This recipe for kosher easy New York style cheesecake is a must for any dairy dessert lovers. If you keep strictly kosher, you can't just up and go to the Cheesecake Factory whenever you get the urge for some cheesecake. With Shavuot right around the corner, we all are craving some cheesecake! This recipe is kosher, dairy, and vegetarian. Read on for instructions on how to make the best easy New York style cheesecake recipe from scratch.
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Easy to make
We absolutely love our cheesecakes! From plain cheesecake recipes, such as our gluten free cheesecake, to the more complex cheesecakes like this one, no one can deny the deliciousness of the creamy sweet cheesecake with a buttery graham cracker crust. I get excited thinking about the next time I get to sit down with a cup of coffee and a thick slice of this cheesecake. Good thing Shavuot is right around the corner! This recipe is so easy to make from scratch that you will wonder why anyone would ever buy one from a store.
Ingredients used
Believe it or not, this recipe uses very few ingredients to achieve that wonderfully rich and creamy texture. All you need is:
cream cheese - this is the base of the whole cake. Bring to room temperature.
eggs - for texture, this is one of the things that makes this a New York style cheesecake
butter - to bind the graham cracker crust together
cream - for texture
lemon zest - for flavor, really gives the cheesecake a pop!
vanilla extract - for flavor
sugar - for sweetness
graham crackers - to make the crust
A Step by step guide to making this recipe
Time needed: 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Easy New York style cheesecake step by step
- Beat the cream cheese.
Before starting bring cream cheese and eggs to room temperature. Place the cream cheese into the bowl for your electric mixer. You do not have to have a dedicated mixer like a Kitchenaid but it sure helps for recipes like this. If you do not have one...get one by clicking on the word Kitchenaid. (It is so nice to have for a lot of other recipes too). If you are stuck without one you can use an electric hand mixer but be warned that the denseness of the cream cheese can cause the motor to burn out. This has happened to me before, very upsetting. Beat the cream cheese on low until nice and creamy. It looks like this:
- Add sugar, vanilla, lemon zest
Add the sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest into the beaten cream cheese and mix again on low. You are looking to mix just long enough to incorporate the new ingredients. After that, add the eggs one by one. Mix each egg in on low until you cannot see the yellow from the egg anymore before you add the next egg. After all of the eggs are incorporated into the batter, add the heavy cream and mix on low. Doing this step correctly is what gives the cheesecake its creamy texture. The batter should be smooth like this.
- Prepare the pan
Its ok for parchment paper to stick out the sides of the pan but if you like a cleaner look you can cut the parchment paper to fit the bottom of the spring form pan. The best way to do this is to take the bottom of the pan and place it on top of a square of parchment paper. Then take a pen or pencil and trace around the edge of the pan bottom. Finally, cut out the traced circle, reassemble the pan, and place the circle inside of the pan
- Make the crust
Crumb the graham crackers in food processor or blender. You want to make sure that the crackers are completely crumbed and that no solid pieces remain. Mix in the sugar and melted butter. It will look sandy and crumbly. Then press the crust mixture into the sides and bottom of the springform pan with a measuring cup. YOu can use your fingers as well but the measuring cup packs the crumb tightly and smoothly into the baking pan. You just used the ¼ cup measuring cup for the sugar so why not use that one!
- Pour
Pour the filling up to around the height of the graham cracker crust, its ok if it goes a bit higher. Let it settle in for 1-2 minutes before baking. This will insure a smooth top with no peaks or valleys.
- Bake and cool
Cover with foil and Bake at 400ºF for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 200ºF and then finish baking for one hour. After the cook time has completed, turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 30-60 minutes. This will keep the cheesecake from cooling too fast and cracking on top. When the cheesecake is done make sure to let it cool for at least 6 hours but ideally overnight. This will allow the cheesecake to firm up and give it its signature texture. If you cut into it too soon it will be runny and disappointing.
FAQ
This happens for a few reasons. 1. You opened the oven too soon. Whenever the oven is opened you are cooling it down. The top of the cheesecake is very sensitive to temperature fluxuations and does not like sudden changes before it is ready. The cool air entering the oven cools the top of the cheesecake too quickly and causes the cracking. 2. Overstirring the batter. Any stirring will incorporate a little bit of air into the batter and this is ok to a certain extent. Overstirring will allow too much air into the batter and create bubbles that get trapped. Bubbles will pop during baking which causes cracking. 3. Overbaking the cheesecake can also cause the top to crack.
While you cannot fix the cracks themselves, they do not effect the flavor so you can hide them. This is where creative use of toppings comes in. Whipped cream or a fruit topping are great ways to cover the surface of the cake.
A New York cheesecake lives up to its namesake by being richer and more indulgent than a standard cheesecake. A New York Cheesecake usually has extra cream cheese and eggs added into the batter to give it a richer flavor and more decadent texture.
Some recipes call for the use of a water bath, this one does not.
Cheesecakes freeze very well. The best way to do this is to let the cheesecake cool in the refrigerator after baking. This will allow the cake to set properly and the filling will stiffen up a bit. Then, place the cake on a piece of parchment paper and carefully wrap it in plastic wrap. Finally, wrap the cheesecake in a layer of aluminum foil and place it on a shelf in the freezer. Do not stack anything on top of it or you will ruin the cheesecake. It should last 4-6 months in the freezer.
Yay Kosher Tips
- Do not overstir the batter or the top may develop cracks.
- Keep the oven door closed during baking. Too much opening and closing the oven door can upset the temperature on the surface of the cheesecake and cause cracking as well.
- Let the cheesecake cool fully before slicing into it. I know it is tempting to dig in as soon as it is done baking, but the cheesecake will be runny when it is not fully cooled.
Topping suggestions
This recipe is for a plain New York cheesecake. While it is delicious and can be served on its own, have fun with the toppings. Here are some of our favorite topping suggestions:
- cherry pie filling
- strawberry pie filling
- chocolate syrup
- caramel
- lemon curd
- whipped cream
- fresh blueberries, strawberries, and bananas
More recipes like this one
Recipe
Easy New York Style Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
Ingredients for the filling
- 2 ½ lbs cream cheese 5 eight ounce packages, room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 large egg room temperature
- 2 large egg yolk room temperature
- ½ cup heavy cream
Ingredients for the crust
- 10 graham crackers whole crackers
- ¼ cup sugar
- 6 tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
Instructions for making the filling
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line 10" springform pan with parchment paper and grease sides well.
- Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth and creamy. About 30 seconds.
- Scrape down sides of bowl and gradually add sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until well mixed in.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each egg.
- On low speed beat in the heavy cream. Scrape down the sides and pour batter into prepared pan containing the crust. (See crust recipe below).
- Loosely cover cake with foil and bake for 15 minutes at 400ºF.
- Reduce temperature to 200ºF and bake for an hour.
- After and hour and fifteen minutes total cooking time turn off oven and slightly open oven door and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow cheesecake to cool completely before unmolding.
- Cover and cool in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours but ideally 24 hours before serving.
Instructions for making the crust
- Crumb the graham crackers by putting them into a food processor until they are completely turned into crumbs.
- Mix in the sugar and melted butter.
- Using a measuring cup, press the crust batter into the bottom and edges of the springform pan to make the crust.
Notes
- Cheesecake can be stored in the fridge for a few days.
- Cheesecake freezes beautifully. Wrap well and freeze until ready to use. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Do not overstir the batter or the top may develop cracks.
- Keep the oven door closed during baking. Too much opening and closing the oven door can upset the temperature on the surface of the cheesecake and cause cracking as well.
- Let the cheesecake cool fully before slicing into it. I know it is tempting to dig in as soon as it is done baking, but the cheesecake will be runny when it is not fully cooled.