Classic New York Cheesecake

Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray and make sure the bottom is securely fastened. Stir together crust ingredients and press into prepared pan and up the sides a bit (see photos above). Bake this for 10 minutes. Set aside. Keep the oven on at 350. Fill a large pot with water and set it on your stove, and get out a large roasting pan – you'll need this for your water bath later.

Make the Cheesecake Filling: Remember that your cold ingredients need to come to room temp before you start or the filling won't turn out. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with electric mixer until creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the sugar & mix until well incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as you go. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium speed after each until just incorporated - if you over-mix, the cheesecake can inflate and overflow in the oven. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl between each egg addition, as little lumps of cream cheese will hide down there. Add the vanilla, sour cream, corn starch, and salt and mix until just combined.

Prepare the Water Bath: Bring the large pot of water to a boil. Set your springform pan on a rack positioned in the center of the oven, and place the roasting pan on the rack below, or wrap the base of the cheesecake pan in foil and place it inside a 10-inch cake pan inside the roasting dish. Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan. Both of these methods ensure no leaks.

Assemble & Bake Cheesecake: Pour the batter over your prepared curst.Bake the cheesecake for 74 to 85 minutes. When done, the cheesecake will have only a slight wobble in the center, and a knife inserted into the center will have just a small bit of thick batter. An instant read thermometer inserted into the center should read about 156℉ to 160℉ (avoid poking the bottom of the pan as this will give you a false reading).Turn off the oven and crack the oven door open. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour before removing it.

Cheesecake Cooling: Once the hour is up, remove the pan from the oven. It should be cool enough to handle. Remove the foil and set the springform pan on a wire rack. Let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour more, then cover with foil and refrigerate at least 6 hours or up to 1 day before removing from the pan and serving.

Serve + Store: Remove the sides of the springform pan, and if desired, transfer cheesecake to a cake stand or plate. Add any desired topping (see ideas in the blog post above). Then, slice, and serve! Store leftovers, in an airtight container, in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Optional: Serve with whipped cream - make the whipped cream from my Key Lime Cheesecake recipe. No need to pipe it on. You can simply let folks dollop it onto a slice themselves.