Best New York Cheesecake
You don't have to travel to the Big Apple to get the best cheesecake recipe. Make it in your own home! This moist cake is just like the infamous slices you get in the city without the hustle and bustle. It's crunchy bottom perfectly compliments it's creamy cake layer and is simply heavenly.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup vanilla wafer crumbs
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup ground toasted almonds
- 3 pound cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 whole eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- juice of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 lemon, minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix in a small bowl the vanilla wafer crumbs, butter, sugar and almonds. Pat into a 10 inch springform pan.
- Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and cool.
- Reduce oven temperature to 300.
- Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Whisk together until fluffy the eggs and egg yolks.
- Add the cheese mixture, lemon juice and zest. Beat until smooth.
- Wrap the bottom of the spring form pan in foil. Foil should reach 2/3 of the way up the pan. Pour the filling into the pan. Tap the pan on the counter top several times to break up the air bubbles.
- Place the filled springform pan in a roasting pan. Fill the roasting up with enough water to reach 1/2 way up the sides of the springform pan.
- Place in the 300 degree F oven and bake for 1 hour. After 1 hour, rotate the roasting pan so the cakes browns evenly.
- Add more water if needed. Bake for an additional 1 to 1.5 hours or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Remove the roaster from the oven. Carefully remove the springform pan from the water bath and set it on a rack to cool for 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Then, move the cake, still on the rack, into the refrigerator. Chill overnight, or for at least 8 hours.