New York-style baked cheesecake

New York-style baked cheesecake is a decadent and rich cake.

 

New York-style baked cheesecake

New York-style baked cheesecake is a decadent and rich cake. In this cake, you absolutely should not use light products. It’s the use of full-fat ingredients that gives this cake that extra touch and the indulgent flavour. The cake is baked in a 20 cm pan, so you’ll end up with a small cake. Due to its richness, it serves approximately 9-10 slices, and one slice per person is sufficient for most. This is an easy cake to bake, although the recipe may seem extensive and thus complex. However, it is relatively time-consuming but worth the time it takes.

 

Ingredients

Base

125 g digestive biscuits
60 g butter
1/5 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/10 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
1/10 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)

 

Filling

400 g cream cheese
200 g creme fraiche
150 g whipping cream
120 g sugar
2 eggs
15 g cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed or essence)

 

Directions

Preparation

1. Start by gathering all the ingredients. It’s important that all the ingredients are at room temperature.
2. Additionally, add the wet ingredients one by one and mix them well before moving on to the next ingredient. This is done to avoid the cheesecake mixture from cracking.
3. Prepare a round tin with a diameter of 20 cm. Lightly grease it with oil and cut a piece of parchment paper to fit both the bottom and the sides of the tin. It’s important to use a tin with a smooth base; otherwise, it might be difficult to remove the cake intact from the base. If you have a tin with a ridged base, you can turn it upside down.
4. After completing the first baking step (see below) and the tin has cooled completely: Cover the base of the tin with cling film, ensuring a tight seal.
5. Then, use aluminium foil and place it over the cling film.
6. The tin will be baked in a water bath, and if any water seeps in, both the base and the cake could be ruined.

 

Cake

Base

1. Start by melting the butter and set it aside to cool.
2. Crush or process the digestive biscuits until you have a smooth mixture without any lumps.
3. If desired, add the spices to the biscuit mixture and mix them well before adding the melted butter. Stir everything together until the mixture resembles wet sand.
4. Pour the mixture into the tin and press it firmly with a flat object such as a glass.
5. Complete the first baking step.

 

Filling

1. In a suitable large bowl that can hold all the remaining ingredients, add the cream cheese.
2. Use an electric mixer to beat the cheese until it becomes smooth and soft.
3. Then, add the remaining ingredients one by one, mixing well between each addition. Add them in the following order:
   • Sugar
   • Creme fraiche
   • Whipping cream
   • One egg at a time
   • Cornstarch
   • Vanilla sugar and lemon juice.
4. Tap the bowl on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. It may be helpful to use a thin skewer or similar object to gently swirl the mixture in a zigzag pattern, which will also help release air bubbles.
5. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the tin.
6. Gently shake it to create a smooth surface and release any remaining air bubbles.

 

Baking 1: Preheat the oven to 180 °C and place the rack in the middle of the oven. Bake the base for approximately 18-20 minutes or until it turns golden. Place the tin on a wire rack and let it cool completely. Once it has cooled completely, cover it with cling film and aluminium foil as described earlier.

Baking 2: Preheat the oven again to 180 °C. Use a large dish with high sides that can accommodate the cake tin. Place the cake in the dish and pour hot water into the dish, around the sides of the cake tin, until the water reaches 1/2 to 2/3 up the cake tin. Bake for 30 minutes.

Baking 3: Reduce the temperature to 150 °C and continue baking for another 30 minutes.

After Baking: Turn off the oven, but do not open the oven door. Let the cake sit in the oven for 60 minutes. Then, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack to room temperature. The cake will have a slightly wobbly consistency in the middle, similar to a jelly.

 

Refrigeration: Once the cake has completely cooled on the kitchen counter, cover it with cling film and refrigerate it for at least 8 hours. This is important as these hours will help the cake set further. The wobbly consistency that was present right after baking will disappear.

 

Serving: The cake can be served as it is or you can serve it with a berry coulis or berry compote. You can also make a finer berry compote by using a hand blender to get a smooth berry mixture and strain them in the same way as a coulis. Then you can use the compote as a base to make a loose jelly as a topping. The picture of the cake here shows exactly such a jelly, where I used a mixture of forest berries, strawberries, and raspberries.

See separate recipe for berry compote.

Berry compote

 

Tip

If you’re adding jelly, it can be wise to line the cake with acetate plastic. This way, you’ll achieve a neater result without the jelly running down the edges. Baking paper can also be used, but it won’t yield the same excellent result as demonstrated here.

 

Allergies: Gluten and lactose. This cake is easy to make both gluten-free and lactose-free. Use gluten-free digestive biscuits and lactose-free cream cheese, cream, and creme fraiche. Please note that the cake may be high in FODMAPs if you don’t use gluten-free and lactose-free ingredients.

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Learn more about cheese, how it is made, and the different types: Cheese

For detailed information on everything related to cheese, a comprehensive and extensive website with information about cheese: Cheese

Read an informative article about cheese from the Harvard School of Public Health: Cheese