04 September 2014

Slow Cooker Cheesecake


Slow Cooker Cheesecake / www.delightfulrepast.com

Slow Cooker Cheesecake is the only way to go! People tend to make a production out of cheesecake, but it doesn't have to be. Just bring a few simple ingredients to room temperature, mix them up, assemble, put it in the slow cooker and forget about it.

I made a simple strawberry topping for this one, but it is perfectly fine without it. There are lots of ways to go with this basic recipe, so I expect you'll be seeing more slow cooker cheesecake recipes here at Delightful Repast in the next few months.

The 7-inch diameter makes for the perfect size servings of something so rich as cheesecake. The more typical 9- to 10-inch size pans make either huge servings or very skinny, long wedges that aren't very attractive.

We love the texture of this cheesecake. And it did not have the common cheesecake problem of cracking on top. How do you feel about cheesecake? It seems to be one of those things people either love or hate.



Slow Cooker Cheesecake


(Makes one 7-inch cheesecake, 8 servings)

The Crust

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature (for pan)
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (6 whole crackers, 3.2 ounces)
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

The Filling

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, each cut into 8 squares, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

1 Butter bottom and sides of a 7-inch springform pan* with the softened butter. Combine crumbs, sugar and melted butter until the mixture comes together. If you used a food processor to make the crumbs, you can mix the crust in it as well. If you used the rolling pin/plastic bag method to make the crumbs, you can mix the crust with a fork in a small bowl. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom and one inch up the sides of the springform pan.

* If you want to remove the cheesecake from the springform pan base to serve, cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the buttered bottom of the pan, then butter the top of the paper as well.

Note: I use the Progressive International 3-Inch-Deep 7-Inch Nonstick Springform Pan, which I didn't find on Amazon except in this Set of 3 Springform Pans.

2 With electric mixer on medium speed, mix cream cheese and sugar until perfectly smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl and beaters/paddle. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. On low speed, mix in vanilla and sour cream just until well combined. Pour cheesecake filling into prepared pan.

3 Place rack in bottom of cooker, and add water to just below the rack (that's 3 cups in the Cuisinart MSC-600 Multicooker). Set the cheesecake on the rack. Cover the slow cooker with a triple layer of paper towels and the lid. (The paper towels will prevent condensation falling from the lid onto your cheesecake.) Set to Slow Cook on High for 2 hours; do not lift lid. Turn off the heat and let stand for 1 hour; do not lift lid until the hour is up.

4 Remove the lid and paper towels, and remove cheesecake to cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake. Release the spring and remove the sides of the pan. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours before serving.

32 comments:

Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) said...

What a great idea. And yes, the couple times I've made cheesecake, it has seemed like a production. I don't have a round crockpot anymore, mine will be oval. Thanks for the recipe. Trying this one very soon.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Lea Ann, my slow cooker is oval as well. You can make this in any slow cooker as long as it's wide enough to handle the 7-inch springform pan. And if yours didn't come with a wire rack, you can just form a ring of aluminum foil to set the pan on up out of the water.

Richard Sheppard said...

Mmmmmm, cheese cake is one of my all time favorites! This looks delicious and easy. Might have to try it using almond meal for the crust.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Richard! Yes, the almond meal makes a wonderful crust for cheesecake, especially when it has an apricot or cherry topping.

Amy at love made my home said...

Well, I never would have thought it! xx

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Amy, wish I'd thought of it. There was a recipe in the booklet that came with my slow cooker, but it wasn't ideal AND it called for cooking with the pan sitting directly in the slow cooker. I might try that next time, but I have a feeling the steam does something wonderful to the texture.

Cranberry Morning said...

Cheesecake is my very favorite!! Unfortunately, my slow cooker cooks too hot. My old one had a much lower temp on Low. I think everyone worried that people might undercook things, so they set the temp higher. Anyway, my spring form pan won't fit inside so I'll have to make it the old fashioned way. I wonder if I can just cover the cracks with strawberries. ;-)

Cranberry Morning said...

P.S. Someone hates cheesecake???

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Judy, if you're baking a cheesecake in the oven, try putting a large pan (maybe 13x9x2) on the shelf below and filling it with a kettle of boiling water. That should generate enough moisture in the oven to give the same effect.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

PS Judy - Yes, strange as it sounds, I know people who hate cheesecake!

Angie's Recipes said...

I am intrigued, Jean. Now I just have to find a proper baking form because my slow cooker is not round, but oval-shaped.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Angie, as long as your oval slow cooker is wide enough for the 7-inch round springform pan, you're all set. My slow cooker is oval, too; it's a more practical shape for me than the round.

Pauline Wiles said...

Wow - would certainly never have considered recipes where another pan/container goes in the slow cooker. (I was wondering how you got it out, looking so good!) Most intriguing.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

It's soooo easy, Pauline. And the texture is exceptional. My husband says it's the best cheesecake he's ever had. He wants me to make another one tomorrow. I told him he could make it himself, it's that easy!

Sippity Sup said...

It would be hard to hare cheesecake in my opinion. GREG

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

I know what you mean, Greg - I mean, I can understand that someone might not like liver, but cheesecake?

Cheryl said...

Jean, this looks delicious!! I am now on the lookout for a 7-inch springform pan! :D

Everyone in my house loves cheesecake. In fact, several times my daughters have requested cheesecake in lieu of a traditional birthday cake. That's okay with me!

Thomas "Sully" Sullivan said...

Where did that delightful picture of the strawberry cheesecake go? Oh, dear. I licked it off the screen. No matter. It wasn’t big enough. Is there a recipe for a bucket of cheesecake? 5 cleavers! 5 cleavers, I say!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Cheryl, thanks! Hope you get that pan soon. If you don't find one at your favorite shops, look at the one I linked to on Amazon and all the other ones they have. I actually have two of that size. Very handy.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Oh, Sully, it's always such a thrill for me when I get your 5-cleaver rating! And I consider cheesecake practically "health food!"

Unknown said...

if ever there was a reason to get myself a slow cooker, surely this is it!... i'm so intrigued and it looks gorgeous.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Dom, thank you so much! I'm new to slow cookery myself but am glad I have one now even if all I ever make in it is cheesecake!

yummychunklet said...

What a great way to make cheesecake.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, yummychunklet! Hope you'll try it soon!

2 Dogs said...

Once upon a time I had a lovely slow cooker but it went crash in the move from apartment to cottage. I'm still traumatized. LOL

But...my new toy...a $45 grill from Walmart. It's wonderful. Since I don't have a/c in the kitchen I'm grilling outside and no pots and pans to wash up. I love it. Tonight was pork chops with grilled squash and zucchini. Tomorrow night it's meatballs with green peppers, onions, and pineapples.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Pat, that sounds very sensible - anything to manage in the heat! You seem to be managing beautifully!

Pam said...

It looks and sounds delicious!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Pam! And the texture is simply the best ever!

Christine said...

Well, that sounds fantastic! And easy! Off to see if my pan will fit in my crockpot...

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Christine! If your pan won't fit in your crockpot, just order a pan that will!

Erik said...

So, two comments, not about the recipe itself but the copyediting.

1: There no instruction to actually add the filling to the prepared crust. We jump directly from mixing the filling to putting the cheesecake in the crock pot.

2: The bit with the asterisk and the parchment paper. Yes, one should always read through the whole recipe before one begins. But this text should really be up with the buttering the pan instruction, not after the crust instruction where it's too late.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Erik, thanks for the comment. I so appreciate it. Though I'm leaving number 2 as is (might be a bit awkward, but the asterisk should be fine because cooks should read through a recipe completely before they start making it), I've made the change suggested in number 1. Can't believe I left out "Pour cheesecake filling into prepared pan." Good catch!