This peach cheesecake is rich & creamy with a buttery graham cracker crust. It is loaded with fresh peaches and served with an easy peach topping - plus homemade whipped cream, of course. It truly is the most delicious summer dessert!
In a large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter and stir until combined.
Pour the crust mixture into the prepared pie dish, pressing it down into the bottom of the dish and halfway up the sides.
Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes, then remove the crust from the oven and set aside to slightly cool.
Prepare the Peaches
Divide 3 pounds of peaches into two potions - one 2 lb. portion and one 1 lb portion.
Peel, then pit 2 pounds of peaches. Then puree them in a high-powered blender until smooth.
Divide the puree into two portions - 1 ½ cups for the filling and 1 cup for the topping. Set aside.
Peel, pit and slice the remaining 1 pound of peaches. Set aside to use in the topping.
Make the Filling
While the crust is baking make the filling.
In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy and there are no lumps.
Add vanilla, sea salt and sour cream and beat until just combined.
Add eggs, one at a time and beat after each addition.
Add 1 ½ cups of the peach puree and stir until combined.
Gently stir in flour.
Prepare a Water Bath
Use a large pan that will fit your cake pan and put it in the preheated oven. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.
Bake & Chill
Pour the filling over the baked and slightly cooled crust.
Place the cake pan in the large pan in the preheated oven. Slowly fill the large pan with boiling water until it is halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan.
Bake in the water bath for 55-65 minutes or until the top and edges and top are set but not browned and the cake is only very slightly jiggly. You can test it by inserting a knife or cake tester in the center of the cake and if it comes out clean you know the cake is done, however this can cause the cheesecake to crack, so it’s not my first choice but it’s better than underbaked cake.
Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and remove the foil around the bottom of the pan, and set on a wire cooling rack to cool to room temperature. Once at room temperature, transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator to chill overnight.
Make the Topping
In a small saucepan whisk together water, sugar and cornstarch. Bring to a boil.
Add 1 cup peach puree and the sliced peaches and bring to a boil and stir until thickened (lighlty coats the back fo a spatula).
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Transfer the peach topping to a glass container with lid. Let it cool uncovered to room temperature (it will thicken more as it cools), then transfer it to the refrigerator to chill overnight with the cheesecake.
Once the cheesecake is chilled, make the whipped cream and decorate the top. Save some for serving.
Serve
Serve the slices of peach cheesecake with a scoop of the peach filling and a dollop of whipped cream.
Video
Notes
Total number of peaches used: 3 pounds (9-10 peaches)
2 pounds (about 6 peaches) for the puree (1 ½ cups for filling, 1 cup for topping).
1 pound (about 3 peaches)- peeled and sliced for the topping.
Prepare the peaches. This recipe uses 3 pounds of peaches, which for me usually is about 9-10 peaches. All the peaches need to be peeled before slicing and pureeing.First, puree 6 peaches (2 pounds) to be used as puree in both the filling and the topping - 1 ½ cups for filling, 1 cup for topping.Then, peel and slice 3 peaches (1 pound) to be used in the peach topping.Ingredient substituionsMake sure all ingredients are room temperature.
Graham Cracker Crumbs. You can buy pre-made graham cracker crumbs, however I opt to make my own. Simply break apart 12 full-sheets of graham crackers and process them in a food processor fitted with the "S" blade, or blend in a blender, until they reach they texture of fine crumbs. Easily make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free graham crackers!
Granulated sugar. use white sugar or organic cane sugar.
Salted butter. Unsalted butter or coconut oil can be used in the crust instead of salted butter, if desired.
Cream cheese. use full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor. I don't recommend making substitutions.
Sour Cream. I recommend full-fat sour cream for the best results, heavy cream works well as a substitute.
Vanilla extract. Vanilla bean paste or the seeds of one whole vanilla bean can be used in place of vanilla extract.
All-purpose flour. bread flour, cake flour, or all-purpose gluten-free flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour.
Peaches. I suggest using fresh, ripe, super-sweet peaches for this recipe. You can use frozen sliced peached as well, just be sure to thaw them to room temperature.
StoreStore any leftover peach cheesecake in the refrigerator in an airtight container or on the serving plate covered in plastic wrap for up to 5 days.FreezeThis peach cheesecake freezes well in one of two ways:
Freeze the entire cheesecake. Make and chill the cheesecake, then put it in the freezer to harden for 1-2 hours. Once it is hardened, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before cutting and serving.
Freeze individual slices. If you have a few leftover slices you want to freeze, place them on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer to flash-freeze them. Then, once they're frozen, wrap them in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for about 6 hours.