Why it works: Cinnamon and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,287 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓
Never Fail Cheesecake
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the crust
Crush the Petit Beurre cookies with a rolling pin or Régab bottle.
Add cinnamon to taste.
Melt the butter and add it to the crumbs.
Pat the crumb mixture into the bottom and sides of a pie tin.
Reserve a few tablespoons of crumbs for garnish.
Make the filling
Mash the KIRI (cream cheese) in a large bowl.
Add the beaten eggs and mix.
When the mixture reaches uniform consistency, add the sugar and mix.
Add the vanilla extract and mix.
Pour the filling into the crust.
Bake and chill
Sprinkle the remaining crumbs on top.
Bake at 350°F (180°C) for about 30 minutes.
Cool and refrigerate until serving.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Cream Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 99 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Rum | 1/2 oz (15ml) | 32 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Cinnamon + vanillatop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,287 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
-
Butter + cream cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,747 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Cinnamon + sugartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Cream cheese + vanillatop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,929 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Kiri cream cheese
- Forms the creamy body of the filling and sets as it cools.
- Eggs
- Bind the filling and help it set into a firm, sliceable texture.
- Petit beurre cookies
- Form the crumb crust that holds the filling together.
- Butter
- Binds the cookie crumbs and adds richness to the crust.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and balances the tang of the cream cheese.
The step that matters
Mixing the eggs into the cream cheese. Beat the cream cheese until smooth before adding eggs, and mix the eggs in gently. Lumps left in the cheese will not smooth out in the oven, and overbeating eggs can incorporate too much air, which may cause cracking as the cake cools.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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