Ingrédients:
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups (one pint) sour cream, room temperature
- 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
How to make New York cheesecake:
Generously butter the inside of a 10-inch hinged pan. Tightly wrap a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil around the bottom and outer sides, bending and folding the foil to fit the pan. This will help prevent water from seeping into the pan when you put it in a water bath. Place the pan in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 300 * Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, using an electric beater, beat eggs with sour cream until well blended.
In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream cheese with the butter until smooth and creamy. Add it to the egg and sour cream mixture and beat until smooth.
Add the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest and beat well, about 2 minutes.
Pour into the prepared hinged mold and place in a baking dish (or other pan) large enough to prevent the sides from touching. Place in the oven and carefully pour in enough very hot water to reach halfway up the edges of the hinged mold.
Bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes or until the cake is lightly colored and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the water bath and carefully peel off the aluminum foil around the pan. Let stand at room temperature until completely cooled, about 4 hours. Store in the refrigerator, covered, until well chilled. For best flavor and texture, it is best to chill this cheesecake overnight.
Notes:
I can’t stress enough how important it is to let the first 4 ingredients in this recipe come to room temperature. I rushed the cream cheese and found some unsightly lumps in my batter.
I italicized the mixing instructions to emphasize mixing the ingredients to the desired consistency.
Have a plate or other large dish ready to hold the hot, dripping springform pan after removing it from the double boiler. The water will be very hot when you remove the double boiler from the oven, so be extra careful.
Before removing the pan, plan where you will place it so you aren’t holding it in your hands, desperately searching for a clear space to rest it on. I find it impossible to remove the cheesecake from the double boiler while it’s in the oven, so I remove the entire setup from the oven. I make every effort not to burn my wrists or the backs of my hands while removing the springform pan; I haven’t burned myself yet, but I have dipped the edges of my pot holders in hot water, and it’s amazing how quickly the steaming water gets to my tender fingers!
When you first remove the cheesecake from the oven, it will look light and puffy, and there may be some small cracks at the top. Don’t despair. As the cheesecake cools, it will gently deflate and the tiny cracks will disappear.
