This New York-style cheesecake, inspired by the Cheesecake Factory, is a delightful treat. It boasts a rich, dense yet creamy texture, striking the perfect balance between sweetness and a hint of saltiness in its base. This cheesecake is the ideal choice if you’re aiming to impress, and the best part is, it’s baked without the need for the water bath method. Enjoy this indulgent dessert!
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CHEESECAKE RECIPE
Baking a large cheesecake like this may initially seem daunting, but I’m here to reassure you that it’s not as intimidating as it appears. Despite its sophisticated appearance, it’s a relatively straightforward process.
In fact, this cheesecake is quite easy to make, requiring only a handful of ingredients. Many of our readers, even those who had never attempted cheesecake before, decided to give this recipe a try and were pleasantly surprised by their successful results. It’s no wonder this recipe has become a favorite among our readers, right? wink!
I’ll gladly share all my tips and tricks with you to ensure you can effortlessly create this delightful masterpiece with confidence.
CHEESECAKE INGREDIENTS
- Biscuit Crumbs: I prefer to use digestive biscuits because they offer a delightful balance of sweetness and a hint of saltiness, which pairs perfectly with the entire cheesecake. They are readily available in Europe, and despite the name, they are far from horrible. Trust me on this one!
- Cream Cheese: Opt for plain and full-fat cream cheese. In Europe, cream cheese typically comes in a tub instead of a brick, but the packaging doesn’t matter as long as it’s plain and full fat.
- Sour Cream: Choose full-fat sour cream. It plays a crucial role in achieving the light and creamy texture characteristic of New York-style cheesecake.
- All-Purpose Flour: This ingredient contributes to the cheesecake’s dense yet creamy texture, and it also helps prevent the cheesecake from cracking during baking.
WHY THIS WATER-FREE BATH TECHNIQUE WORKS
- Less Mixing: Mixing the cheesecake ingredients as little as possible at each stage of the recipe is essential. Overmixing can introduce excess air into the mixture, leading to puffiness during baking. As the cheesecake cools and contracts, this trapped air can result in cracks.
- Low Temperature: Baking the cheesecake at a low temperature is a key technique for success without the need for a water bath. Slow and gentle cooking helps maintain a smooth texture and minimizes the risk of cracking. It essentially replicates the controlled cooking environment of a water bath without the added complexities.
HOW TO MAKE EASY CHEESECAKE
- Blend biscuits into a fine mixture, add butter and mix. Pour into a 7-inch (18 cm) springform pan, and press to the base and the wall. Freeze for 30 minutes.
- Using a handheld whisk on the lowest speed, whisk cream cheese until creamy.
- Add in sour cream, vanilla extract, sugar, all-purpose flour, and lemon juice. Mix well.
- In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs.
- Pour the eggs into the cream cheese mixture and fold everything together using a spatula.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 285ºF (140ºC), without the fan, on, on lower ⅔ rack, for 1 hour 45 minutes or until the edges have set and the center wiggles a bit when you lightly shake the pan. Cool completely at room temperature and chill for 8 hours. Decorate as you wish, slice, and serve!
RECIPE EXPERT TIPS
- Make sure to use the ingredients at the temperature specified in this recipe. This is to make sure they mix easily with each other without having to mix too much. Mixing the ingredients too much will cause the cheesecake to crack.
- Make sure to use the correct oven temperature. We want to bake the cheesecake at a very low temperature to avoid it from cracking. I always use a portable oven thermometer to avoid any problems. It’s cheap by the way!
- Chill the cheesecake for 8 hours to give it time to develop flavour with great texture. You won’t regret it.
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 6 cup digestive crumbs
- 1 cup unsalted butter , melted
Cheese Filling
- 32 oz full fat cream cheese , room temperature
- 2.5 cup sour cream , room temperature
- 1.5 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs , room temperature
Topping
- some berries of choice
- some powdered sugar
How To Make Cheesecake
Preparing the Crust:
- Place digestive biscuits into a food processor and blend them until you have a fine texture.
- Pour the biscuit crumbs into a bowl and add melted butter.
- Mix the biscuit crumbs and butter until they are well combined.
- Transfer this mixture into a 7-inch (18 cm) springform pan.
- Press the mixture evenly into the base and up the sides of the pan to create the crust.
- Place the pan in the freezer and allow it to chill for about 30 minutes.
Making the Cheesecake Filling:
- In a mixing bowl, add cream cheese.
- Using a handheld whisk at the lowest speed, mix the cream cheese for a few seconds until it becomes creamy.
- To the cream cheese, add sour cream, sugar, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, and lemon juice.
- Mix all these ingredients together until they are well combined.
Adding Eggs:
- In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs.
- Pour the beaten eggs into the cream cheese mixture.
- Gently fold everything together using a spatula until the mixture is smooth and well incorporated.
Baking the Cheesecake:
- Pour the cream cheese mixture onto the chilled crust in the springform pan.
- Use an offset spatula to spread the mixture evenly.
- Preheat your oven to 285°F (140°C) without the fan.
- Place the cheesecake in the preheated oven on the lowest ⅔ rack.
- Bake for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until you notice that the surrounding edges of the cheesecake have set, but the center still wiggles slightly when you gently shake the pan.
Cooling and Chilling:
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to cool completely at room temperature.
- Once cooled, refrigerate the cheesecake for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight.
How to Remove the Cheesecake From the Pan:
- Take the chilled cheesecake out of the fridge.
- Remove the sides of the springform pan carefully.
- Insert a small knife underneath the cheesecake crust and gently move it around to loosen the cheesecake from the pan.
- Using the knife, lift the cheesecake slightly and insert a flat spatula underneath it.
- Do the same in the opposite direction.
- Holding both spatulas, swiftly and confidently transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate.
Enjoy your homemade cheesecake!