This is a deliciously rich and creamy New York cheesecake with a buttery graham cracker crust.
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This cheesecake is dense, luscious, and creamy. Especially when paired with the perfect buttery, crunchy crust.
All that aside, it’s amazing how many things can quickly go wrong when making a cheesecake from scratch at home.
I’ve included some troubleshooting tips to help you avoid some mistakes that can happen when baking a cheesecake.
Ingredients for New York Cheesecake
- Graham Cracker Crumbs
- Granulated Sugar
- Salt
- Butter
- Cream Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Vanilla Extract
- Lemon Zest
- Large Eggs
Other Items Needed for Baking
- Aluminum Foil
- Springform Pan
- Large Roasting Pan
Toppings for New York Cheesecake
- 5 Minute Baileys Hot Fudge Sauce
- 10 Minute Salted Caramel Sauce
- Blackberry Syrup
- Blueberry Sauce
- Buttery Maple Peach Sauce
- Cherry Coulis
- Chocolate Ganache
- Strawberry Coulis
- Raspberry Coulis
Troubleshooting New York Cheesecake
How to prevent bubbles on the surface of your cheesecake
One of the ways cheesecakes can have bubbles is by whipping the cheesecake filling too much. This incorporates air into the filling.
As it bakes the air bubbles rise to the surface and form some craters.
If you are afraid of air bubbles trapped in your cheesecake you can tap the springform pan against the counter so that trapped air can be forced to the surface prior to baking.
How to prevent cracks in your cheesecake
Overmixing the cheesecake filling can also cause your cheesecake to rise as it bakes and once it begins cooling it will contract. This can cause some cracks to form in the center of the cake.
Another way a cheesecake can form cracks while baking is if it dries out. A water basin helps keep moisture in the oven as the cheesecake bakes.
Once your cheesecake has baked it’s best to leave the cheesecake in the oven, turned off, with the door cracked open while it slowly cools down. The water in the oven helps maintain moisture.
If it is taken directly out of the oven it can be too cool and dry and cause it to quickly crack.
Why is my cheesecake filling lumpy?
Cheesecake filling can be lumpy if the ingredients were not brought to room temperature prior to mixing.
In order to properly blend, all ingredients, including the eggs, need to be brought to room temperature.
Can you freeze cheesecake?
Absolutely. In fact, many bakeries and restaurants freeze their cheesecakes. You can even buy cheesecake from the frozen aisle at the grocery store.
Cheesecake can be stored in the freezer for about 2-3 months if properly sealed. It can be stored in the refrigerator for about 7 days.
How to Make New York Cheesecake
- Blend your graham crackers in your food processor.
- Pulsating helps the blending, or stopping and going, can help make sure all the crackers get chopped.
- Once the graham crackers are finely chopped and look like sand, blend in the sugar and salt.
- Add your butter next and blend. The cracker crumbs should look wet sand now – that’s perfect!
- Grease your springform pan with butter on the bottom and sides. Then add strips of parchment paper.
- Press the graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake the crust at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes. Allow it to cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before pouring your cheesecake filling into it.
- After mixing your cheesecake filling in the mixer, pour it onto your crust.
- Wrap foil around the bottom of the springform pan and place it into a larger pan. A roasting pan works perfectly.
- Pour enough water into the outer pan so that the water reaches halfway up the side of the springform pan.
- Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour and a half.
- Once it is done baking, it is important to turn off the oven and crack the door open for about 30 minutes.
- Leaving the cheesecake inside the oven with the water lets it cool slowly without being out in the open air to cool and dry out quickly.
- This further prevents it from cracking.
- After it is cooled let it stay in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, if not overnight, to fully set and chill.
Try these other sweet treats!
- Christmas Candy Cane Cookies
- Christmas Sugar Cookie Shots
- Minny’s Chocolate Pie
- Pecan Tassies
- Pumpkin Bars
- Salted Caramel Cheesecake with Oreo Crust
- Scotcheroos
Enjoy!
New York Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
- ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 4 tbsp Butter, room temperature
Cheesecake Filling
- 1 cup Butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar
- 32 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup Sour Cream, room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Lemon Zest
- 5 Large Eggs, with yolks and egg whites separated, room temperature
Additional Items Needed
- Aluminum Foil
- Springform Pan
- Large Roasting Pan
- Toppings for Cheesecake
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare 10” springform pan by greasing with butter. Line the sides of the pan with parchment paper. Be sure that the parchment paper is tall enough that it reaches the top of the sides of the pan. See photos above.
- In a food processor, add pieces of graham crackers and pulsate blending until they are fine crumbs. Add sugar and salt. Pulsate until blended. Add butter and blend well. Press crumbs onto bottom of springform pan.
- Bake in the oven for 8 minutes. Once baked, place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes or until cooled. Decrease oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cheesecake Filling
- In a mixer, cream butter and sugar. Blend in cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add egg yolks and mix, but do not over blend. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into the cheesecake filling with a spatula or spoon. Pour the batter over the crust in the springform pan.
- Wrap foil around the bottom and sides of the springform pan. This is to prevent water from seeping in as the cheesecake bakes.
- Place the foil-wrapped springform pan inside a deep roasting pan or pan that is larger than your springform.
- Pour water into the larger pan around the springform. Fill it high enough that the water is halfway up the side of the springform.
- Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 minutes. Once done baking, crack the oven door open and allow the cheesecake to cool inside the oven for 30 minutes.
- Refrigerate for at least 8 hours after baking before serving. Top with your favorites – cherries, caramel, or chocolate syrup.
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