This Classic New York- Style Cheesecake has a luxurious creamy dense sweet filling with biscuit base crust. With hints of lemon, the flavour of this cheesecake is amazing. Enjoy this velvety rich cheesecake on it’s own or with homemade raspberry coulis.

I don’t often bake a cheesecake, however when I do, it has to be creamy and not overly sweet. It also has to be paired with tart fruity sauce to balance out the richness of the cheesecake.

When I was contemplating what cheesecake to bake, I thought why not the iconic New York Cheesecake. While this decadent cheesecake originated in New York city, cheesecakes date back to ancient Greece. Through the centuries cheesecake has been made in many forms, some sweet, some savoury. Ancient Romans considered this a delicacy and were served by brides to grooms.

A New York farmer’s attempt in 1872 to recreate this with French cheese went awry, resulting in the creation of what is now known as cream cheese.

What is a New York Cheesecake

Arnold Reuben is credited with creating the New York cheesecake in 1920’s. He was so intrigued by the dessert after being served a cheese pie by a hostess at a dinner party that he experimented with the recipe until he came up with the adored New York-Style cheesecake.

This cheesecake is known for it’s creamy yet dense texture with a delightful tangy flavour. The ingredients for this, are cream cheese, sugar, sour cream or heavy cream, eggs, lemon and vanilla. New York- Style cheesecake uses more cream cheese than other cheesecakes which creates that thick dense texture it is known for. Some recipes include an extra egg yolk for a more custard like texture. Many found the addition of sour cream produces a more creamy cheesecake with a slight tang. Vanilla, lemon juice and zest are add flavour to the filling. The cream cheese filling sits a top a cookie crumb base.

Let's get into this delicious New York Style Cheesecake

For this cheesecake, you will need:

Digestive Biscuits- These crumbly biscuits are perfect for soaking up melted butter and forming the base of the cheesecake.
Melted Butter: Moistens the crushed digestive and acts as binder for the crust.
Cream cheese: Use room temperature full fat cream cheese for the best results. Low or reduced fat cream cheese will result in a cheesecake which isn’t rich.
Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cheesecake batter.
Sour cream: Lightens up the cheesecake and adds a delightful tanginess to the cheesecake.
Corn starch– adds adds structure and stability.
Eggs- add creaminess and structure, with an extra yolk creating a custard like texture. give the cheesecake a smooth and velvety texture.
Vanilla Extract: Adds flavour to the batter.
Salt: A dash of salt enhances the flavour and balances the sweetness.
Lemon Juice: The acid in the juice aids in the structure of the cheesecake as well as gives the cheesecake a nice thick texture.
Lemon Zest: It heightens the flavour of the cheesecake.

Cheesecake Recipe Tips

Ensure all the cheesecake batter ingredients are at room temperature. Remove your dairy ingredients from the fridge at least 30 minutes before making the batter. This will ensure the batter remains smooth and combines easily and quickly. Mixing cold ingredients will create lumps in the batter.

Mix the ingredients at low speed. Incorporating too much air into the batter will cause the cheesecake to rise more when baking, causing it to collapse as it cools and crack.

Springform pans are known for leaking. As the cheesecake is going to be baked in a water bath, I first wrap the pan with slow cooker bag and then wrap it with aluminium foil. To prevents the water from seeping in during baking.

Bake the cheesecake in a water bath. Doing this extra step is totally worth it. The steam generated from the water bath results in an evenly baked cheesecake and prevents the cheesecake from cracking.

Do not open the oven door while baking because it encourages cracks. After baking turn the oven off and open the door slightly. Leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool for an 1 hour without touching. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely, before refrigerating.

Raspberry Coulis

This slightly tart vibrant flavour raspberry coulis (pronounced koo-LEE) pairs beautifully with this cheesecake. The tanginess of the coulis and the richness of the cheesecake will tantalise your taste buds.

A coulis is a sauce made from pureed and strained fruit or vegetables. Making the raspberry coulis is rather simple. Puree either fresh or defrosted raspberries with sugar. After pureeing, push the mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds.

For more cheesecake recipes, check these out:

Espresso Swirl Cheesecake
Chocolate Cheesecake Cake with Nutella Frosting
Creamy Cheesecake with Strawberry Compote
Chocolate Cheesecake with Chocolate Mousse Topping