Pot.
6. Place a trivet with lifters (fitted for an Instant Pot) in the pot. Place the springform pan on the trivet.
7. Lock the lid on and make sure the valve is set to seal. Set to cook under HIGH PRESSURE for 20 MINUTES. It will take about 5 minutes to come up to full pressure.
8. When the cook time is up, let the pressure NATURALLY RELEASE for 10 MINUTES. Quick release any remaining pressure. Open the pot, using the lifters to remove the baking pan from the Instant Pot. The center of the cake should be jiggly and the sides more or less set.
9. Remove from the Instant Pot and cool on a rack for about 2 hours.
10. Run a paring knife around the warm cake to release it from the sides of the pan, but do not remove the springform sides.
11. Reduce the oven temperature to 300⁰F.
12. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes gently blotting up any condensation that has collected on top of the cake with a paper towel. You will be covering the cheesecake with a sour cream topping, so don’t be concerned if it’s less than perfect.

To make the sour cream topping (if desired)

1. Place the 3/4 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1 teaspoon almond extract in a medium size bowl and whisk thoroughly.
2. Top the slightly cooled cheesecake with the sour cream topping. Place in a 300⁰F for 10 minutes. Then remove from the oven.
3. Cool the cake to room temperature, about 2 hours.
4. Refrigerate the cheesecake at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.
5. Carefully remove the ring from around the cheesecake. Using a large flat spatula, transfer the cheesecake to a cake plate.
6. Keep refrigerated until serving.

ChefSecret:  For best results, only use full fat cream cheese and sour cream. Anything less and the cheesecake may not set up properly. Control the amount of fat you get by controlling the size of the piece you eat.
Quip of the Day: “I noticed the other day that Joan started carrying a knife in her purse. I asked her why? She told me, well just in case I run into a cheesecake or something. That was good enough for me.”
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