MAKES: 16 servings TESTED BY: Linda B.

094 Classic New York-Style Cheesecake

TASTING COMMENTS:

The key to a smooth, crack-free cheesecake is lightly stirring the beaten eggs into the batter. Overbeating the filling once the eggs are added whips in too much air. This causes the cheesecake to puff in the oven, then fall and crack when it cools.—LB

prep 40 minutes bake 45 minutes at 350°F cool 45 minutes chill 4 hours stand 15 minutes

Change up your crust by swapping an equal amount of crushed vanilla wafers, chocolate wafers, or gingersnaps for the graham cracker crumbs.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. For crust, in a large bowl combine crushed graham crackers, the 1 Tbsp. sugar, and, if desired, the cinnamon. Stir in melted butter. Press crumb mixture onto the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of a 10-inch springform pan.

2. In a large bowl combine cream cheese and the 1¼ cups sugar; beat with a mixer on medium to high until fluffy. Add flour; beat on low until smooth. Using a fork, lightly beat the eggs. Add eggs and 3 tsp. of the vanilla all at once to the cream cheese mixture; stir just until combined. Stir in ½ cup of the sour cream. Pour filling into crust-lined pan. Place pan in a shallow baking pan in oven.

3. Bake 40 minutes or until a 2½-inch area around the outside edge appears set when gently shaken. Remove from oven. In a medium bowl stir together the remaining sour cream, the ¼ cup sugar, and the remaining 1 tsp. vanilla. Gently spread sour cream mixture on top of cheesecake. Return to oven; bake 5 minutes more.

4. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Using a small sharp knife, loosen crust from sides of springform pan. Cool 30 minutes. Remove sides of pan; cool on rack. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight before serving. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before cutting. Store, covered, in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

Make-Ahead Directions Bake and cool cheesecake as directed. Place cheesecake in a freezer bag or freezer container and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw cheesecake in refrigerator 24 hours (or thaw individual pieces 30 minutes at room temperature).

Per serving 466 cal., 35 g fat (20 g sat. fat), 132 mg chol., 342 mg sodium, 34 g carb., 0 g fiber, 26 g sugars, 6 g pro.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Prepare crust as directed, except omit New York-Style Cheesecake filling and topping. In a large bowl beat four 8-oz. pkg. softened cream cheese and 1 cup sugar on medium until fluffy and combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Add one 15-oz. can pumpkin, 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice, and 1 tsp. vanilla; beat until well combined. In a bowl lightly beat 4 eggs; stir into the pumpkin mixture until combined. Pour filling into crust. Bake 45 minutes or until a 2½-inch area around the outside edge appears set when gently shaken. Remove from oven. Cool as directed. If desired, garnish with pomegranate seeds before serving.

TESTING NOTES

1. Use your hands to press crumbs evenly into the bottom of the pan and about 2 inches up the sides. To smooth out the crust, run a small measuring cup firmly across the crumbs.

2. Softened cream cheese is easier to beat into other ingredients (and doesn’t leave big pieces in your otherwise silky batter). Soften the cream cheese by letting it stand at room temperature on the countertop 30 minutes. In a pinch, microwave the unwrapped cream cheese on the defrost setting for 10 seconds at a time, checking after each interval.

3. Cheesecakes are thickened with lightly beaten eggs, which give a cheesecake its light and airy texture. Gently fold in the eggs—overbeating will incorporate too much air, which causes the cheesecake to puff up too high during baking. When it falls during cooling, it will create cracks in the filling.

4. New York cheesecake consists of three layers: crust, filling, and a sweetened sour cream topping. The sour cream topping is added near the end of the baking time so the layers stay separate and intact. When the filling is set, remove cheesecake from the oven and gently spread the sour cream mixture evenly over the top. The cheesecake is then baked 5 more minutes just to set the topping.

Overbeating the eggs or filling incorporates excess air, which causes the filling to puff too much in the oven, then fall and crack as it cools (left).

Overbaking makes the filling dry and crumbly—nothing like the delicate, creamy texture cheesecakes are known for (right).

is it done yet? The hardest part of making cheesecake is knowing when it’s done baking. For most cheesecakes, there will be a small area in the center that is still wobbly when gently shaken, while 2½ inches around the outside edges will be set. No worries! The jiggly portion in the center will firm up during chilling. For the New York-Style Cheesecake, the sour cream topping is added at this doneness point, then returned to the oven for just 5 more minutes of baking.

springform pan Cheesecakes are baked in a springform pan—a round pan with straight sides that expand with the help of a clamp. The separate bottom can be removed from the sides to make serving the cheesecake a breeze. Springform pans are ideal for the soft texture of traditional cheesecake—removing a cheesecake from any other type of pan is nearly impossible.

Store cheesecake, covered, in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Make sure not to let the plastic wrap touch the surface of the cheesecake.

The water bath method A water bath will help your cheesecake bake slowly and evenly, protecting and insulating the delicate filling so the outer edge of the cake won’t bake faster than the center. Place your crust-lined springform pan on a double layer of heavy-duty foil. Bring edges of foil up and mold around sides of pan to form a watertight seal. Place springform pan into a roasting pan. After adding the cheesecake filling, pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan (keep water level below the foil). Bake 60 minutes. Turn off oven; let stand in oven 60 minutes. Promptly remove from water bath; cool as directed.