Overnight Cheesecake

• MAKE-AHEAD
• VEGETARIAN

Ingredients

1. Cooking oil spray
2. 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
3. 2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
4. 1 cup sugar
5. 5 large eggs
6. 1/4 cup brandy
7. 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 200°. Coat a 2-quart soufflé dish or 9-inch springform pan with cooking oil spray and dust with the crumbs (if necessary, spray and dust again to coat well).
2. In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix the cream cheese with the sugar until smooth, scraping as necessary. Mix in the eggs, brandy and vanilla until blended.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 6 to 8 hours, or until the cake barely wiggles in the center. (The cake will firm up as it cools.) Transfer to a rack and cool in the pan for 1 hour.
4. Cover the cake with wax paper, invert onto a plate, remove the pan and refrigerate upside down for at least 1 and up to 24 hours. Invert onto a platter. Cut the cake with a long sharp knife; dip it in warm water to prevent sticking.