The best original New York style cheesecake is the perfectly divine dessert for any occasion. So light and creamy with plenty of bright lemon flavor.
Cheesecake is, perhaps surprisingly, one of the oldest surviving dishes in the world. The Ancient Greeks ate cheesecake, most likely made with goats’ cheese, prior even to the genesis of the Roman Empire. Cato the Elder, a Roman senator who lived around 200 BC, wrote cheesecake recipes intended for religious use. The enormous reach of the Romans and Greeks might be to blame, then, for cheesecake’s worldwide popularity and endless regional variations. Italians tend to use ricotta for their cheesecakes, while Germans opt for quark, a cottage cheese-like dairy product consumed throughout Germanic Europe. The invention of cream cheese in 1872 heralded the arrival of what is now a classic: New York style cheesecake.
New York style cheesecake generally uses cream cheese, although some cooks prefer sour cream, particularly if they freeze their cheesecake overnight. Any reasonably heavy cheese will do for this purpose, as long as it is resilient to freezing and will keep its shape when kept cool. In the most indulgent of New York delis and diners, New York style cheesecake is even served with a mixture of sour cream and vanilla extract as a topping, a lavish addition that will be sure to make your cake stand out from the crowd.
If you really want to perfect New York style cheesecake, there are two factors you must keep in constant consideration. Texturally, the cheesecake should be light without being crumbly – this will depend a lot on your choice of crust. The filling needs to be creamy, but not too dense, as New York style cheesecake isn’t intended to be as filling as other variations. The cream cheese should be the dominant flavor on the palate, and you definitely don’t want your cheesecake to be too sweet. It should have a slightly savory character to it – not overly sweet, but not salty or chalky, either – that is rich and never overpowering.
For toppings, you can really go wild with anything you like, although of course it is traditional to serve your cheesecake as is. Americans love to add toppings with fruit, particularly those with a bit of sharpness to their flavor. Raspberries and passion fruit are great for this, as the intermingling sweetness and tangy assault complement the cream cheese nicely. Pineapple-based toppings are common in more tropical regions, although you would be hard pressed to find a pineapple cheesecake in a real New York diner.
Always bake your cheesecake in a water bath, to keep the heat in the oven from drying out, and to help your cake bake slowly and evenly. The other benefit of a water bath is that your New York style cheesecake won’t crack or dry out on top, leaving you with a smooth, attractive cake bound to invite gasps and watering mouths around the table. For maximum authenticity, serve with piping hot coffee, served black, and always cut your cheesecake with a smooth-bladed knife to prevent the cheese from tearing or breaking in chunks against a serrated edge. If you find yourself with leftovers, you can even freeze your cheesecake for up to a month and find it perfectly edible.
NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE RECIPE
PrintNEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE RECIPE
Ingredients
- Crust
- Original Digestive biscuits ( finely crushed)- 2 ½ cup or 250 gm ( 9 oz)
- Butter ( unsalted)- ½ cup ( 115 gm)
- Icing sugar- ½ cup (63 gm)
- Filling
- Full Fat Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature- 1 kg ( 4 ⅓ cup)
- Large eggs- 5 ( room temperature)
- White sugar- 1 cup (200 gm)
- All purpose flour- 3 tbsp (25-30 gm)
- Heavy whipping cream- ⅓ cup ( 90 ml)
- Vanilla extract- 1 tbsp
- Lemon Zest- 2 tbsp
- For Topping
- Sour Cream- 1 cup ( 230 gm)
- Icing sugar- 4 tbsp
- Vanilla Extract- 1 tsp
Instructions
- First grease your baking pan( see notes) and preheat your oven to 170 C or 350 F. Place rack in the center of the oven.
- Crust
- Take a large bowl, place melted butter, finely crushed Digestive biscuits, and sugar . Combine well.
- Transfer it into the baking pan and press the crumbs evenly up the sides of the baking pan. Put it in the refrigerator while preparing filling.
- Filling
- Take a bowl of your stand mixer, place cream cheese, sugar and flour. Start beating on medium speed until it becomes soft. ( 40-50 seconds).
- Now add eggs ( ONE AT A TIME) Add an egg and beat 15-20 seconds, add another egg and repeat the procedure. Do same with all 5 eggs. Don't forget to scape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the remaining ingredients: whipping cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract. Beat 1-2 minutes more on medium speed.
- Pour the filling in the cooled crust.
- Bake 15 minutes at 170 C or 350 F, then reduce the temperature to 120 C or 250 F and bake another 80-90 minutes.YOU HAVE TO BAKE UNTIL THE CHEESECAKE BECOMES FIRM, ONLY THE CENTER WILL LOOK A LITTLE BIT WET.
- While it is baking , in a small bowl combine sugar, sour cream and vanilla extract.
- Take the cheesecake out of the oven, spread evenly sour cream and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven, run a spatula around the inside edge of baking pan carefully. Allow the cheesecake cool completely.
- Refrigerate overnight and serve with fresh fruits like blueberries and strawberries.
Notes
Equipment: 23 cm ( 9 inch) baking pan
Baking Temperature: First 15-16 minutes - 170 C ( 350 F), and another 90 minutes 120C ( 250 F).
- Category: Cakes
- Cuisine: American
Classic, amazing, awesome. A brilliant feat of cake!
Thank you, Cakespy 🙂