Light as Air, Fluffy Cheesecake Recipe
I very fondly remember my Aunt Mary who was my Mother’s youngest sister. She was so loving and caring and a wonderful Mother to her three children. In fact, she was like my second Mother and I spent many a day visiting her and also spent summer vacations with her. She loved to laugh and make others laugh and she was a mentor to me on being a good Mother and wife.
Aunt Mary was also a great cook and I learned many a dish from her.
Everyone loved her cheesecake recipe and she was very proud to let us all know it was very special and when we had children we were to pass on the recipe.
Aunt Mary’s cheesecake recipe is truly unique, but I’ve had a difficult time putting my finger on exactly what it is about it that’s so special. I asked a few others in my family and the consenus is just how light and fluffy Aunt Mary’s cheesecake was. Some even have described its consistency like that of a soufle.
Aunt Mary is no longer with us but she is still in our hearts and thoughts and we all have shared her recipe with our children and their children. I would like to pass this delicious recipe on to all of you out there.
Crust:
¾ c plain bread crumbs
3 Tbsp melted margarine
¼ c sugar
Melt margarine in saucepan and stir in bread crumbs and sugar just to moisten crumbs. Spread crumbs along bottom of an ungreased 9 inch spring form pan.
Filling:
1/4 c milk
½ tsp lemon juice
1 lb. Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese (let soften at room temperature)
1 pint Daisy sour cream
6 eggs, separated
1 ¼ c sugar
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
Blend together in large bowl milk, lemon juice and cream cheese. Add to blended ingredients sour cream, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla. Beat egg whites till stiff and fold into mixture.
Pour over crumbs and bake 320-325 degree oven for one hour or until center comes out clean on a toothpick. Turn off heat and keep in oven one more hour. Remove sides of pan and chill. (May develop cracks on top which can be covered with sifted powdered sugar when serving).
Enjoy! And please be sure stop back and leave a comment about how you liked it. I’d love to hear what you think and please be sure to follow the tips below to insure a successful cheesecake:
Helpful suggestions for baking a perfect fluffy cheesecake:
- Use only large size eggs (not jumbo!)
- Use Kraft Philadelphia Cream cheese and best brands of sour cream (Daisy, Friendship, or Breakstone). I do not recommend a store brand for this recipe.
- I advise you to calibrate your oven temperature; if the oven fails to meet its automatic setting, it may be too hot or too cold. Therefore, compensate by using either a lower or higher temperature setting than the recommended (320-325 degrees) range.
- If you use a silver springform pan, bake at 325° for 1 hour or more. For a dark, non-stick springform pan, bake at 300° for at least 1 hour, 15 min. (Thanks to Tony for the tip!)
- Use a springform pan that measures no less than 9″ in diameter.
- Fill the springform pan approximately one inch below the rim.
- Do not beat egg whites ahead of time. They should be stiff but not dry. When egg whites can stand up in peaks after beating then that is the time to stop beating.
- Carefully fold whites into batter to avoid deflating the egg whites.
Recommended Appliances and Utensils:
I love my Kitchen Aid mixer and it makes mixing the ingredients for the cheesecake filling a breeze.
Filed under: Fluffy Cheesecake
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Hi Aunt Mary,
This is your favorite nephew, Robert, checkin’ in. I was overjoyed to see the family cheesecake recipe posted on your blog. I can testify that this is the best cheesecake I’ve ever tasted….and believe me I’ve sampled quite a few in my lifetime. There is something divinely sublime about its light airy texture that has left all the others greatly wanting…and the graham cracker crust is to die for. As a child, I had to exert the greatest willpower not to eat the entire cheesecake in one sitting when my mother baked one.
Hi Robert,
So nice to hear from you! Come on by and I’ll bake you a cheesecake and I promise you won’t have to share it with anyone.
Loved the light texture! I used lowfat cream cheese and milk and it still came out great. Now, I can eat a bigger piece!
@Elaine,
I am always searching for lowfat recipes and will definitely try your suggestions for making this cheese cake recipe not only light and fluffy but also lowfat.
Hi there!
Your Aunt Mary’s recipe looks very promising and I’d like to try it. But I’d like to use the store bought graham cracker pie crusts that I have lying around. Do you think it would work okay? Should I cut down the cooking time since the cheesecake pie will be quite a bit shorter than cheesecake made in a springform pan?
Thanks!
Hi Lillian:
Since this cheesecake recipe is lighter and higher than a pie cheesecake, I feel it would not work well in a pie pan. I think it will spill over in your oven while baking. Sorry about that but I do hope you get a chance to try this recipe someday.
Hi Mary,
I believe this recipe may be the one I have been searching for the past few years. There was a bakery in my hometown that made a cheesecake that was high,light and fluffy; totally different than what is passed today as “cheesecake.” The question I have is can I use a traditional graham cracker crust rather than the breadcrumb crust you propose? Would the graham cracker crust spoil the baking process? Thank you.
Hi Tony:
No problem using the graham cracker crust but still mix with the melted butter. It will work just as well. I hope this recipe is the one you have been searching for. It is truly light, fluffy, and delicious.Please let me know how it comes out. Happy New Year.
Sorry, I failed to tell you how delish the cheesecake turned out. Graham cracker crust turned out quite well, also. The only problem I had was that I failed to make two cheesecakes; we ate the first one before the dinner party!
This indeed is the closest cheesecake I have tasted since my Indiana hometown bakery shut its doors. This is a keeper and will become a part of my permanent recipe collection. Much thanks.
Hi Tony:
Thanks for getting back to me and I am so happy to hear the cheesecake was a winner for you.
Hi Mary,
I am on a cheesecake binge. I have been making your cheesecake for my condo community almost regularly. Want to share something I discovered recently that may improve your baking technique. If one uses a silver springform pan, bake at 325° for 1 hour or more. If one use a dark, non-stick springform pan, bake at 300° for at least 1 hour, 15 min. Bakes perfectly and no cracks.
Hi Tony:
Thanks so much for the very helpful suggestion which I will definitely post on my Addendum for baking tips. I’m so happy to know that this recipe has worked out so well for you. Thanks again for commenting.
I had a question about the graham cracker crust? If the crust is store bought, what use is the butter? Where would the butter go? Sorry, I’m just a little confused. Mary, were you referring to graham cracker crumbs or the store bought graham cracker crust??
-Thanks! I love your recipes!!
Hi Ash:
Sorry for the mix up about the crust. I was referring to graham cracker crumbs..but you are correct about the difference using store bought prepared crust. Just be careful when transferring the prepared crust from the original pie pan to the base of the Springform pan. You do need to use a spring form pan for fluffy cheesecake.
Hello Mary, Do you recomment a nonstick springform pan or a regular aluminum (i.e. non-teflon) one, like the one in your video? Also, how wide is the springform pan you used? Best,
Riccardo
Sorry, I now see it was a 9″ springform
Hi Riccardo:
I recommend the non-stick springform pan. I didn’t have to grease or spray the pan before adding the crumb crust and removal of the cake was so easy.Just go around the cake with a spatula before removing the springform ring.
Well, I hate to be a party pooper but I was looking for a light, fluffy cheesecake recipe and I made this one a week ago. Neither my husband nor I liked the texture of the cake. I would not make this again. Sorry!
Hi Kathy,
Sorry the texture of the cheesecake was not what you were looking for. It is not the typical dense texture cheesecake but more like a souffle.Carefully folding the stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter is the secret to the lightness of this cake.
Well, it was very, very light (I folded in the egg whites very carefully) but I guess we just didn’t like the custard-like consistency. Also, I followed the directions exactly on oven temperature and timing – leaving it in the oven for another hour after it was turned off – and it was still not fully done in the middle so I had to bake it a little longer.
I’m looking for something between a too-dry cheesecake and this one. I’m still searching. Thanks for the reply.
Kathy
Hi Kathy:
I would like to solve the problem for you since the custard-like consistency isn’t the true texture of this cake. Could the brand of ingredients you used be the problem? I use only Kraft’s Philadelphia Cream cheese and Breakstone or Daisy sourcream. Sometimes different brands can make a difference. Also check if the cake is cooked in the middle before turning off the oven.Not all ovens are the same. Hope you will try it again. Good luck.
I’m working on a recipe of my own and one of the problems I run across is the texture. I’m trying to make my cheesecake bit more fluffy, which is how I stumbled upon your blog. I’ve been checking on many websites and some have different ideas. I’m going to try the egg white thing and see what I come up with. Another problem I have is the cheesecake raising out of the springform pan. My recipe has 2 tbls of all purpose flour. I’m thinking that could be contributing to the 1 to 2 inch raise during baking. My next attempt will be taking out the flour and folding in the stiff egg whites. Do you have any advise for keeping the cheesecake from raising over the pan? Do you feel the pan to the very top or leave 1/2 inch free board?
Hi Chris:
My springform pan is 2 3/4 inch deep and 9 1/2 diameter. I never had a problem with it spilling over. I agree, take out the flour and fold in the egg whites. I fill the pan fairly close to the top and it doesn’t raise while baking. Don’t cook it too fast or at too high a temp. Hope this helps. Please let me know how it turns out. Remember to let it sit in the oven an hour or more after cooking.
The light n’ fluffy cheesecake recipe is absolutely delicious AND so easy to make. Just one suggestion to all others who want to try this recipe, DON’T SKIMP on the quality of the ingredients.
This is definitely a keeper. I’m looking forward to preparing other recipes you have to share.
Everyone needs an “Aunt Mary”.
/terry
Thank you for your lovely comment and compliment.
Mary,
Since you were so kind to took the time to make a video and share such a wonderful recipe, I thought that the LEAST I could do was to leave my comments.
I used your cheesecake recipe and made it for people at my office. It was an absolute SUCCESS! I REALLY ENJOYED it myself and I am not a big cheesecake fan.
Regardless of a few discrepancies in the written recipe from the video (such as the oven temperature and the amount of sugar in the cheesecake part of the recipe) it was AMAZING! I used the video instructions instead of the written recipe.
The only things I did differently was I used graham crackers instead of bread crumbs for the crust and instead of lemon, I used lime. I also made the crust much thicker and used approximately 1-1/2 to 2 cups of crumbs and a stick of butter. Paula Dean says butter rules!
I did a search for Fluffy Cheesecake on the internet and was grateful to come across your recipe. The video was extremely helpful. Thank you sooo much for sharing!
Hats off to the Chef and to your Aunt Mary is now our Angel!
Ann
oops…took = take
Hi Ann,
Thank you for your complimentary comment and also for taking the time to write. I love hearing how my recipes have worked out. I will try your suggestion of adding lime juice instead of lemon. The amount of sugar in the batter should be 1 1/4 cups. The additional 1/4 cup sugar would obviously increase the sweetness. Since you were satisfied, that’s what counts. I enjoy when viewers experiment with the recipes. I think your changes were fine.
Hey Mary! Just made another cheesecake for Mother’s Day. This time I added lime zest and the juice of 2 limes. The batter is amazing! Love the lime! I plan to add canned cherries on top and some large pieces of shaved white chocolate. Can’t wait for everyone to try the finished product this weekend! Happy Mother’s Day to all!
Hi Ann:
What a great addition to the recipe. I will definitely try the lime zest and juice. Your cheesecake will be a huge hit and pretty enough for a photo. A very Happy Mother’s Day and may it be very special.
Hi Mary…thanks for this great recipe. So delicious! One question though: The middle collapsed quite a bit. First it looked great but at the end of the last hour sitting in the turned off oven, the middle was completely sunken. Any advice for next time? Do you think I may have beaten the egg whites too much?
Hi Christine:
Happy to hear the cheesecake was delicious but sorry to hear it “collapsed”. My feeling is the oven cooled down too quickly (don’t open oven door while cooling down). Also, the oven temperature needs to be set low, 320-325 degrees. Please try again and hopefully you will produce a perfectly light and fluffy cheesecake. Let me know how it turns out. I appreciate your comments.
Hi Mary,
The middle of my cheescake collapsed and cracked. It collapsed in the last hour in the oven. I was so disappointed. It sounds like Christine and I had the same problem. My oven was at 325. Any other suggestions????
Hi Kathy;
I’m sorry to hear you had a problem with this recipe. Let’s check a few things out. Did you turn the oven off while it was sitting for the last hour? Did you read my addendum to the recipe to help solve some issues in preparing the recipe? The oven door should be kept closed while baking, very similar to baking a souffle.
I tried this with a vanilla cookie crumb crust in a cupcake pan, to make smaller portion sizes. They were delicious, light, fluffy and airy dangerously so I ate half of the twenty four I made. I was trying to find a recipe similar to one I tasted a few years, I asked the woman for the recipe but she said she couldn’t reveal it. I think I found it, thanks for sharing your recipe!
I made this recipe for Easter and it was a hit! it was soft and fluffy and yummy! Thanks sooo much for sharing your Aunts recipe.
Hi Celena:
I appreciate you taking time to comment on the cheesecake recipe. So happy to know it worked out so well for your Easter celebration and that it was a wonderful added treat for Easter.
Hi Taryn:
Happy to hear that my recipe is the one you were searching for. Great idea making cupcake portions and yes, using vanilla cookie crumbs would work as well as the original breadcrumb base or graham crackers. Thanks for your comment.
Hi Mary,
I tried baking the cheesecake today and when I opened my oven after one hour, the cake had spilled over the edges of my springform pan. My pan is the same size as your pan. Do you know why this happened?
Thanks,
Christine
Hi Christine:
I am sorry you had a problem. Hopefully these suggestions will help to avoid a spill over in the future.
1. The oven temperature may have been too low. Use the higher temp. 325 degrees.
2. Fill springform pan just below the rim, approximately 1 inch lower.
3. Only use large size eggs, no larger.
4. Do not beat the egg whites ahead of time. They should be stiff but not dry: over beating can cause the cake to rise to high and spill over. When the egg whites can stand up in peaks after beating then that is the time to stop beating. Carefully fold the whites into the batter to avoid deflating the egg whites.
I hope you will give it another try and please let me know the outcome.
Hi Mary,
Thank you for sharing your lovely recipe. I have tried making a fluffy cheesecake but it came out dense although the taste turned out lovely. Now that i have stumble your recipe, i will give it a try. However, I would like to know what can be used to substitute the sour cream and may i cut off the 1/4 cup of sugar ?
Hi Shirley:
I would not recommend any substitute for the sour cream in this particular recipe. I see no problem in cutting off the 1/4 cup sugar, in fact, you can even use a sugar substitute if you like ( i.e. Splenda, Stevia, Xylitol). Please read the Addendum for making the perfect cheesecake.
Hi Mary,
Thank you very much for the valuable advice. I will give it a try this weekend and will keep you posted on the outcome. Thank you so much for sharing. You have a great weekend
Shirley
Hi Shirley:
I look forward to hearing from you and your comments on the cheesecake.
Hi Mary,
I did the cheesecake in cupcake cases. While baking, they rose very nicely and looked very fluffy. It took about 40 minutes to bake. I left them in the oven for another half hour and when I took out, a couple had the centre sunk in and a few has lower volume. I do have a few that turned out rather nicely. I filled batter up almost to the rim.
Is the baked cake supposed to be the same height as the batter when filled or does it shrink after baking? I like the taste but will have to eat it again tomorrow to see if it’s fluffy.
Hi Wai:
I basically feel this recipe is not meant for cupcake pans as it needs to have the temperature be equally the same thoroughout the baking process, therefore some of the cupcakes in the center of the pan might not bake as evenly as the outer cakes. When using a springform pan the batter comes almost to the top and just rises slightly when baking and may recede (shrink) while cooling but should not sink in the center.
Thanks Mary. I think I may have that problem cos I opened the oven door a few times to check the doneness cos I’m not sure how long they take to bake in small cases. Anyway, I luv the taste and texture and I will definitely try again. I have tried a few recipes and so far, this is the one I loved best cos it’s not the dense kind and neither is it the light japanese soufle kind which does not taste like cheesecake. Thanks for sharing. This recipe is definitely for keeps.
Hi Wai:
Happy to know you will give this another try. Be patient, don’t rush the baking, and you will reap the benefits of a delicious, fluffy, light cheesecake. Please comment on how it turns out: always love to receive comments.
Hi Mary,
will try again today with a bain marie method. Hopefully, it will even out the temp and I’ll get fluffier cheesecupcakes. I gave the previous batch to some friends and they all loved the taste.
Hi Mary,
I have been searching and searching for a light and fluffy cheesecake recipe, so thank you so much for the recipe. I am very excited to try it! I do have a question, do you think I can still add a sour cream topping? My recipe I have now calls for the sc topping, and I really enjoy it. Thank you for your help and advice.
Melissa
Hi Melissa:
The sour cream topping will work on this cheesecake. Just make sure the cheesecake is thoroughly cool and is removed from the springform pan. I have topped mine with fruit sauces and it works out very well. Love to hear how you like this recipe and maybe you will send me your sour cream topping recipe for our readers to try. Thanks for writing and I look forward to receiving your comments.
Thank you so much Mary. I am about to start making your cheesecake as I write this. If the sc topping works I will definitely send it to you! Thank you for sharing your Aunt’s recipe!
hello Mary,
this is the best cheesecake recipe that i ever tasted! Thank you so much!
I cut the recipe in half and I baked it in a nine inch (nonstick) springfoam pan as your recipe requires. I didnt notice until after the cheesecake was baked that I forgot to put in the 2 tablespoons of milk (which is half of a 1/4 cup). It still taste very delicious. But do you think that leaving out the milk affects the cheesecake? Or will the difference be noticeable with the full recipe (instead of the half which I baked)?
Hi Natasha:
Happy to know that the cheesecake was delicious considering the changes you made. If it came out light and fluffy, not dense, then you did well. I do think leaving out the milk in the full recipe would affect the taste and lightness. Give the full recipe a try, you’ll see the difference.
Hello,
My cheesecake is in the oven as I am typing this message. Thank you for your video recipe. It is very helpful since this is my first time baking a cheesecake. I cut down to half of your recipe ingredients since I have a smaller spring form pan. It looks great and smells wonderful so far….will update how my cheesecake will turns out.
Hi Miley:
I’m looking forward to hearing how you enjoyed the cheesecake. Thank you for taking time to comment.
Hello,
I absolutely love cheesecake and I prefer the “light” texture and have been looking for some time for a great recipe. I made this today and it turned out great… No cracks!! Haven’t tasted it just yet cause I’m taking this with me this weekend when I visit my big sis, who is also a cheesecake fanatic. Mary, after the cheesecake cooled it gradually sank to a “not so tall” cheesecake. Is this normal for you? Did I do something wrong? I did use a 9″ springform pan and I didn’t fill it quite to the top. It rose a little above the pan while baking too. It didn’t collapse in the center either. It looks good to me but I didn’t expect it to shrink as much! Thanks for any advice you can give me!
Hi Kari:
Your cheesecake sounds perfect!! The shrinking is normal since this is a very light, airy, cheesecake it is similar to a souffle which also will shrink once removed from the oven. Enjoy!
Dear Mary,
The cheesecake was wonderful… Very, very fluffy! I do have a question tho: would it effect the texture too much if I used heavy cream instead of sour cream or even part heavy cream and part sour cream? This recipe was really good! Thanks!
Hi Kari:
Happy to hear you enjoyed the cheesecake. I would not replace the sour cream as it may affect the texture and lightness of this cake.If you like heavy cream why not add that as a whipped topping after the cake is baked. Enjoy!!