Chef notes

Not a big fan of overly sweet desserts? A cheesecake with sour cream cuts down on the sweetness and makes a glorious base for fruit compotes. No oven needed for this recipe, and the filling only takes about 10 minutes to make so it truly couldn't be simpler!

Look no further for a classic cheesecake recipe than this one, which is made with just six ingredients: heavy cream, cream cheese, granulated sugar, sour cream, vanilla extract and a store-bought graham cracker pie crust. Of course, you could make your own pie crust using crushed graham crackers and butter, but you can’t quite beat the convenience of a fully prepared crust.

Feel free to top the cheesecake with macerated berries, such as strawberries, raspberries or cherries. We recommend doing so just before serving, so that the pie filling doesn’t get soggy. To make macerated berries, simply toss one cup of the fruit with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and a little bit of lemon zest.

If you don’t have everything you need on hand, you can easily purchase all of the ingredients (just click the orange button below that says ‘Get Ingredients’). You can pick and choose exactly what ingredients you need based on what’s in your pantry and they’ll be on your doorstep before you know it.

Special Equipment Required: All you need is a stand mixer or hand mixer to whip the filling.

Technique Tip: Bring all of your ingredients to room temperature for about 30 minutes, as this will make them easier to incorporate.

Ingredients

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 (8-ounce) pacakge cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup sour cream, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 graham-cracker pie crust

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Preparation

Pour heavy cream into a bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In bowl of stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract until combined, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Fold whipped heavy cream into cream cheese mixture.

Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight (you will get the best results!). Serve with cherry compote or any fresh fruit of your choice.