Classic New York Cheesecake Recipe

Everyone loves restaurant-style New York Cheesecake, and admittedly, Cheesecake Factory makes some of the best cheesecake you’ll ever have.

Every bite of my New York style cheesecake is creamy, smooth, rich, and so very delicious. I promise your whole family will love this cheesecake!

I wanted to share my favorite New York Cheesecake recipe, which, as it turns out, is the Cheesecake Factories Recipe, which has been floating around the internet for years.

I made a few subtle additions to the recipe but kept the integrity of the recipe intact. What I love most about this recipe is the baking technique. This is what gives you a smooth and creamy cheesecake without any of those ugly, deep cracks!

If you love cheesecakes, my Chicago Style Cheesecake and Ricotta Cheesecake are two of my favorite cheesecakes.

Ingredients to make a New York Cheesecake

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Classic New York Cheesecake. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”

Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

How do I make a graham cracker crust?

The first step in making my favorite cheesecake is to mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and form the crust into the pan, coming halfway up the sides. Wrap the pan’s bottom with foil and place the finished crust in the freezer until needed.

After you’ve blended all the ingredients together, pour the batter into the springform pan and level it out using an offset spatula.

How do I make a cheesecake that doesn’t crack?

Baking a perfect cheesecake without those ugly cracks is easier than you might think.

• Use a water bath. One-half inch of water in the bottom of a baking pan is all you need to make a difference. (I used a half-sheet pan)
• Let the eggs come to room temperature before using them.
• Beat the cream cheese mixture until smooth and creamy
• Whip the room-temperature eggs before adding them to the cream cheese mixture. Mix the eggs in just enough to incorporate them. Don’t overmix!
• Bake for 12 minutes at 475°F, then reduce to 350 °F to finish the cake.

What ingredients do I need to make a strawberry topping for a cheesecake?

If you’re not a fan of strawberries, you can use any other fruit that you like or just stick with the classic sour cream topping.

Of course, you can get fancy and add your favorite specialty topping to the cheesecake, like my favorite salted caramel topping.

Mix the sour cream with the sugar and give it 15 minutes for the sugar to fully dissolve. Then, top the cooled New York cheesecake with the sour cream mixture and refrigerate.

How do I glaze the strawberries?

The easiest way to glaze fruit is to use jelly, not jam or preserves, just jelly. Heat the jelly in the microwave until it’s liquid, then brush the berries with the liquefied jelly. Refrigerate the finished cheesecake until the fruit sets (at least 15 minutes).

The only problem with a jelly glaze is it won’t do a good job of covering the parts of the cheesecake that aren’t covered by the fruit. And it doesn’t hold up quite as well as a conventional glaze. If you’re serving the cheesecake right away and there isn’t going to be much leftover, the jelly method is easy and does the job.

If you’re planning on keeping the cheesecake around for a few days, then I would suggest making a regular glaze for the topping. You can find the optional method in the notes of my recipe.

Letting the cheesecake set up is crucial to the overall flavor and texture of the cheesecake. I always let my cheesecakes set up overnight to make sure the rich, creamy flavor has time to build. If you were to taste the cheesecake right out of the oven, you wouldn’t really think it was very good. 

The texture is light, and the flavor subtle. As it sits, the cheesecake becomes denser (without getting heavy), and the flavors intensify.

**That’s another secret to making a restaurant-style New York Cheesecake.

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