Cheesecake Without Sour Cream

Cheesecake is one of the irresistible desserts. It’s creamy and rich and delicious on its own or with a variety of toppings. There are endless ways to flavor a cheesecake but the classic cheesecake is still so delicious and incredibly popular.

If you’ve ever looked up a cheesecake recipe you might immediately be too intimidated to try and bake one. Many cheesecake recipes are delicate and need to be cooked evenly which requires a water bath. Obviously, this is a lot different than baking a regular cake and just the sound of it can be exhausting. 

The good news is that there are actually many different kinds of cheesecake that you can make that are all equally delicious.

Cheesecakes can vary in texture and flavor but there are even no-bake cheesecakes that are also very good!

This recipe is quite easy, no water bath required! It doesn’t require sour cream, just cream cheese. With fewer ingredients and less care needed it’s a quick and simple cheesecake recipe that even inexperienced bakers can make.

History of Cheesecake

New York cheesecake is incredibly popular but like many popular New York recipes, it’s actually much older than the city itself.

There is some evidence that cheesecake was actually made in ancient Greece.

However, this recipe was likely different than the type of cheesecake that we are most familiar with.

Cream cheese was not added to cheesecakes until the 18th century in the United States. The New York-style cheesecake was eventually developed which has its own distinct texture and flavor. 

Over the years, different states and countries have developed their own styles of cheesecakes. Some contain different cheeses like ricotta or feta, and there is a lot of variation in texture.

Tips for Making Cheesecake Without Sour Cream

Sour cream is created by adding lactic acid culture to the cream. It becomes sour and thick through this process. It’s used in baking, cooking, and also as a topping for different dishes.

In baking, sour cream helps to create a certain texture and slightly sour flavor to recipes. It can be used to create a creamy texture or to add moisture to different types of cakes. The acidity in sour cream can also be used to activate baking soda in some recipes.

It can be difficult to simply substitute sour cream in a recipe that calls for it. However, this cheesecake recipe was created to not contain any sour cream, which is why it is not needed.

For the flavor in this recipe, I have added just a small amount of lemon juice to help add a slightly tangy flavor.

If you want more tips like this, and to learn how to make the most amazing homemade cheesecakes, I found this book on Amazon, and it’s absolutely the best cookbook for cheesecakes.

Toppings for Cheesecake Without Sour Cream

Although this cheesecake is great on its own, if you want to spice things up there are lots of options.

Here are some of my favorite cheesecake toppings:

• Cherries
• Strawberries
• Jams
• Chocolate
• Peanut Butter
• Caramel
• Whipped cream

Baking Tips for Cheesecake Without Sour Cream

While baking the cheesecake, you can use a crust shield to help ensure that the crust will not burn before the inside of the cake is cooked. This is our favorite crust shield to use.

If you don’t have a crust shield, you can simply add aluminum foil strips around the outside of the pan.

You can easily crush up your own graham crackers for the crust in a food processor, but I prefer to buy graham cracker crumbs to save time and create less mess. You can find a big bag of graham cracker crumbs on Amazon.

Cheesecake Storage

So how do you store cheesecake? Cover the pie pan with plastic wrap or store separate slices in an airtight container (preferably wrapped individually). You can store cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.

How to Make Cheesecake Without Sour Cream

Step 1: Gather the ingredients and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Step 2: Stir together all of the crust ingredients, starting with the melted butter, and mix thoroughly.

Step 3: Press the crumbs into the bottom of a 9” pie pan that is 1 ¼” in height and work some of it up into the sides of the pan.

Step 4: To prepare the filling, mix together the softened cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth and combined.

Step 5: Add in the eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix until smooth.

Step 6: Add the pie filling to the pan on top of the crust.

Step 7: Bake for 30 minutes.

Up Next: Lemon Meringue Pie Without Cheesecake