The Best New York Cheesecake Recipe
In fact, Lindy's (along with Juniors) made New York cheesecake famous. It's got sour cream, cream cheese, and heavy cream, so it's very rich and very creamy. Everyone who has tried it (friends, family, co-workers) says it's the best cheesecake they ever had!
A few years ago, when I was visiting my friend Betsy, she served me cheesecake for breakfast. It was the best breakfast ever!
Use a Kitchen Aid Mixer!
This cheesecake is thick and rich. You'll need a Kitchen Aid or other powerful mixer to make it. A hand mixer or low-powered machine won't work.
New York Cheesecake
Photo by sabotrax
The Best Cheesecake Recipe
6 eggs
1 1/2 C sugar
2 lbs. (four 8 ounce packages) cream cheese, preferably Kraft's Philadelphia brand
1/2 pint sour cream
1/2 pint heavy cream
juice of one lemon
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 heaping Tablespoons flour
Crust:
1 1/2 C crushed vanilla wafers (you can also use crushed graham crackers, or digestive biscuits)
6 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 C sugar
Preheat oven to to 425°.
Add eggs, sugar, cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, lemon juice, vanilla, and flour to mixer. Beat (on low to to low-medium speed) thoroughly, until completely smooth.
While cake mixture is beating, make the crust.
Mix crust ingredients together in small mixing bowl. Pour into 9" spring form pan, pressing into place with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
When crust is cool, and cake is thoroughly mixed, pour batter into the pan over the back of a big spoon, so the batter does not disturb the crust. Let it rest for 5 or 10 minutes.
Bake in 425° oven for 15 minutes. Then turn oven down to 275° and bake for 1 hour. Turn off oven. Do not open the oven door for 2 hours! After the 2 hours are up, remove cake and refrigerate.
What You'll Need to Bake Your Cheesecake
Cuisinart 4 Piece Measuring Cup Set with Leveler, Red
Careful measuring is one of the keys to success in baking. These cups are a cheery red color, and come with their own leveler so you get an accurate measurement. Throw them in the dishwasher when you're done.
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 11/09/2009) 
MIU #90069 Commercial Oven Thermometer
Temperature control is critical when baking. Get this thermometer to check your oven and make sure your cheesecake comes out perfect!
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 11/09/2009)
KitchenAid 5-Piece Measuring Spoon Set, Red
These are sturdy, easy-to-read, and dishwasher safe. They won't tip over either!
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $3.99 (as of 11/09/2009)
Calphalon Classic Bakeware 9-Inch Round Nonstick Springform Pan
This pan is extra thick to distribute heat evenly, so your cheesecake will cook properly. The fluted base means it won't leak. Makes cooking cheesecake easy (and a lot less messy).
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $20.00 (as of 11/09/2009)
KitchenAid K45SS Classic 250-Watt 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer, White
You'll see it on nearly every cooking show, from Iron Chef to Barefoot Contessa. It's powerful enough to knead dough, and gentle enough to whip cream. Dual spinning action (both on the beater's axis, and around the bowl) so it mixes faster, and you don't have to scrape down the sides. You'll spend less time mixing and more time enjoying your cheesecake.
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $198.96 (as of 11/09/2009)
Mini Cherry Cheesecakes from Epicurean.com
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 cup cold butter
2 tablespoons cold water
Filling:
2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 (21-ounce) cherry or strawberry pie filling
Combine the flour, sugar, and cocoa in a small bowl. Cut up the butter into small pieces and mix it in with the cocoa mixture. Mix until it gets crumbly. Slowly add the water, and stir with a fork, until the dough holds together in a ball.
Form the mixture into 24 small balls. Coat the insides of greased muffin cups with the mixture. Press the dough into the bottoms and up the sides, to create a cup for the cheesecake filling.
Add the cream cheese and sugar to a mixing bowl. Beat the mixture until it's smooth. Then add the milk and vanilla, and beat again, until it's all incorporated. Don't overmix it. Add the egg to the cream cheese mixture and beat on low speed, just until everything is combined together. Again, don't overmix.
Add 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture to each muffin cup. Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 15-18 minutes, or until the cupcakes are firm. Let them cool on a baking rack for about 30 minutes. Remove the mini-cheesecakes from the pans and let stand until they reach room temperature.
Add the pie filling on top and refrigerate.
Mini Cheesecake Pans
Norpro Mini Cheesecake Pan
Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 11/09/2009)
The perfect way to make mini-cheesecakes. They're non-stick, and the bottoms pop out so the cheescakes are easy to remove. And since, the cheesecakes are snack-size, you don't have to feel guilty about eating 3 or 4 of them.
Avg. Customer Rating:
Cheesecake Baking Tips
Keep the oven door closed and it shouldn't crack.
Cheesecake keeps well in the fridge and freezer.
Make it ahead and defrost when you need it.
Cheesecake Cookbooks
(and a cheesecake that's delivered to your door - no cooking required)
Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook: 50 To-Die-For Recipes for New York-Style Cheesecake (Juniors)
After Lindy's, there's Juniors, born in Brooklyn, and now famous worldwide. This cookbook has recipes for all of Junior's best-selling varieties, from Strawberry Swirl to Cappuccino to Peanut Butter and Jelly!
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $14.96 (as of 11/09/2009)
125 Best Cheesecake Recipes
Become the king or queen of cheesecake with the recipes from this book. One reader on Amazon said her cakes used to come out burned or grainy, but now, they're perfect every time.
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 11/09/2009)
A Passion for Baking: Bake to celebrate, Bake to nourish, Bake for fun
Marcy Goldman's book on everything from cheesecake to muffins and cookies. Who could resist a recipe with a name like Chocolate Eruption Cheesecake?
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 11/09/2009)
Baking Illustrated
This guide to all things baking, from Cooks Illustrated magazine, tells you not only what to do, but why. Each step is easy to understand and follow, whether you're a beginner or an expert.
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $23.10 (as of 11/09/2009)
New York Style Cheesecake with Strawberry Topping
Let's face it, sometimes you just don't have the time (or the energy) to make your own cheesecake. When that happens, try this gourmet New York cheesecake instead. It's rich, creamy, and comes with its own strawberry topping for extra wow!
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $37.45 (as of 11/09/2009)
More Cheescake Recipes
- Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake from Allrecipes.com
- Much more fun than pumpkin pie, and great for Thanksgiving.
- Marscapone Cheesecake with Almond Crust from Food Network
- Italian flair meets New York creaminess. Light, sweet, with a nutty flavor.
- Amaretto Cheesecake from Cooks Recipes
- A cheesecake just for adults, with a dark chocolate cookie crust. Yum!
- Cheesecake Cookies From Paula Deen
- Cookies meet cheesecake! One reviewer topped them with butterscotch and caramel chips, instead of the blueberries, then drizzled melted chocolate over that. Sounds delicious.
- Cheesecake pops from A Cat in the Kitchen blog
- It's cheesecake on a stick (so it's portable). The original recipe comes from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth by Jill O'Connor
Share Your Cheesecake Memories
Tell me what you think of this lens. And don't forget to favorite it. :-)
Jodi_k wrote...
in reply to Jeanine
Hi Jeanine,
I just saw your comment. The only other thing I can think of is that the speed on the mixer was too high. I've just edited the recipe instructions to specify low to low-medium speed. If you mix it on high, you'll get too much batter.
If you used the regular cake pan, it's going to be really hard to get the cake out.
Run a knife dipped in hot water around the edge to loosen the cake. Put plastic wrap over the top of the cake and then a big plate over that. Flip it over and tap the pan, then shake it until it releases. Invert the cake serving plate over the cake.
Hold onto the wrap tightly and then flip the cake and the pan over all at once. Carefully remove the wrap. Reward yourself with a piece of cake!
Posted November 09, 2009
Jeanine wrote
I am in the process of making this cheesecake right now.. I read all the comments about not overmixing, but I still ended up with a TON of batter. Is there a trick to it? Perhaps mixing the cream cheese first and then adding in the eggs, etc?i have enough batter to make probably at least 2 cheesecakes. I want to try making one giant cheesecake in a rectangular shaped pan, but I don't know how long I would have to bake it for. I'm rather perplexed and I don't feel as though I've over-mixed it.
Posted November 08, 2009
MELISSA wrote
THIS RECIPE IS AWSOME, I JUST LOVE IT UMMM
Posted November 02, 2009
rms wrote...
I've add this delicious lens to a post at the Cabaret Squidoo blog.
http://www.cabaretsquidoo.com/2008/10/best-cheesecake-recipes/
Posted October 14, 2009
by Jodi_k
Explore related pages
Anti-Pie Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes- I really have nothing against pie. It is a frequent guest to our Thanksgiv...
My Favourite Recipes - Easy To Cook - Great Taste!- My Favourite Recipes are simple to cook, some are raw food creations and they al...
Lowfat Cheesecake Recipes- Cheesecake doesn't have to be full of fat or sugar to be scrum-dilly-umptious (o...
PERFECT HOLIDAY CHEESECAKE RECIPES- No one knows where cheese came from originally, it was presumed to have happened...
SAVORY CHEESECAKE RECIPES - THE PERFECT APPETIZER- Normally when we think of cheesecake we think of sweet combinations, redolent wi...
Bunches of Birthday Cupcakes- Birthday Cupcake ideas, recipes and accessories to help you choose and make the...
