New York Cheesecake

Judith Hannemann — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:28:00 +0000

Authentic New York cheesecake and I should know…I hail from Brooklyn, NY (where Junior’s is located and went to college right by there–shameless plug for Brooklyn Poly, now Polytechnic Institute of NYU).

New York Cheesecake

Can be topped with anything you like. Here I used some strawberry pie filling. This cheesecake is creamy from stem to stern. The reason is it is baked in a waterbath. Why a waterbath? Cheesecake is not a cake at all but a custard! The waterbath produces the desired texture. Original recipe is from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “The Cake Bible.”

Here’s the ingredients we used (some aren’t shown in photo for space sake), and you will need an 8-inch springform pan, bottom lined with baker’s parchment, and a large roasting pan for waterbath baking~

Rub a little butter on the base of the springform pan so the circle of parchment you cut to fit it will adhere~

Cut the parchment to fit the base and line base, making sure it sticks~

Prepare pan by wrapping in a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent seepage. Spray pan sides and parchment liner with non-stick spray~

Put cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch (if using) in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, preferably with wire whisk beater attached. Beat well, scraping down the sides~

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each; scrape down sides~

Add fresh lemon juice and vanilla. Blend in well~

Add sour cream and blend well; scrape down sides and beat mixture well~

Here is what the finished batter will look like~

Pour into prepared pan which will be set in a larger roasting pan filled with 1-inch of very hot water. Set the pan in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes. When baking time is up, shut off the oven but leave the cheesecake in the oven (do not open oven door) for one hour!~

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 8 hours~

Unmold cheesecake by running a wet knife around the edge then releasing the spring of the pan’s collar. Invert onto a plate; remove the pan’s base then re-invert onto serving plate. Top with desired topping (I used prepared strawberry pie filling on this one). Cake is great served au naturel too~

Here’s a great tip for storage–use a large Lock & Lock bowl upside down, using the lid as the cake plate. The bowl will form the dome. Good for cakes that are fragile and must be refrigerated~

The Recipe

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