This is a recipe that I got from a friend and have modified it to suit my own tastes. If you like cheesecake, then you are going to love this!
New York Style Cheesecake
2 lbs cream cheese; room temperature
1 stick sweet, unsalted butter; room temperature
1 pint sour cream; room temperature
5 large eggs; room temperature
1 ½ C superfine sugar
2 tbs cornstarch
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp fresh lemon juice (½ lemon will make plenty of juice)
1 tsp lemon zest
¼ C graham cracker crumbs (optional)
Preparation:
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with a mixer or food processor until completely smooth, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in butter until mixture is smooth and creamy. Beat in sour cream. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping bowl and beating well after each addition. Add sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, lemon juice, and zest and beat until mixture is smooth.
Butter sides and bottom of a 10” springform pan and coat with graham cracker crumbs if desired. Completely wrap outside of pan with a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil to make springform watertight. Pour batter into pan, place in a baking pan that is wider, but not deeper, than the springform. Add enough boiling water to reach halfway up the side of the springform. Bake in a preheated 300˚ F oven until top is lightly browned and a knife inserted in center comes out clean, 2-2 ½ hours.
Remove springform pan from water bath and unwrap aluminum foil. Place pan on a rack to cool completely. To prevent the cheesecake from cracking, cover springform with a large bowl to trap moisture and cool the cake slowly. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
To unmold, place springform in a pan of hot water for 10 seconds. Run a thin knife around sides of cake, release sides of the springform. Serve plain or with fresh strawberries, blueberries, cherries, or raspberries. Alternately, dust top with cocoa, shaved chocolate, or drizzle chocolate sauce over top. The combination of fresh raspberries, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream is very delectable. Serves 12.
Hints:
1. Use paddles in your mixer rather than regular beaters to fold the batter. This will help prevent too much air in the batter. Too much air will cause your cheesecake to rise like a soufflé instead of being nice and dense.
2. Be sure to start with ingredients that are at room temperature and use a low speed setting on the mixer for a creamy batter. Lumps will ruin the consistency of the finished cheesecake.
3. Bake slowly in a water bath at a moderate temperature and cool the cake slowly for several hours to prevent shrinking and cracking.
4. Ensure that the cake is completely cooled to room temperature before putting it into the refrigerator.
5. Prepare the cake ahead several days and age it in a refrigerator. The longer the cake sits, the cheesier its flavor. I usually will age it for 3-5 days.
6. It is very important to bake the cheesecake slowly at a low temperature. Make sure that your oven rack is in a low position to get the cake as far away from the top heating element as possible. The closer it is to the heat, the more the chance of cracking, rising, and burning.
7. If you prefer a crust on your cheesecake, then do not use the water bath method to bake it. Otherwise, your crust will always come out mushy rather than nice and crisp.
8. Use the best springform pan you can get. I use a 10" x 3" springform pan from Kaiser's Noblesse line, made in Germany with a non-stick finish and 12 cup capacity. I also use a specialized cheesecake knife for serving. This is a teflon knife with holes in the blade to prevent the cake from sticking to the blade as you pull it through the cake.
