I hadn’t baked cake in a long time, but last weekend I had the opportunity to bring a cake for a friend’s party, so I decided to make a cheesecake. I’ve done cheesecake in several different ways by now, and this time, I think I put all my experience together and ended up with a pretty decent end product.
NY Cheesecake
I actually ended up making two cakes, one with my own crust and one with a store-bought crust. The reason was that I had way too much batter left over and I happened to have a store-bought crust on hand, so I decided to just use it – hence the picture below is taken with the store-bought. But don’t worry, my crust recipe also works quite well!
New York Cheesecake (adapted from Nick Malgieri’s The Modern Baker)
Ingredients:
For the crust:
- 1 c. graham crackers, crushed
- 1/3 c. granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- (optional) 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 9- or 10-in springform pan or baking dish, greased
For the cheesecake:
- 16 oz (2 pkg) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 large egg white
- 8 oz (1 container) sour cream
Directions:
For the crust:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Mix together the graham crackers, sugar, and cinnamon. Pour the melted butter over the mixture and stir together until the mixture is moist (don’t be afraid to use your hands!). Press into the prepared baking dish or springform pan. Bake for 7-10 minutes until golden brown and set. If you are making the cake right away, leave the oven at 350F.
For the cheesecake:
Keep oven at 350F. Combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well mixed. Beat in one of the eggs until well incorporated, then use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining eggs and egg white, one at a time, in the same manner. Finally, beat in the sour cream.
Spoon the batter into the prepared crust, filling to within 1/4 inch of the top. Place the cake on a jellyroll or roasting pan and add about 2 cups of water to surround the outside of the cheesecake. Bake until firm and slightly puffed, about 25-35 minutes.
After the cheesecake is ready, turn off the oven and leave the door ajar. Leave the cheesecake in the partially open oven for another 20-30 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the cheesecake to a cooling rack. After the cake has cooled to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator before serving.
Some notes: these cakes can be stored in the refrigerator, if well-covered, for up to 2 days before serving.