New York Baked Cheesecake

“Cheesecakes will forever be my favorites. And if you’re lucky, yours too.”

– Anthony T. Hincks

And so starts another story … one of my falling in love with this classic baked dessert –  the rich Cheesecake. As the name is enough to give away what its all about, I want to brush on some little things before starting with the recipe.

You could consider this as your base recipe for most cheesecakes, which would differ in flavor or the base and topping. But I forever keep going back to this classic. I love it with fresh berries that cut though its richness and offer the right balance to this cheesecake. And so here I have combined it with fresh cherries and blueberries.

Important Note: Fresh berries are not a must for this recipe. You will see them in the pictures here only because of my true love for them. You could top this cheesecake with a ganache or chocolate shavings or plain old icing sugar or nothing at all if you like.

What you will need:

  • Graham Crackers or Digestive Biscuits – 250 gms
  • Melted Butter – 125 gms
  • Cream Cheese – 500gms
  • Thick Cream – 150 gms
  • Eggs – 3 large
  • Sugar – 3/4 cup
  • Fresh Lemon Juice – 1/4 cup (or more if you prefer)
  • Lemon rind – 3 tsp (or much more if you’re like me)

How to Make it:

  1. Preheat the oven to 160 C.
  2. We begin by making our Biscuit base which will make the base and the sidewalls of our cheesecake.
  3. To make this biscuit base, first, crush the graham crackers till there is a fine powder. Now mix the cooled melted butter into this and mix it together nicely till you get a mixture that looks like wet sand.
  4. In a springform pan (loose-bottomed pan), put this biscuit-butter mixture and press it firmly and evenly all around the base and the sides (as high as it goes).
  5. Now pop this in the fridge and it stays there to firm up nice and proper.
  6. We can start on the cheesecake batter now. For this, beat the cream cheese till it is smooth. Add the sugar in two batches and beat after each addition till it is completely incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
  7. Now add the cream and beat well to get an even mixture
  8. Put in the lemon zest and give it a mix. Oh my god! Just look at that vibrant green lemon zest!
  9. Add in the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition
  10. Finally, add the lemon juice and mix again. Check out the consistency of the cheesecake batter!! 
  11. Now you can take out the springform pan lined with  the biscuit base and pour the cheesecake batter into it.
  12. Bake this at 160 C for about 50 minutes or till done (doneness would be indicated by firm edges and an ever-so-slightly wobbly center with the tell-tale crack!!!) 

Now if you want to enjoy the best of this cheesecake, you’ve got to chill it for at least 6 hours, and best overnight. Of course, you don’t want to wait for hours and hours before you can dig in (if anybody understands, it’s me. Trust me) But as I said if you want to get the best of your cheesecake, it is best enjoyed chilled.

At this point, the cheesecake is ready to be served but what’s a long slogged over treat without some dressing up? I mean I love dressing up my bakes, even if in the most rustic way. I feel it just adds so much to the appeal of it.

And so here we go. As I’ve already confessed to my love for fresh summer berries (I have my fridge stocked with them all through summer), I used fresh cherries and blueberries to decorate my cheesecake with a sprinkle of good old icing sugar.

Check the texture of the cheesecake from inside that you should be looking for (below picture).

So what are you waiting for? Grab your prettiest apron and a whisk, put on your favorite song, and start creating the magic!! Do share your experience of this post and recipe and your views and opinions! I would love to hear them!!

2 Comments

  1. Beautifully illustrated recipe. I could taste the smooth cheesecake melting in the mouth and the tang of fresh berries tingling my taste buds.

  2. I am surprised about the fact that how could a baker reveal her trade secrets on the blog. I am all set to copy paste these amazing recipe and try them out. Never found a blog so well laid out. Thanks a ton….you are doing a wonderful job.

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