Best New York Style Cheesecake
Rich and creamy, this classic New York Style Cheesecake has a buttery graham cracker crust with a smooth cream cheese filling. Follow this easy recipe to get a beautiful crack-free cheesecake!
There’s nothing we love more than a slice of New York style cheesecake. So what is New York style cheesecake? What makes them so special is that instead of using heavy cream and sour cream to thin out the filling, New York cheesecakes uses a higher ratio of cream cheese, making every bite of your cheesecake filling dense and rich. So if you’re looking for a rich classic tasting cheesecake, this recipe is for you!
Want more cheesecake recipes? Try my Chocolate Chip Cheesecake or my Cheesecake Brownie Fudge Bars.
Why You’ll Love This Easy New York Style Cheesecake Recipe
- It’s easy. A lot of times people assume making a New York cheesecake is difficult and takes a long time, but don’t let the total time in the recipe card scare you off. A lot of the work is done in a short period of time and the rest is baking time and chilling time! Plus it’s really just a couple of easy steps being put together. You’ll be wondering why you didn’t make this sooner.
- It’s delicious. There’s nothing better than a forkful of the rich creamy cheesecake filling overtop of a graham cracker crust. It practically melts in your mouth! If it wasn’t so dense and filling, everyone would probably be reaching for seconds. This is definitely the best New York cheesecake.
- It’s make ahead friendly. If you need a dessert for later, this New York style cheesecake keeps really well refrigerated until you need it.
What You’ll Need to Make New York Cheesecake
For the Crust:
- Graham crackers — you can also purchase pre-crushed graham crackers if you want to save a few minutes.
- Butter — always use unsalted butter
- Sugar
- Salt
For the Cheesecake Filling:
- Cream cheese — we always work with room temperature cream cheese so be sure to take it out of the fridge ahead of time.
- Sugar
- Eggs — we use room temperature eggs so take them out when you take out your cream cheese!
- Sour cream — room temperature as well
- Vanilla extract
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
How to Make New York Cheesecake
- Prepare your oven and pan: Preheat your oven to 350°. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick spray and wrap the outside tightly with foil.
- Make the crust: Combine the crushed graham crackers, melted butter, sugar, and salt and mix until fully combined. Firmly press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Bake the crust: Bake for 9-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely while you prepare the filling.
- Preheat your oven: Preheat to 450°.
- Make the New York cheesecake filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth before adding the sugar and beat until fully combined and smooth. Next, add the eggs one at a time, before adding the sour cream, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat until just combined.
- Prepare the cheesecake and water bath: Pour the filling into the prepared pan and then place the cheesecake into a deep pan. Pour boiling water into the pan, stopping halfway up the springform pan.
- Bake your cheesecake: Place the pan on the center rack of your oven and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 225° for 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 35 minutes, or until only the center of the cheesecake jiggles slightly.
- Chill the cheesecake: Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to rest on the counter for an hour or until room temperature. Transfer the cheesecake to the fridge to chill overnight.
What Does a Water Bath Do for cheesecake?
Baking cheesecake in a water bath helps prevent cracks from forming on the top of the New York style cheesecake when done. It helps the cheesecake bake evenly as well as the water temperature keeps it from overheating. Since the water bath keeps it baking evenly, it prevents the cheesecake from rising and then deflating.
More Ways to Prevent Cheesecakes from Cracking
- Avoid over mixing your cheesecake filling as that can create air bubbles and cause cracks when baking as the air tries to escape.
- Similar to preparing macarons, give your cheesecake pan a quick tap on your countertop to pop any air bubbles that may have formed.
- Do not open the oven door before your cheesecake is ready. The cool air from your kitchen will enter the stove and cause the cheesecake to bake unevenly.
FAQs
If you have leftover cheesecake, you can wrap it up and store it in the fridge for up to a week. This makes my New York style cheesecake recipe perfect as a make ahead dessert as it’ll last a while in the fridge.
You can definitely freeze cheesecake! You can freeze cheesecake in single slices or whole. Wrap each slice or the whole cheesecake in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to three months.
Thaw your cheesecake overnight in the fridge when ready to enjoy. If you are thawing a single slice, you can thaw it at room temperature in around an hour, depending on the size of your slices.
Since we are using a water bath for our cheesecake, the foil helps prevent any water from leaking into your springform pan. While the pan is technically waterproof, the tinfoil helps prevent any chance of a soggy crust.
To evenly press the graham cracker crust down before baking, you can use a sturdy object with a flat bottom to press it down. I like using a measuring cup to press down as it’s flat and the round edge of it means I can evenly press the edge of the crusts in the springform pan.
If you’re looking for a clean cut presentation of your New York cheesecake, run your knife under hot water between slicing the cheesecake.
Pretty much all toppings goes well with this New York style cheesecake! Try whipped cream, strawberry topping, blueberry topping, caramel drizzles, chocolate drizzles, and more!
More Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious New York Style Cheesecake recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!
If you try this recipe and like it, please use my hashtag to share it with me on INSTAGRAM for a chance to be featured in my story! Also, follow me at Cookin’ With Mima on FACEBOOK |INSTAGRAM |PINTEREST for all of my latest social posts and recipes.
New York Style Cheesecake
Rich and creamy, this classic New York Style Cheesecake has a buttery graham cracker crust with a smooth cream cheese filling. Follow this easy recipe to get a beautiful crack-free cheesecake!
Instructions
For Crust:
-
Preheat your oven to 350°. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick spray and wrap the outside tightly with foil.
-
In a medium bowl combine the crushed graham crackers, melted butter, sugar, and salt. Mix until fully combined. It should be the texture of wet sand.
-
Firmly press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan.
-
Bake the crust for 9-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely while you prepare the filling.
For Filling:
-
Preheat your oven to 450°.
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until fully combined and smooth.
-
Add the eggs one at a time, combining fully and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition.
-
Add the sour cream, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until just combined.
-
Pour the filling into the prepared pan.
-
Place the cheesecake into a deep pan. Boil enough water to fill the pan up to halfway up the cheesecake pan.
-
Pour the boiling water into the pan, stopping halfway up the springform pan.
-
Place the pan on the center rack of your oven.
-
Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 225° for 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 35 minutes, or until only the center of the cheesecake jiggles slightly.
-
Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to rest on the counter for an hour or until room temperature. Transfer the cheesecake to the fridge to chill overnight.
Notes
- Avoid over mixing your cheesecake filling as that can create air bubbles and cause cracks when baking as the air tries to escape.
- Similar to preparing macarons, give your cheesecake pan a quick tap on your countertop to pop any air bubbles that may have formed.
- Do not open the oven door before your cheesecake is ready or you’ll allow cold air into the oven.
Nutrition
Serving: 12slices | Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 364mg | Potassium: 148mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 339IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 133mg | Iron: 1mg
This article was originally published by cookinwithmima.com. Read the original article here.
