Homemade Cheesecake

0 Preheat the oven to 475℉. Trace the inside base of a 9” springform pan on parchment paper and cut it out. Place the parchment cutout inside of the pan and wrap the bottom of the pan with several layers of aluminum foil (this helps to prevent spillage from the pan). To prevent sticking spray the entire interior of the pan with oil (a neutral oil like avocado oil is great here).
1 Add your graham crackers and sugar into your food processor and pulse until you have a fine crumb. Then pour in your melted butter and stir the mixture by hand until the butter is incorporated throughout. Pour the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan and press it down evenly across the bottom of the pan and set aside.
2 Rinse out the food processor and wipe it dry. Add the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla and process until fully mixed and smooth.
3 To the cream cheese mixture, add the remaining ingredients (eggs, egg yolks, heavy cream, lemon zest, orange zest, and salt) and puree for an additional 40-60 seconds (be careful not to overmix at this point, as overmixing can incorporate too many air bubbles into your filling that may cause the cake to crack and fall when baking).
4 Pour the filling on top of your graham cracker crust in the pan.
5 Place your cheesecake in the oven on the center rack and set a timer for 20 minutes. Resist any urge to open your oven to take a peek during the baking process because it allows heat and moisture to escape (which ultimately will impact the overall bake).
6 After 20 minutes, turn the oven heat down to 200℉ and bake for an additional 60 minutes.
7 After the 60 minutes of additional bake time is up, turn the oven off and crack the oven door (while leaving your cheesecake inside) and allow your cheesecake to cool to fully set and cool for one hour.
8 Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to continue to cool at room temperature for an additional 1-2 hours before wrapping it up. Don’t skip these cooling steps (even though they may seem tedious)! This slow cooling process is the key to keeping the cake from cracking.
9 Wrap your cheesecake in aluminum foil and place it in the fridge for 16-24 hours before serving to allow the cake to fully set.
10 Serve and enjoy!