New York style baked cheesecake with a rich yet light cream cheese filling and a buttery biscuit crust.

New York Cheesecake

Whenever I think of cheesecake I think about the episode from the TV sitcom Friends where Rachel and Chandler discover the most luscious and creamy cheesecake they have eaten. And ever since that episode, I have wanted to get my hands on a cheesecake that would make me feel how they feel while eating a piece of that cheesecake.

The recipe that I am sharing today is my answer to that episode. The recipe yields a baked cheesecake that has a rich yet light cream cheese filling. I have made this recipe a couple of times now. Each time I have made it for guests, and after baking and letting it cool, I never found time to photograph it, even though it always came out really good. Its good that I didn’t photograph it then because the more I made it the more I gathered on tips and tricks that will help you get the perfect creamy baked New york cheesecake.

New York Cheesecake

New York Cheesecake

The original recipe doesn’t have a crust, but my mom likes crusts, and I have realized so do a lot of other people. Graham crackers are not easily available in India. While traditionally, one would use graham crackers in crust, digestive cookies are a good substitute for using in cheesecake crusts In India, you get McVities digestive cookies which can be used to make the cheesecake crust. I sometimes like to mix in a packet of Unibic’s Honey Oatmeal digestive cookies as well and am always happy with the results.

The recipe is adapted from here and I am so grateful for Katy to have posted it. The original recipe as is was perfect, but required a little tweaking to suit my and my family’s liking.

A few tips I have learnt from the original post (do check it out) as well as baking it a couple of times now, is to make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. It is very important to keep that in mind if you want a smooth, creamy filling. Although its a vanilla cheesecake, I like the slight tang from lemon and recommend you using both the lemon zest and lemon juice. A 2-hour bake in my oven gives the perfect texture to the cheesecake. Cooking in a bain-marie helps the filling cook slowly and evenly, yielding a creamy cheesecake.

New York Cheesecake

New York Cheesecake

To check if your cheesecake is done, it should be a light golden from the top and the cheesecake should look set from the edges. When you shake it a bit and only a small circle in the centre jiggles slightly, you know your cheesecake is done. The cheesecake continues to set while cooling, so be sure to have that slight wobble else you would have probably over baked it.

Baked cheesecakes do require a lot of time, but the results are worth it. You need at least four hours for the cheesecake to set after baking and an overnight rest is ideal, so keep that in mind while planning your cheesecake baking.

While I love fancy variations of cheesecake, nothing beats a plain creamy baked cheesecake with a buttery crumbly biscuit crust. Not that I mind add ons but a slice of well made plain cheesecake always has my heart. You could of course serve this cheesecake with any topping. This balsamic roasted strawberry topping would be perfect to serve with the cheesecake.

I hope you get to try this recipe and in case you do, please share your results with me by tagging me on my instagram, facebook, twitter or leave a comment here. I always love to hear your feedback and see the photos of your baked goods.

A baked cheesecake with a buttery biscuit crust and a rich yet light cream cheese filling

4.8 from 6 reviews
New York Cheesecake
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 1 10 inch cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust:
  • 225gms digestive biscuits crushed
  • 110 grams melted butter
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
For the filling:
  • 5 large eggs, room temperature
  • 400 gms sour cream, room temperature
  • 800 gms cream cheese, room temperature
  • 113 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 2 tbsp corn starch/ corn flour
  • 1½ tsp vanilla extract
  • juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp grated lemon zest
Instructions
  1. Generously butter the sides and bottom of a 10 inch springform pan. Wrap a double/triple layer of heavy duty aluminium foil around the outside bottom and sides of the pan. This is to prevent from water leaking into the springform pan when you put it in the water bath.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Meanwhile prepare the crust.
  3. In a food processor, crush the biscuits into a fine powder. Add the ground cinnamon and mix it. Add the melted butter and let the dough come together. Remove the biscuit crumb. Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake the crust until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool the pan on a rack.
  4. Lower the oven temperature to 300 F and make the filling.
  5. In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sour cream. Beat them together until well blended.
  6. In another bowl, beat the cream cheese with the butter until smooth and creamy. Add to the egg sour cream mixture and beat for another 1 minute.
  7. Add the sugar, corn starch, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
  8. Pour into the prepared springform pan, and place the spring form pan in a large roasting pan that is big enough to fit the springform pan without its sides touching. Place in the oven and carefully fill the roasting pan with very hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
  9. Bake for 2 hours, or until the cake is very lightly colored and only the centre is slightly wobbly. The edges should look done Remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully remove the springform pan from the water. Peel off the aluminium foil carefully. Let stand at room temperature to cool completely for about 4 hours. Refrigerate, covered, until chilled, another 2-3 hours or overnight. Overnight chilling yields the best texture.

 

 

New York Cheesecake

 

 

26 Thoughts on “New York Cheesecake

  1. That cheesecake looks absolutely perfect, I can’t wait to try the recipe myself!

  2. Wow – this cheesecake is stunning!!! I’m blown away at how creamy it is – the perfect consistency – and no cracking! Spectacular!

    • Shashi this cheesecake is pretty creamy, took some time to get the recipe perfect but now managed to figure out how much time it takes for it to bake in my oven to get the perfect consistency. Thank you so much 🙂
      Shumaila Chauhan recently posted..New York CheesecakeMy Profile

  3. Cheesecake is my favorite dessert. A warm buttery biscuit crust sounds fabulous! This looks like something I need to try asap.

  4. Mmmm, this has made me pine for a good cheesecake!
    Jane x

  5. I love me some cheesecake and this recipe looks amazing!

  6. This is truly perfection. I bet your family loves the days when you bake. They get to enjoy eating it 🙂

    ❥ tanvii.com
    Tanvi Rastogi recently posted..Glow Photo Series: OrangeMy Profile

  7. this looks just wonderful…just yesterday i had one of the best cheese cake from an Argentinian bakery and really wanted to give it a try at home. if i make cheesecake, i will be referring to your recipe. thank you for the tips, huge help for non bakers: )
    dixya @food, pleasure, and health recently posted..3 Ingredient Chipotle Cream SauceMy Profile

  8. Wow, your recipe is looking great. My kids love cheesecake. I will try this for them and of course, let you know! Please add me your upcoming post.
    Brady recently posted..Why To Buy Good Stainless Steel Cookware Set – Detailed GuideMy Profile

  9. I don’t know why – I feel this cheesecake is talking to me because I have not missed a single post of yours regarding this cheesecake 😛 I have never tried baking a cheesecake. Hopefully soon. I will come around here and use this tested recipe! love your work and your honesty. 🙂

  10. This cheesecake is simply delicious, Shumaila! I will definitely give it a try!
    Agness of Run Agness Run recently posted..10 Healthy Party Snack Ideas & Tips 🍪🍹🍌🍏My Profile

  11. Disha on 29 May, 2017 at 5:11 pm said:

    This cheesecake reminds me of one I had in Mcleodganj in a quaint little bakery. It was the best cheese cake ever. Since then I have not tasted anything like it nor could replicate the taste. Maybe this recipe is what I was waiting for. Can you please tell me at what temperature you bake this in.

    • Hi Disha, thats so sweet of you to say- I hope it lives up to your expectations. I have mentioned the temperature in the recipe- the crust is baked at 350 F/180 C, and then the cheesecake is baked in a water bath at 300 F/ 150 C

  12. Always inspired by you and love your easy to follow recipes!
    Kamana@SocialandStyle recently posted..Planning a Babymoon in Paris and a day at the The Palace of VersaillesMy Profile

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  14. So tempted to try out this recipe 😍😍 Can you please suggest the brands of digestive biscuits and sour cream n cream cheese… Also can I make this in a 12 sized cupcake pan? Thanks a lot!😀😊

    • Hi Ankita, i have mentioned the brands of cookies in my post. Cream cheese in india I use of D’lecta, and sour cream from impero, or sometimes flander’s. I have never tried it in cupcake pans- the timing would change and also might want to add liners for easy removal, and not sure how many cupcake pans would this recipe translate to. Sorry cant be more helpful there since I havent tried it myself.

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