originally posted in March 2016
As the great Julia Child once said, “a party without cake is just a meeting”, and let me tell you, this cheesecake requires no agenda. It’s creamy, it’s rich, it’s smooth, it’s sweet, it’s making my mouth water just thinking about it.
Not all cheesecake was created equal and getting the right texture is half the battle. Luckily, this recipe is really easy so the only battle you’ll be fighting is portion control. You will need a kitchen scale for this recipe though (enter: Amazon Prime), because it’s in grams and when it comes to baking, I’ve learned it’s best not to mess with measurement conversions.
Ok – less talking, more baking. Let’s get to it!
Ingredients:
Crust 1 sleeve graham crackers, crushed into crumbs (~1 cup) 2.5 tbsp butter, melted Filling 210 g sugar 3 tbsp corn starch, sieved 850 g cream cheese, room temp 1 large egg 125 g heavy cream 4 drops vanilla extract zest of 1 lemon melted butter for greasing (or Pams ‘Happy Baking’ cooking spray) 1 cake pan (I use a 9 inch non-stick springform pan) 1 kitchen scale
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F. In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter. Lightly press the crumb mixture into the bottom of your pan and about 1 - 1.5 inches up the sides to form an even-layered crust. Bake for 10 minutes and set aside to cool while we move on to the star of the show – the filling!
Measure off the cream cheese and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and corn starch. Fold in the cream cheese, then add the egg and whisk until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream while continuing to whisk. Finally, add in the vanilla and lemon zest and give it a final stir – we want this cake to be fragrant through and through.
Take your cake pan out of the fridge and carefully pour (or plop – the filling will be a bit on the thicker side) the cream cheese mixture on top of the graham cracker crust and smooth out the top with a spatula or back of a spoon. Transfer the pan to the oven and let bake for 40-50 minutes, until the top has started to lightly brown and the center has stopped impersonating jello (New York cheesecake is all about the texture).
Move the pan to a cooling rack and let cool completely (in the pan), then transfer to the fridge to allow the cake to go from cool to cold (overnight is ideal). When you’re ready to serve, gently flip the cake onto a parchment paper lined plate and from there, flip it one more time onto your serving plate/cake stand. Enjoy the cake au naturel, drizzled with melted chocolate, topped with fresh fruit (or dare I suggest, chocolate covered fruit). The possibilities are endless. And that’s it. NY Cheesecake. Easy as pie, except not…because it’s cake.
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