New York Style Cheesecake

Say Cheese.....Cake!

I can see a big smile spreading across your face right now.  Doesn't this look amazing?
Other adjectives that come to mind for this cheesecake are luscious, creamy, delectable, light, fattening, heavenly, lemony...you get the idea, feel free to add your own to the list!

I'm a big fan of cheesecake.  I have several different recipes and I'm here to tell you that this one is awesome.  This recipe also omits the crust, and while I'm lamenting the absence of the buttery sweet  baked graham cracker base, I'm not missing the calories it would add...and honestly, this cheesecake doesn't need it.  It can stand on its own merits.

Serve it plain or dress it up with some fresh berries, chocolate ganache or with a dollop of fresh whipped sweetened cream.  I added a little spoon full of lemon curd I had stashed in the fridge and it put it over the top!

New York Style Cheesecake

Ingredients:

5 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups sour cream, room temperature
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar (or sugar substitute, I used Whey Low with great results)
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
Zest from one lemon

Directions:

Generously butter the inside and sides of a 9" spring form pan.
Wrap the bottom with a double layer of heavy-duty foil, as shown below to prevent any water from getting into the pan.

Find another baking pan that the spring form pan will fit inside.  The sides of the spring form pan should not touch the sides of the larger pan.
Adjust your oven racks so that both pans easily fit.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Be sure your ingredients are at room temperature, it is key to having a smooth filling.  I cannot stress this point enough!

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the sour cream until smooth and well blended.  Use an electric mixer for this task.

In a very large mixing bowl (use your Kitchen Aid if you have one), beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.  It should not have any lumps!  Keep beating!

Add the egg and sour cream mixture to the cream cheese and continue beating until thoroughly mixed and super smooth.  You do not want any lumps!

Add your lemon zest to the sugar/sweetener and mix thoroughly.  This will help keep the zest from clumping together.  Add the sugar mixture, cornstarch, vanilla, and lemon juice to the cream cheese and egg mixture and continue beating for another 2-3 minutes.


Pour the mixture into the prepared spring form pan and place it inside the larger pan.

Place the pans into the oven and fill the larger outside pan  with boiling water, until it reaches 1/2 way up the spring form pan.  Take care so you don't splash any onto your cheesecake batter (voice of experience talking) or burn yourself on the hot oven racks.






Bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes, until the cake is lightly browned.  Test for doneness by inserting a table knife in the middle.  If it comes out clean, the cheesecake is done.  If not, bake a while longer and retest at short intervals. The time worked out perfectly for me, so hopefully if you have a properly calibrated oven, you will have the same good results.

When the cheesecake is done, remove both pans from the oven, taking care to not slosh out the very hot water.  With potholders of a kitchen towel, carefully lift the spring form pan out of the hot water and set it on a rack over a dish towel to catch the drips.  Discard the hot water and set the larger pan aside.

Carefully remove the foil from the bottom of the spring form pan and discard.
Let the cheesecake cool at room temperature for 4 hours and then refrigerate.overnight before serving.
Before serving, carefully run a knife or spatula around the edge to loosen the cheesecake before releasing the sides of the spring form pan to ensure a clean release.

Serves 16

..and that's What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!

...and to preserve the goodness and to keep myself from attacking the entire cheesecake with reckless abandon, I'm freezing three fourths of the cheesecake to be enjoyed later!

Recipe is an adaptation of one from Jim Fobel's Old-Fashioned Baking Book