Recipe
New York cheesecake
Dense, creamy and impossibly smooth - the Manhattan classic on a buttery cookie crust. Room-temperature ingredients, low-speed mixing and a slow cool-down are the three commandments.
New York cheesecake takes about 120 minutes and makes 12 servings. Each serving has 520 kcal.
- Preparation
- 30 minutes
- Cooking
- 90 minutes
- Total time
- 120 minutes
- Servings
- 12
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 37 g
- Fat
- 38 g
Ingredients
- Digestive biscuits200 g
- Butter90 g
- Full-fat cream cheese900 g
- Sugar200 g
- Eggs4 pcs
- Sour cream200 g
- All-purpose flour2 tbsp
- Vanilla extract2 tsp
- Lemon1 pc
Instructions
- 1
Take the cream cheese, eggs and sour cream out of the fridge 1–2 hours ahead - everything must be at room temperature.
Tip: Cold cream cheese beats into lumps that no amount of mixing will remove later. Room temperature is not optional here.
- 2
Crush the cookies to fine crumbs, mix with the melted butter and press firmly into the base of a 23 cm springform.
- 3
Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 180°C, then let it cool; wrap the outside of the pan in a double layer of foil.
- 4
Lower the oven to 160°C.
- 5
Beat the cream cheese with the sugar on the mixer's lowest speed until just smooth - and not a second longer.
Tip: Low speed, always. Air whipped in now makes the cake puff in the oven and crack as it sinks.
- 6
Add the eggs one at a time on low speed, then the sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest and flour; scrape down the bowl.
- 7
Pour the filling over the crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to release air bubbles.
- 8
Set the pan in a deep roasting tray and pour in hot water halfway up the sides - or skip the bath and bake at 150°C instead.
- 9
Bake for 60–70 minutes, until the edges are set and the center still wobbles like jelly.
- 10
Turn the oven off, prop the door open with a wooden spoon and leave the cake inside for 1 hour.
Tip: The slow cool-down in the fading oven is the no-crack insurance - a sudden temperature drop is what splits cheesecakes.
- 11
Run a thin knife around the edge, then cool to room temperature on the counter.
- 12
Chill in the fridge overnight, at least 6 hours, before releasing the ring and slicing.
Cooking methods
On the stove
Entirely an oven project - the stove only melts the butter for the crust. Use the middle rack, fan off if your oven allows it; convection dries the surface and encourages cracks. Trust the wobble, not the clock.
On induction
Melt the butter on 3 of 9 and heat the water for the bath on the cooktop; everything else happens in the oven at 160°C. Precision matters less here than patience afterwards.
Over an open fire
Honestly not a campfire dessert: it needs steady, gentle, surrounding heat for over an hour. If you are determined, a large Dutch oven with few coals below and a ring of coals on the lid can hold about 160°C - but expect a rustic, browner cake.
Recipe questions
- How long does this recipe take?
- Plan for about 120 minutes from start to finish.
- How many servings does this recipe make?
- This recipe makes 12 servings.
- Can I cook this recipe on induction?
- Yes. Melt the butter on 3 of 9 and heat the water for the bath on the cooktop; everything else happens in the oven at 160°C. Precision matters less here than patience afterwards.
- Can I cook this recipe over an open fire?
- Yes. Honestly not a campfire dessert: it needs steady, gentle, surrounding heat for over an hour. If you are determined, a large Dutch oven with few coals below and a ring of coals on the lid can hold about 160°C - but expect a rustic, browner cake.
- Which dietary preferences does this recipe support?
- This recipe is tagged: vegetarian.
In the app
Cooking the way it should feel
One step on screen, a timer that keeps going, and clear progress until the dish is done.
