Cheesecake In a Cast Iron Skillet

This blog is generally for our ministry updates or family updates.. but I thought I'd post a recipe for fun today because it turned out really delicious!! I love cheesecake, and I have tried to make it probably 3 times in my life so far. Every time it was definitely edible and tasty, but this time I think I found my go to recipe! I had a problem though, I don't currently have a deep round pan or a springform pan to make cheesecake in. I decided I would try to make it in my 9" cast iron pan. I figured I could just serve it straight out of it instead of trying to dump it out and flip it. Now that I've made this recipe though, I think I could have definitely done that! It held together really well and didn't crack. Yummo.

Here is the recipe I used with my tweaks.

Shortbread Crust (this worked well, but I think it created more crust than I needed. I would probably do this crust again but only press 2/3 of it or so into the pan. Or possibly split it in half to make two)

1. Gently combine 1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour because I ran out of white), 1/3 cup sugar, 1 egg and 1/2 cup butter in a medium bowl.
2. Spread to the edges of the pan.
3. Prick all over with a fork, then bake 10-15 minutes at 400°F until lightly browned. Allow to cool on a rack.

Cheesecake Filling (Original Source)

1. 32oz (4, 8oz packs) room temperature full fat cream cheese
2. 1 cup granulated white sugar
3. 3 tablespoons all purpose flour (I used whole wheat because I was out of white)
4. 5 large eggs, room temperature
5. 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (I used a mixture of butter and crema to make up 1/3 cup)
6. 1 tablespoon lemon zest
7. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In the bowl of your electric mixer place the cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the whipping cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Grab the crust and pour in the filling (I had too much filling for my 9" pan, so I poured what was left into a ready made graham cracker crust I had handy). 

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F and then lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees F and continue to bake for about another 60 - 90 minutes. (The baking time can vary due to the differences in ovens, so make sure to check that the cheesecake is firm with only the center being a little wet and wobbly.) Remove from oven to cool.

Topping:

1. 1 cup full fat sour cream (I used crema)
2. 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
3. 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

While cheesecake finishes baking mix these ingredients up in a small bowl.  Spread the topping over the warm cheesecake and return to oven to bake for 15 more minutes.  Remove from oven and carefully run a knife or spatula around the inside edge of pan to loosen the cheesecake (helps prevent the surface from cracking as it cools.  My Cast Iron was seasoned very well and oiled too, so I found that the cheesecake had pulled away from the edges all on it's own and I hardly had to loosen it from the edge with the knife).

Cool and cover with tin foil to store in the refrigerator. Best if eaten next day. You can cover this with sauces and or fruit. I used my mom's recipe for orange sauce that she puts on her fruit pizza. Super yummy! When I make this again, I think I'll move the whole thing to my 12" cast iron because the crust and filling seem like they would fit better in there. Maybe a 9" springform pan would be taller and therefore would fit better. I love all the things you can do with cast iron!