BAKE: Creamy Baked Maple Cheesecake with Maple Graham Crust

• Baked Maple Cheesecake Ingredients
• Kitchen Equipment Needed
• How to Bake Maple Cheesecake
• Storage & Serving Ideas
• Creamy Baked Maple Cheesecake with Maple Graham Crust

This luxurious baked maple cheesecake recipe is creamy, soft, and sweetened with pure maple syrup. The velvety smooth maple cream cheese filling is baked in a tender maple graham cracker crust that’s buttery, crumbly, and lightly sweet but incredibly easy to make. Serve this maple cheesecake any time of year, but it’s especially welcome in the fall or on a festive holiday table!

You can let the real maple syrup carry the naturally rich maple flavor, or amp it up with a bit of maple extract. I like to serve this cheesecake lightly drizzled with a bit more maple syrup, but it’s also elegant and delicious served plain or with fresh berries or whipped cream.

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Baked Maple Cheesecake Ingredients

cream cheese:

You’ll use two pounds of cream cheese (four 8 oz packets). I recommend using regular, full-fat cream cheese. Using low-fat cream cheese or neufchatel will change the texture and creaminess of the baked maple cheesecake.

eggs:

You’ll need four large eggs, at room temperature. Crack them into a small bowl, and add them one at a time to the batter, making sure each is well incorporated and scraping down the bowl and beater(s) before adding the next.

maple syrup:

If you can get it, use dark amber maple syrup or the richly flavored darker Grade B syrup, which will add even more depth of maple flavor to this cheesecake. Otherwise, you can use any real maple syrup in this recipe. You can also substitute birch or black walnut syrup if you have access to those!

heavy cream:

Keep the heavy cream very cold while you mix the other ingredients. Use a natural full-fat heavy dairy cream.

flavoring:

I use a generous tablespoon of homemade or good quality real vanilla extract, and an additional teaspoon of maple extract to really punch up the maple flavor in this cheesecake.

I also add a healthy pinch of sea salt or Himalayan pink salt to balance the sweetness of the maple syrup. You can omit this if you’re on a limited sodium diet, but I recommend adding it if you can.

maple graham crust:

This is a simple crumb crust made with graham cracker crumbs (or crushed graham crackers), melted butter, and maple syrup. This makes a crumbly, soft crust. If you’d like a firmer, sweeter crust, you can increase the maple syrup from 1/3rd to 1/2 cup.

If you use unsalted butter, you should add about a half teaspoon of sea salt or kosher salt to the crumb crust mixture.

Kitchen Equipment Needed

stand mixer or large mixing bowl and hand mixer:

While you can mix this maple cheesecake by hand, it’s a whole lot easier to make a smooth batter using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or even a hand mixer.

springform pan:

You’ll need a large springform pan to bake and unmold the cheesecake. If you’re not sure if your pan is completely water-tight, I recommend wrapping the bottom and sides of the pan in a large sheet of heavy aluminum foil, so that the water bath doesn’t make the crust soggy.

pan for bain marie:

The secret to perfectly creamy, evenly baked cheesecakes that don’t crack is baking them in a water bath (bain marie). You’ll need a roasting pan, hotel pan, or other baking dish large enough to fit your springform pan and with high sides so that you can safely move the pan in and out of the oven.

How to Bake Maple Cheesecake

maple graham cracker crust:

• Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃ or gas mark 4).
• If your spring-form pan is not non-stick, spray it well with pan spray, or brush with cake goop or additional melted butter. You can also line the bottom of your pan with a parchment paper circle and cut a strip to make a collar around the sides if you want to make sure it doesn’t stick and unmolds perfectly.
• If you aren’t sure that your springform pan is waterproof, wrap foil around the outside of the pan. You may also want to use either a silicone trivet or make some folded foil strips to use as a sling under your pan to lift the baked cheesecake from the water bath.
• Melt butter and crush or measure out graham cracker crumbs.
• Combine melted butter, maple syrup, and graham cracker crumbs into a medium mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.
• Press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom and sides of your spring-form pan, forming an even layer.

maple cheesecake batter:

• Bring a kettle or pot of hot water to a boil for the water-bath (bain marie).
• Whip softened cream cheese with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, a hand mixer, or cream it well by hand until there are no lumps.
• Incorporate the eggs into the whipped cream cheese, cracking them into a small bowl and adding them one at a time, mixing between additions and scraping down the bowl and beaters. This is key to making a smooth cheesecake batter!
• Add the salt, vanilla extract, bourbon, and/or maple flavoring and the maple syrup. Mix again until well combined.
• Add the cold whipping cream and mix on low speed just until the batter is completely smooth, or fold it in by hand.

bake maple cheesecake:

• Place the spring form pan into the roasting pan. If you are using a trivet or foil strips, put those down first and the cheesecake pan on top.
• Carefully pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared graham cracker crust. Tap the pan gently a few times on the counter to release large air bubbles. You can pop these with the tip of a knife or spatula.
• Place the roasting pan on the center rack of your preheated oven.
• Carefully pour the boiling water from the kettle into the roasting pan until the water is about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan, or as far as you can safely fill your pan without overflowing. Take care not to splash water onto the cheesecake.
• Bake the cheesecake at 350℉ for one hour. The cheesecake will continue to set up as it cools, so don’t worry that it will still have some jiggle in the center when you remove it from the oven. If you bake it until it is completely firm, it will crack and be over-baked.

chill and un-mold cheesecake:

• Carefully remove the cheesecake pan from the water bath. Let the water-bath cool in the oven before removing it if you can, so that you don’t spill boiling water while moving it.
• Let the cheesecake cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes to an hour.
• Wrap or cover the pan, and chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours before slicing.
• Carefully remove the springform pan sides and slice the cheesecake before serving. Use a long, thin blade and run the knife under hot water between slices to make the cleanest cuts.
• You can serve this cheesecake plain, drizzle the cut slices with maple syrup, salted caramel, or chocolate mocha syrup, or garnish with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Storage & Serving Ideas

You can refrigerate this baked maple cheesecake for up to a week, or wrap and freeze whole cheesecakes or individual slices for several months. Thaw frozen cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight.