New York Cheesecake

Before you start mixing ingredients together, it’s best to get a little prep work out of the way. Start by preheating your oven to 325°F. Then, grease a 9-inch springform pan and place it on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. (That’s about 18 inches, square). Wrap the foil securely around the pan and place the prepared springform on a baking sheet.

For the crust, mix together flour, sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl. Cut the butter in with a fork or pastry cutter until crumbly. Add the egg yolks and vanilla, then toss the mixture together with a fork until it’s combined.

Press the crust onto the bottom and 1-1/2 inches up the sides of your prepared springform pan. Bake until lightly browned, about 12 to 16 minutes. Then cool on a wire rack while you prepare the filling.

For the filling, start by pulling out a large bowl—there’s going to be a lot of batter! Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, then beat in the cream, flour, vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Once the mixture is well combined, add the eggs and egg yolks and beat on low speed just until blended.

Pour the cheesecake filling over the baked crust. Then, place the springform pan in a larger, rimmed baking pan. (A roasting pan works well for this!) Add 1 inch of hot water to the larger pan and put the ensemble in the oven.

Bake your cheesecake until the center is just set and the top appears dull. This should take 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Editor's Tip: Not sure if it's done? Try the wobble test! It's our fool-proof method for testing the doneness of cheesecake.

Once you’ve pulled the pans from the oven, remove the cheesecake pan from the water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then loosen the sides from the pan with a knife. You can remove the foil, as well. Cool the cheesecake for an hour, then refrigerate overnight. Cover the cake once it’s completely cooled. Remove the cheesecake from the pan and place it on a serving plate. Enjoy your treat as is, or serve it with fresh berries. Enjoy!