New York style Cheesecake is rich and has a dense, smooth, and creamy consistency. This classic cheesecake just melts in your mouth! When you pair the New York style cheesecake with Strawberry sauce, the combination is lip-smackingly good!
A friend of mine is crazy for cheesecakes, so I made this for him instead of baking a traditional cake. He almost finished half of it in 2 days – and it was a 10″ cheesecake!! I had to literally beg for a slice so that I can click a picture.
My 17-year old brother had a cheesecake for the first time, his reference point was the episode in ‘Friends’ (I think it was season 7). He approves too He was the one who tried to “artistically drizzle” the sauce on the slice 😉
The strawberry topping is optional but highly recommended, it takes the cheesecake to another level! It is made from frozen strawberries, so can be made year round. I purposefully don’t mush the strawberries too much, I like the little chunks in the sauce – it gives the sauce some character. You can use mixed berries instead of just strawberry, wherever your taste buds guide you.
The New York-style cheesecake is baked in a springform pan (9″ or 10″ recommended for this recipe). The bottom is wrapped up tight in 2-3 layers of aluminium foil. The pan is placed in a water bath to make sure the cake bakes slowly and evenly. It also provides some moisture in the oven and helps get a crack-free smooth top. The aluminium foil prevents the water from seeping into the springform pan, hence its critical to wrap it well.
I’ve used digestive biscuits for the crust, you can use graham crackers. Addition of sour cream gives this cheesecake its rich flavour and dense texture.
Check out the NY style cheesecake muffins I’ve baked as well, small bite-size heavens 🙂
New York style Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 200 g graham cracker crumbs
- 70 g unsalted butter - melted
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
For the Filling
- 900 g cream cheese - room temperature
- 400 g sugar
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 large eggs
- 120 ml sour cream
Strawberry sauce
- 300 g frozen strawberries
- 2-6 tbsp caster sugar - to taste
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
Baking the cheesecake crust
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- Prepare your springform pan by wrapping it up with 2-3 layers of aluminium foil covering the base. Use some non-stick spray inside the pan.
- Crush your biscuits into fine crumbs - I put them in a ziplock bag and bash them with a rolling pin. You can also use a food processor.
- Add the melted butter and sugar and mix well till its evenly moistened and you get a wet sand-like texture. A tip - take some crumbs in your hand and try squeezing it. If the shape stays, you're set. If it crumbles, you might need to add some more melted butter.
- Put the crumbs onto the base of your pan and spread it evenly. Pack it well with a spoon or your hands and make sure its even throughout.
- Bake the crust for about 10 minutes at 180C till its set and gets light brown around the edges. Remove from oven and keep aside.
Baking the cheesecake
- Reduce the oven temperature to 160C/325F.
- With a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a hand mixer and a large bowl, beat the cream cheese on low speed for about a minute till it softens.
- Add the sugar and flour and beat for couple minutes until smooth. Keep scraping down the sides of the bowl after each step to make sure everything gets well combined.
- Add the vanilla and lemon juice and mix until combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time and beat in to mix well.
- Add the sour cream and mix on low speed till just combined. Don't over mix.
- Put your pan in a large baking tray with high edges. Pour the batter on top of the crust. Run a skewer or a knife in swirl motions to remove any large bubbles in the batter.
- Transfer the baking tray to the oven and pour hot water into the tray to fill it almost 3/4th full. (Pouring hot water after transferring the pan into oven makes sure you don't spill hot water all over you).
- Bake the cheesecake at 160C for 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes. The cake will look set but wobble slightly in centre.
- Switch off the oven and leave the pan inside the tray inside the oven for about half an hour to cool down gently and gradually. This will make sure you don't get any cracks on the top. Remove the baking tray from the oven, remove the pan from the water and remove the foil. Put the pan over a wire rack and gently run a knife along the edges to loosen it. Allow it to cool completely.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and transfer it to the fridge for at least 6-8 hours to chill.
Preparing strawberry sauce
- In a medium saucepan, add the frozen strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Cook at a low heat for few minutes - the strawberries will start to thaw and release their liquid, so don't add any additional water. (If using fresh berries, add a little water here). Try not to mush the strawberries too much, keep the chunks.
- In a bowl, add the cornstarch and water and mix till you get a smooth paste and no lumps. Add the mixture to the saucepan and mix until combined. Let it cook for another 2-3 minutes till the mixture thickens to desired consistency.
- Switch off the heat and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Cover it and let it cool completely. Transfer it to the fridge until you're ready to serve. The strawberry sauce is best served within 1 day of making it.
Serving the cheesecake
- Remove the pan from the fridge. Gently open the springform - if you feel it's sticking, run a knife along the edges.
- Serve the cheesecake as is on the base of the pan, or run a sharp knife between the crust and the pan bottom gently to release it and then transfer it to the serving dish with the help of 2 large spatulas.
- Cut slices with a sharp knife and make sure to clean the knife between each cut.
- Transfer the slice onto a plate and drizzle the sauce over it. Enjoy 🙂
Notes
Recipe adapted from blog onceuponachef.com
