The New York Cheesecake Recipe
A silky-smooth cream cheese cheesecake inspired by the bakeries of early 1900s New York: rich in texture yet refined in flavour. Baked in a gentle water bath and served on a classic wholemeal cookie crust.
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Servings: 16
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer (with whisk or beater attachments)
- 2 Offset spatulas (recommended: cake icing spatulas)
- Kaiser La Forme Plus springform pan (26 cm / 10-inch diameter)
- Kaiser Inspiration silicone scraper (about 30 cm / 12 inches long)
- Zenker stainless steel cake lifter (about 28 cm / 11 inches wide)
- Digital kitchen scale (with tare function, up to 5 kg / 11 lb)
- Whisk
- Lemon zester
- Freezer bag (for crushing the wholemeal cookies)
Recommended equipmentView products
Ingredients
Cheesecake base
- 200 g Wholemeal butter cookies (200 g / about 7 oz) (recommended: Bahlsen Leibniz butter cookies)
- 100 g Butter (100 g / about 7 tbsp, just under ½ cup)
- 25 g Sugar (25 g / about 2 tbsp)
- 1/2 TL Salt (½ tsp)
- 20 g Ground almonds (20 g / about 3 tbsp)
Cheesecake filling
- 800 g Cream cheese (800 g / about 3½ × 8 oz blocks)
- 250 g Sugar (250 g / about 1¼ cups)
- 75 g Cornstarch (75 g / about ½ cup + 1 tbsp) (recommended: Mondamin cornstarch)
- 1 TL Vanilla paste (1 tsp)
- 1 Lemon (zest and juice of 1 lemon) (recommended: organic, unwaxed)
- 6 Eggs (6, size M–L)
- 600 g Sour cream (600 g / about 2½ cups) (alternative: crème fraîche)
- 1 TL Lemon juice (1 tsp)
Cheesecake fruit topping
- 400 g Frozen raspberries (400 g / about 14 oz or 3 cups) (alternative: blueberries)
- 35 g Sugar (35 g / about 3 tbsp)
- 1 EL Lemon juice (1 tbsp)
- 1.5 EL Cornstarch (about 1½ tbsp) (recommended: Mondamin cornstarch)
Instructions
Cheesecake base
- Line the base of the springform pan with a sheet of parchment paper, clamping it firmly between the base and the ring. Trim any overhanging paper with scissors, then lightly grease the sides of the pan.
- Line the base of the springform pan with a sheet of parchment paper, clamping it firmly between the base and the ring. Trim any overhanging paper with scissors, then lightly grease the sides of the pan.
- Melt the butter. Add it to the cookie crumbs, sugar, ground almonds, and salt, then mix in a bowl until everything is evenly combined and the crumbs are well moistened.
- Transfer the crumb mixture to the prepared pan and press it down very firmly with the back of a spoon to form an even base. Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F (conventional, non-fan oven) and pre-bake the crust for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool briefly.
Cheesecake filling
- Add the cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla paste, lemon zest, and 1 tbsp lemon juice to a bowl and mix until smooth. Add the eggs and sour cream and stir gently until just combined—do not whisk or beat the mixture until fluffy. Then preheat the oven to 225°C / 435°F (conventional, non-fan oven) and place a water bath (1–2 cm / about 1/2 inch deep, for example in a high-rimmed baking tray) on the lowest rack.
- Pour the cheesecake filling onto the pre-baked crust in the springform pan and smooth the top. Slide a baking tray with a high rim onto the lowest oven rack and fill it with about 1–2 cm (½–¾ inch) of water—this creates a moist baking environment. Place the springform pan on the rack directly above and bake for 10 minutes at 225°C / 437°F (conventional top/bottom heat). Then reduce the temperature to 100°C / 212°F and bake for about 50 minutes more, until the center still jiggles slightly. During the last 40 minutes of baking, loosely cover the cheesecake with baking paper or aluminum foil. Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool inside for 2 hours with the oven door closed to help prevent cracks in the delicate surface. Then let it cool for another 4 hours at room temperature, and ideally chill it overnight in the fridge until fully chilled.
Cheesecake fruit topping
- Press the raspberries through a sieve so no seeds end up in the topping. Place the raspberry purée in a saucepan with the sugar and the juice of half a lemon, then heat gently, stirring, until it comes to a slow boil.
- Stir in the cornstarch that you’ve mixed with a little water, then let the raspberry sauce simmer for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it thickens slightly. Be careful not to cook it too long—it should stay nicely spreadable, not firm. Let the sauce cool a little, then spoon it onto the fully chilled cheesecake and gently spread it smooth with an offset spatula.
- Using a cake lifter, carefully lift the cheesecake—still on the parchment paper—onto a serving plate. Trim away any excess parchment around the edge for a clean finish. Prepared this way, your cheesecake will bake without cracks on the surface. It will have a wonderfully silky-smooth texture – perfect for a special cheesecake moment.
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Recommended equipment
For this New York Cheesecake, a sturdy springform pan, a powerful hand mixer, and a few helpful tools for clean layering and smooth finishing work especially well. Here is a selection we particularly enjoy working with:
