New York-Style Cheesecake

Posted Date:

February 15, 2025

Ingredients

New York style cheesecake includes;

4 ounces graham crackers, broken into pieces
¼ teaspoon coarse
salt ⅓ cup
sugar 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling
2 ½ pounds cream cheese (five 8-ounce packages), room temperature

4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces sour cream, room temperature
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

What Causes a Cheesecake to Crack

These are a few reasons the top of cheesecake tends to crack and some ways to minimize cracking:

Beating too much air into the cream cheese mixture could cause the cheesecake to rise too quickly or unevenly. As the filling cools and sinks, it will be more likely to crack.New York-Style Cheesecake
When the cheesecake is surrounded in a water bath, the filling is guaranteed to cook evenly, which should prevent cracks.
A properly baked cheesecake should actually look under baked when you pull it out of the oven. Give the pan a gentle wiggle. When the edges are set but the center jiggles like Jell-O, the cheesecake is ready.
Going from hot to cold too quickly can also cause cracks to appear on the surface. Let the cheesecake cool completely at room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator

There are only two components to cheesecake, and our recipe has perfected both. A silky sweet filling is essential, but a sturdy, well-baked crust is arguably the most important part, as it makes the cheesecake easier to slice.

TIPS

Baking the cheesecake in a water bath in the oven helps keep the cream cheese filling silky smooth and creamy. The most important thing a water bath does is create moisture in the oven as the cheesecake bakes. A moist atmosphere in an otherwise dry climate will help keep the cheesecake from drying out and cracking. It will also help the filling rise evenly since it’s surrounded by a water barrier.