YOUR Perfect New-york style Cheesecake
This New-york style cheesecake recipe has been my go to recipe for many years. This cake is foolproof and has NEVER cracked on me. I absolutely love this cheesecake for it’s airy, velvety, creamy texture. With every bite, this creamy cake has subtle nodes of vanilla swirled into the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. The memory alone is enough to find yourself dazed and salivating in a deep daydream! Please note the star of this show is NOT sugar. If you love your sugar, you may experiment with increasing the sugar in this recipe to 1 ½ cups of sugar to create YOUR perfect cheesecake.
The subtly in flavor means this cheesecake is versatile. Feel free to pair it with any fruit coulis or compote of choice to make it YOUR perfect cheesecake. I usually do a simple berry compote. Although in the past I have added baked peaches with a caramel drizzle. You do you! If you're doing a compote taste your fruit! For a pound of berries, I have added 1TBSP - ¼ cup of sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruit. The compote is pretty basic: fruit, sugar and about ½ cup of water simmering till fruit is softened. The compote will thicken when refrigerated.
How to prevent cracking? 3 things are used. Cornstarch, water bath, and gradual cooling all contribute to a worry free beautiful pie.
Aluminum foil and parchment paper.
Springform pan 8in.
Foil pan larger than springform.
A Hand Mixer, Stand Mixer, or a Whisk. Before I was blessed with a stand mixer, I used to mix this cheesecake by hand. It was as good as a mixer, if not better. So fear not, a little elbow grease can go a long way. Making sure the cream cheese is room temp will ease the load greatly.
Prep Time: 30min
Cook Time: 50-60 min
Cool Time: 90min
Fridge Time: overnight (8hr).
Total Time: 11hr.
Plain cookie - 8 oz, 200 gm ( This is where you can personalize it. I use a Mexican cookie called Marias. I like it for its simple, mild flavor. But you can experiment with biscoff cookies, graham crackers, or oreos.)
Butter- 8 TBSP, ½ cup, 1 stick ( I use unsalted to control the salt but if you love your salt then experiment with salted butter and withhold the salt in the recipe.)
1 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Salt
Honey
Four 8oz packs of cream cheese room temperature makes it easier for creaming.
¾ cup (170 gm) of Sugar
1 TBSP Cornstarch
¼ tsp Salt
½ cup (110 gm) Sour cream
Zest ½ lemon and 1 TBSP lemon juice ( if you like lemon then you can experiment zesting the entire lemon)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk + 3 large eggs room temperature
1. Preheat at 350F.
2. Pulverize cookies using your method of choice (ziploc bag with rolling pin, food processor, vitamix blender, a bat…)
3. Mix cookie crumbs with cinnamon, salt, and melted butter. The mixture should hold when squeezed in the hand. If it falls apart then you need more butter.
4. Line the inside bottom of the springform pan with parchment paper.
5. Press the mixture into the bottom and the edge of pan (about an inch up) using your fingers. You can use an object with a flat surface but I find the hand is the perfect tool for many things. Make sure to press down and compact the mixture on the bottom and the edges. Otherwise, the crust will crumble.
6. Drizzle desired honey over the crust.
7. Bake for 8 min, or about a minute after you start to smell it.
8. Mix cream cheese in a stand mixer for 1 minute, then scrape the bowl and mix again on medium speed till smooth.
9. Add Sugar and blend for 1 minute. Scrape edges down to fully incorporate.
10. Add cornstarch and mix till incorporated about 30 seconds. Do this with the Salt too.
11. In a bowl mix the sour cream, lemon zest and juice. Add the blend into the cream cheese bowl and mix till incorporated.
12. Add vanilla and mix till just barely incorporated.
13. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between eggs.
14. Before adding the filling, line the outside of the springform pan with 2 sheets of aluminum foil. I do this because the second sheet is insurance. Then pour the filling onto the crust.
15. Fill the aluminum pan with about an inch of water and put in the oven. Then place the cheesecake gently into the water bath. Bake for about 50 min. It is ready when it jiggles but the edges are slightly more set, or firm. When done, follow the cooling instructions.
