$8 Homemade Cheesecake vs $20 Cheesecake Factory - Worth It?

🍰🔥 Can a homemade cheesecake really beat The Cheesecake Factory? Today, we’re putting a homemade cheesecake head-to-head against one of the most famous cheesecakes in America. It’s Homemade vs The Cheesecake Factory in a dessert battle that promises plenty of creamy goodness, honest reactions, and maybe a few surprises. We’ll score each cheesecake using our official 20-point system: 🏆 Appearance 🏆 Taste 🏆 Texture 🏆 Cost Cheesecake has been around for thousands of years, dating back to ancient Greece, but today’s showdown is all about whether homemade baking can compete with a restaurant chain known for its legendary dessert menu. Will the homemade cheesecake’s fresh ingredients and made-from-scratch flavor earn the crown? Or will The Cheesecake Factory prove why it’s famous for cheesecake? Watch until the end to see the final scores and find out who takes home the championship! 👇 Let us know in the comments: Would you choose homemade cheesecake or The Cheesecake Factory? If you enjoy dessert battles, be sure to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and turn on notifications so you don’t miss future Homemade vs Bakery and Restaurant Showdowns! #Cheesecake #CheesecakeFactory #HomemadeVsCheesecakeFactory #DessertReview #FoodChallenge #Baking #CheesecakeLovers #CurtisHood Recipe Ingredients For the Crust ▢1½ cups graham cracker crumbs (180g) ▢¼ cup unsalted butter melted ▢2 tablespoons granulated sugar For the Filling: ▢3 (8-ounce/227g) blocks cream cheese room temperature ▢1 cup granulated sugar (200g) ▢¼ teaspoon salt ▢2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10mL) ▢1 teaspoon lemon juice ▢3 large eggs room temperature ▢½ cup sour cream room temperature (120g) Instructions For the Crust: Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Stir together until the mixture feels like wet sand. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. (If your pan isn’t non-stick, you can lightly spray it with baking spray before adding the crumb mixture.) Press the crumbs into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pan using the bottom of a glass or measuring cup. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while making the filling. For the Filling: Place the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the whip attachment. Beat on medium-low speed until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugar, salt, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat until the mixture is well combined and completely smooth. Stop and scrape down the bowl a few times during mixing. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add in the eggs one at a time. Stop and scrape down the bowl between additions. Once the eggs are well combined, mix in the sour cream until well incorporated. Pour the batter into the cooled crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300F and continue baking for another 30 to 35 minutes or until the edges of the filling are just slightly puffed and the center wobbles slightly when gently shaken. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed for 1 hour. Remove the cheesecake and let cool at room temperature for another hour, then chill for at least 6 hours or up to 3 days before serving. (If refrigerating for several days, loosely cover after the cheesecake is fully chilled.) Notes Use the whisk attachment for the mixer. Many cheesecake recipes call for using a paddle attachment when beating the filling together. I used to do the same, but it was easy to find little lumps of cream cheese even when scraping down the bowl many times during mixing. I found that the whisk actually helps incorporate all of the ingredients more thoroughly! Just don’t increase the mixer speed above medium-low to avoid incorporating too much air. If your springform pan is not nonstick: You can lightly spray it with baking spray or rub the pan very lightly with oil before pressing in the crust mixture. Remove air bubbles: When you pour the batter into the pan, gently tap the cheesecake on the counter to pop any air bubbles in the batter. Use an offset spatula: It is a great tool for this recipe as it helps get the top of the cheesecake super smooth before baking. Let the cheesecake cool gradually. Don’t place it directly into the fridge to speed up the process, or it can easily crack. For perfect slices: Warm a sharp knife with hot water for a few seconds, then dry it. Wipe off the knife between slices and rewarm it as needed.