Vincent Price's Cheese Cake

Spring form cake pan coated with graham cracker crumbs

Cheese Cake

This is from Vincent Price’s Cookbook, now out of print, but a fabulous recipe book. His cheese cake is unusually light, not dense
or heavy. I make this every Thanksgiving, it freezes well so I make this ahead of time. Cheese cake can be made up to a month ahead and kept in the freezer.

I doubled Vincent Price’s recipe so I used a 12 inch spring form cake pan instead of an 8 inch pan. (the doubled recipe also works well with a 2 smaller pan, a 10 inch and a 9 1/4 inch cake pan)
Using a 12 inch spring form cake pan, grease the inside
of the pan with 2 tablespoons butter and then coat the
butter with graham cracker crumbs. Coat the sides first
by turning the pan on its side, and shake the pan so the
crumbs can stick, keep turning the pan and add more
crumbs as needed. When the sides are well coated, shake

a light coating of crumbs onto the bottom of the pan. Put
spring form cake pan in freezer for at least 30 minutes.
If you want to make this recipe with an 8 inch cake pan,
cut the ingredient amounts in half.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter                                   

Showing baked cheese cake standing in a shallow pan filled with 1 inch water

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
24 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
8 egg yolks (reserve the egg whites)
4 tablespoons flour
3 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit
Put 24 oz cream cheese in a large bowl and let it come to room temperature.

Pour 4 cups heavy cream in a saucepan and heat over low heat, not allowing the cream to boil.

In a separate bowl, separate 8 egg yolks and the egg white.Add the egg yolks to the cream cheese. Reserve the 8 egg whites in a separate bowl.
To the cream cheese and egg yolks, add 1 1/2 cups sugar, 4 tablespoon flour, 3 teaspoons vanilla and 1 teaspoon salt. Beat thoroughly until with an electric mixer until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Turn speed to lowest and gradually pour in 4 cups scalded cream

Beat the  8 egg whites until stiff but not dry.
Add to cream cheese mixture and fold the egg whites in lightly.

Pour mixture into prepared spring form cake pan, then set pan in a shallow pan containing 1 inch of hot water.
Bake in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 1/2 hours.
Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.
Also freezes well.