New York Style Cheesecake

New York Style Cheesecake desserts You can't beat a classic baked cheesecake - vanilla based, slightly tangy, sweet and rich. Top it with a tangy raspberry sauce for a nice contrast in colour New York Cheesecake New York Style Cheesecake cheesecake, cakes

This New York Style Cheesecake is so rich creamy and decadent you won’t be able to get enough. You can’t beat a classic baked cheesecake - vanilla based, slightly tangy, sweet and rich. Top it with a tangy raspberry sauce for a nice contrast in colour or keep things simple with whipped cream and fresh fruit or a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Whatever you decide - I’m sure you will enjoy every bite of this cheesecake!

New York Style Cheesecake

What’s The Difference Between New York Style Cheesecake and Regular Cheesecake?

The differences are quite simple. Regular cheesecake is lighter and creamier with simple and few ingredients. New York Style cheesecake is a bit extra - denser, yet still creamy and smooth and quite rich in texture and flavor because of the amount of cream cheese in the cheesecake and also often the extra add ins like cream, or sour cream and often an extra egg or 2 or an extra yolk which also adds richness. The base or crust is usually made with sponge cake or more commonly a graham cracker crust. The top is lightly golden although I like mine a little darker as you can see in the photos but if you prefer yours lighter simply tent with foil to prevent the top from browning.

New York Style Cheesecake

New York Style Cheesecake Ingredients

  • GRAHAM CRACKERS or GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBS: Either store bought crumbs or crackers made into fine crumbs using food processor (for a variation you could also use biscoff, gingersnaps, or Oreos instead)
  • MELTED BUTTER: I use unsalted for the crust
  • CREAM CHEESE: Room temperature and I prefer to use full fat cream cheese for the best flavour - best not to skimp
  • SUGAR: 1½ cups of granulated sugar is what I prefer for just enough sweetness for the filling and ¼ cup for the crust but that is optional - not everyone likes a sweet crust. If you prefer a sweeter filling feel free to increase the amount to 1 2/3 cups.
  • CORN STARCH: Just a few tablespoons to helps prevent batter from cracking and sort of stabilizes it making it easier to slice nice firm pieces. You could swap it out for all purpose flour too.
  • SOUR CREAM: For a smooth and creamy cheesecake. Most cheesecake recipes use either heavy cream or sour cream; either will do the job of softening the texture of the cheese and adding some moisture. I prefer sour cream because I like the extra hit of sour tang it adds to the cake.
  • VANILLA EXTRACT: Pure vanilla extract is what I use for best flavor which always adds the perfect flavour
  • LEMON JUICE: The lemon juice really balances the sweetness and richness. If you would like to add more lemon flavor feel free to add up to 1 tablespoon lemon zest along with the lemon juice.
  • EGGS: Room temperature 4 large whole eggs and 1 yolk hold the cheesecake together and add to the rich texture of it
  • TOPPING OPTIONS: soft pillowy whipped cream, blueberry sauce, cherry pie filling, Caramel sauce (store bought or homemade), strawberry sauce, chocolate sauce or hot fudge sauce, cookie crumbs (whatever you used for the base/crust), chopped nuts like roasted chopped pecans or the raspberry sauce - more details below.

For the Raspberry Sauce (if making)

  • RASPBERRIES: Fresh or frozen
  • SUGAR: To taste
  • LEMON JUICE: To taste

New York Style Cheesecake

How To Make New York Style Cheesecake (full instructions in recipe card)

  1. Prepare CRUST: Combine crust ingredients in a medium bowl and press into the bottom of springform pan. Bake then cool
  2. Make FILLING: In a large bowl mix the cream cheese, and sugar, then the cornstarch, and spices. Mix in the sour cream, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix in the eggs one at a time - Wait until the previous egg is just barely mixed into the batter before adding the next one. Scrape down the beater and sides of the bowl with a spatula, to make sure everything is incorporated. Don’t worry if you see a few specks of un-mixed cream cheese here and there; they will melt into the batter during baking and won’t affect the finished cheesecake.
  3. POUR the batter over the cooled crust
  4. TRANSFER the pan to the WATER BATH: This helps cheesecake bake evenly
  5. BAKE the cheesecake: The cheesecake is done when the outer two to three inches look slightly puffed and set, but the inner circle still jiggles slightly when you gently shake the pan. The cheesecake will be lightly toasted golden color, but if you see any cracks starting to form around the edges, move on to the next step right away. If you notice the cheesecake getting too dark too soon tent with foil
  6. COOL the cheesecake in the oven: Leave the cheesecake in the oven. Turn off the oven and crack the door open or prop it open with a wooden spoon. Let the cheesecake cool slowly for 30min -1 hour. Then remove from oven and from water bath and place on cooling rack and allow to come to room temperature.
  7. CHILL the cheesecake for 6-8 hours in the refrigerator: Chill the cheesecake, for at least 6 hours or up to 3 days in the refrigerator. This step is crucial for letting the cheesecake set and achieving perfect cheesecake texture.
  8. TOP the cheesecake and serve: Take the cheesecake out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you plan to serve. Unmold the cake and top the cheesecake with whatever toppings you prefer then slice and serve.

New York Style Cheesecake

Baked New York Style Cheesecake Tips:

  • Beat on Low Speed: In order to minimize the amount of air you’re beating into your filling, keep the mixer on low speed. This helps prevent cracking.
  • Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure you bring your ingredients to room temperature before making this cheesecake. If the eggs or cream cheese are too cold, you could end up with lumpy batter.
  • Use a Water Bath: I know it’s kind of a pain, but it truly makes a difference. Without it, your cheesecake is more likely to crack, brown around the edges and fall in the center when cooling. It’s definitely worth the extra step.Please check our recipe notes below for my favourite water bath hack
  • Cool the Cheesecake Slowly: Follow the directions in the recipe for cooling your cheesecake. If it cools too quickly, it could crack.
  • Line spring-form pan: Line the bottom of your spring-form pan with a parchment paper round for easy removal. Then, double wrap the pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
  • Use room temperature ingredients for a smooth and lump-free batter: For the cream cheese, I recommend softening it in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time at 50% power. This will warm the cream cheese which helps get a smooth batter if you are in a pinch and forgot to take it out of the fridge.
  • Remove air bubbles to prevent cracks in the cheesecake. Mix the batter on the lowest speed for the last 2 minutes to push out any air bubbles. Also, bang the springform pan on the counter several times to push out and pop any remaining air bubbles.

New York Style Cheesecake

Make Ahead, Storage & Freezing

  • MAKE AHEAD: Cheesecakes are a great make ahead recipe. I almost always make mine 1 day in advance if not 2 days. I know that it doesn’t take 24 hours for the cheesecake to set but I like to at least allow 8 hours or overnight for it to set well, making it an ideal dessert to make ahead.
  • STORAGE: The baked and chilled cheesecake will keep for up to 4 days covered tightly with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator.
  • FREEZING: The cheesecake will keep for up to 2 months covered tightly and stored in the freezer covered tightly with a couple layers of plastic wrap and foil over top. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.You can freeze individual slices the same way as well.

New York Style Cheesecake

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Recipe

Servings: Yields: one 9-inch cake
Servings: 12
Prep Time: 20 mins
Bake Time: 50-60 mins
Non-Active Time: 6-8 hours for chilling/setting

Ingredients

For the Crust

  • 2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
  • ½ unsalted butter, melted
  • ¼ cup sugar (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
  • Pinch of salt (optional)

For the Cheesecake

  • 4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese (use only full fat), room temperature
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk, room temperature

Raspberry Topping

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries - for sauce
  • 3 to 5 tablespoons sugar - adjust to taste
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice - adjust to taste
  • Fresh raspberries - for garnish

Directions

  1. Grease and or line 9 inch round springform pan and preheat oven to 350°F.

Make Graham Cracker Crust

  1. In a medium size bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar if using and spices then stir in the meted butter until well combined.
  2. Press mixture into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan
  3. Bake 7-10 minutes until edges are golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool while you make the filling.

Make Filling

  1. Beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar and corn starch together on medium speed in a large bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment or using an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and zest if using then beat until fully combined.
  3. On medium speed, add the eggs and yolk one at a time, beating after each addition until just blended. After the final egg is incorporated into the batter, stop mixing.
  4. To help prevent the cheesecake from deflating and cracking as it cools, avoid over-mixing the batter as best you can. Use a spatula to scrape off the beaters and the sides of bowl to ensure everything is well incorporated.

Assemble and Bake

  1. Wrap the spring form pan tightly especially at the base with several layers of foil to prevent any leakage. Place into a large roasting pan.
  2. Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust in prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula or spoon to smooth it into an even layer.
  3. Carefully pour hot water inside of the roasting pan coming up 1 inch or so up the side of the springform pan and place in the oven. (Or you can place the roasting pan in the oven first, then pour the hot water in. Whichever is easier for you.)
  4. Bake cheesecake for 50-60 minutes or until the center is almost set. If you notice the cheesecake browning too quickly on top, tent it with aluminum foil halfway through baking. When it’s done, the center of the cheesecake will slightly wobble if you gently shake the pan.
  5. Turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly. Let the cheesecake sit in the oven in the water bath as it cools down for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and water bath, then cool cheesecake on wire rack completely uncovered at room temperature.
  6. Then cover and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Serve

  1. Use a knife to loosen the chilled cheesecake from the rim of the springform pan, then remove the rim. Using a clean sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean and dip into warm water between each slice.

For Raspberry Topping (optional)

  1. To make the sauce, add the fresh or frozen raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a pot and heat over medium-high heat. Use the back of a spoon or masher to break down the raspberries. Once it starts to boil, turn off the heat. Taste and adjust with more sugar or lemon juice as needed. Cool.
  2. Add the cooled raspberry sauce to the cheesecake and then top with the fresh raspberries for garnish or serve raspberry sauce on the side and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • My favourite kitchen hack for water baths - I place my spring form pan into a round baking pan that is 1 inch large (preferably not another spring form) then place that pan into the large roasting pan with hot water - no need for extra seal of parchment and layers of foil because the baking pan acts as a physical barrier. No need for layers of foil to line your pan and the worry about any water seepage from water bath.
  • Do I really need a water bath: Technically you don’t but it it worth it for a perfectly baked cheesecake without any cracks. If you prefer not to mess with the whole water bath, no problem. You can bake the cheesecake without it. If you end up with a crack, just cover it with whipped cream and all the rest of the toppings. Its not the end of the world.

New York Style Cheesecake