If you haven’t perfected classic New York style cheesecake, here’s a recipe worth trying in the new year. I’ve made it twice in the past two weeks and think it might be our new go-to cheesecake. Or at least I hope. I need to stop hopping from one cheesecake recipe to another.
Anyhow, this one is good. The first time I made it, it was on the dense side and the top burnt. Carefully skimming off the burnt part and covering it with cherry topping was my short term solution, but I had to bake it again to get it just right.
With a few adjustments and a completely new crust, the second round was great.
This is the result of reading several recipes using various baking techniques, my favorite of which is one I found on a Food.com, where you put a pan of hot water in the oven with the cheesecake rather than set the cheesecake in a water bath. That tip was great, but I didn’t care for the shortbread crust nor did I like the aforementioned burnt top. So here’s the recipe again as I made it. If you have a better cheesecake recipe or some tips, feel free to share. And Happy Holidays! I hope you all are enjoying this month and have grand plans for 2012.
- Crust:
- 2 cups graham crackers
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons salted butter
- Filling:
- 5 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Set a roasting pan half-full of hot water on the bottom rack of the oven. Preheat to 475 degrees F.
- Grease a 9 inch round or 10 inch round springform pan. I’ve been using a 9 inch. Mix all the crust ingredients and press into the pan, going about one inch up the sides.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla on low speed until well mixed. Slowly add the eggs and the yolks, being careful not to beat extra air into the batter. With the mixer still on low, beat in the flour and cream. Pour into the prepared pan and drag a spatula through the batter to remove air bubbles. Let stand for about 10 minutes and drag the spatula again.
- Put the cheesecake in the hot and steamy 475F oven and lay a sheet of foil over the top. Bake for exactly 10 minutes, then without opening the door, reduce heat to 200F and bake for another hour. Without opening the door, turn off heat and let cheesecake sit in warm oven for another hour. Remove from heat and let cool completely, then cover top with foil and chill overnight.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I am going to try your baking method, as I really dislike cracks in my cheesecake- hurts my pride (or something like that)!
Hi Heather,
Good luck with the cheesecake! This one shouldn’t crack at all. Even the one I over-baked didn’t have a crack (just a burnt top!).
Selfishly, I hope you never find the ‘perfect’ cheesecake, because I enjoy reading about your experiments so much! However, that one looks beautiful! That crust looks fantastic! I know some famous cheesecakes don’t have crusts (like Junior’s) but perhaps because I’m not a huge ‘cheesecake person’ I really like the texture of the crust next to a dense cheesecake.
I wonder if a burned cheesecake could be marketed as ‘Cajun Cheesecake’ though…
Your cheesecake looks so good! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
This looks like the perfect cheese cake…no sour cream and a simple straightforward rich crust. I am in Fort Myers right now so no baking other than the weather baking us! I can’t believe Texas has more snow than Minnesota!!! Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!
Happy Holidays, Ginsbergs!
This is also my favorite cheesecake recipe…. and as a professional pastry chef, I have made a lot of cheesecakes. I water bath all my cheesecakes and bake them, in a 3 inch deep non-spring form pan [lined with parchment- a circle for the bottom and a strip to line the sides of the pan] in a 300 degree oven for 1 hour+15-30 minutes. To test for doneness, gently shake the pan, center should jiggle, but not be ‘sloshy.’ Lift cheesecake out of water bath and cool on a rack. Lay a sheet of foil on top to prevent drafts which can cause cracking. Cool and chill cake before unmolding. To unmold, with both hands, spin the pan over a stovetop burner on low flame to loosen. Spray the sheet of foil, lay over cake and invert onto flat cookie sheet. Peel off parchment. Reinvert cake. PS:I’m not a fan of graham cracker crusts, but crushed gingersnaps, vanilla wafers, or chocolate ice box cookies are good alternatives.
Thanks for the unmolding tips! Also, your method reminded me that *somewhere* I have a smaller yield cheesecake recipe that you can bake in a regular 1 3/4 to 2 inch depth 8 or 9 inch round cake pan. I’d forgotten all about that one, but with a small family it comes in handy. We’re still trying to finish this one. At any rate, I’m going to try your method for taking it out of the pan. I think I just used non-stick foil and lifted it out.
Ah, but there’s nothing like TALL creamy cheesecake. I like deep 6 inch and 7 inch diameter pans for smaller cheesecakes-half this wonderful classic recipe. If pans are only 1-1/2 to 2 inches tall, cut a strip of parchment to be twice as long as needed to line the pan and 6 inches wide. Fold the strip in half lengthwise; this will provide extra support for the cheesecake batter. Spray the pan bottom and sides with PaM (to stick the parchment). Lay the long strip of parchment inside the Pam, encircling the pan twice. This should provide adequate support to fill the pan about a half inch above the pan rim. Tip: pour only half the batter into the lined pan and then fill with remaining batter after you have set the pan into the water bath pan on the oven rack.
I like the parchment idea, but I think it’s high time I invested in some 3 inch deep pans. Off to to do more post-holiday web shopping!
Mmmmnnn cheesecake! Happy holidays to you and your family, Anna!