New York Cheesecake

This cheesecake recipe uses no water bath and this is why I like it so much. Plus, I've made it at least a dozen times at home and the result is always satisfactory. We used to make it at the pastry course last year and I think this was one of their bestsellers since we had it on the to-do list quite often.


Tea: Because of the sour cherry jam the cheesecake goes well with smoked tea like Lapsang souchong – it gives depth of the flavour and profoundness of the taste sensation.


New York Cheesecake Recipe:

• 200 gr graham crackers;
• 50 gr melted butter;

• 460 gr cream cheese;
• 120 gr confectioner's sugar;
• 3 eggs;
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract; 

• 400 sour cream;
• 40 gr confectioner's sugar; 

• home made sour cherry jam, or any other jam or jelly.

Place a 20 cm cake ring on a lined with paper baking sheet. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Use the “fan forced” function. Apparently every producer calls this function differently, sometimes it is named as “fan oven cooking” or “circulaire”. What I mean here is – use the fan function without the upper and lower heaters.

Place the graham crackers into the bowl of the food processor equipped with the metal blade and pulse several times until the crackers turn into crumbs. Add crumbs to melted butter and mix well to combine. Press firmly and evenly the buttered cracker crumbs at the bottom of the prepared ring.

Using a hand or stand mixer equipped with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and the sugar, then add in the eggs and vanilla and beat until homogenous. Pour over the pressed cracker crumbs. Bake for 20 minutes – this was the time we used to bake the cakes into the professional ovens, but in our home oven it takes 25 – 30 minutes. The cake should be set, just a little bit jiggly in the center and there shouldn't be any traces of browning on top(this is just for visual reasons). Let the cake cool completely before the next step.

Whisk sour cream and sugar and spread the mixture over the cooled cheese layer. Bake into preheated oven (the same settings as before) for 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate for 6 hours before slicing and serving.

I prefer to add the jam at the last moment when the cake is already sliced and served.