New York Cheesecake – Dense, Creamy Classic with Graham Cracker Crust

About This Recipe

New York cheesecake is the gold standard of cheesecakes — tall, dense, unbelievably creamy, with a buttery graham cracker base and a surface that is smooth and barely set, almost custard-like in texture. The New York style is distinguished by its high proportion of cream cheese, the addition of sour cream, and the technique of baking at high heat initially then at very low heat to achieve a set interior without the top cracking. The secret to the perfect texture is water-bath baking (bain-marie): placing the cheesecake pan inside a larger pan of hot water creates a humid oven environment that cooks the egg proteins gently and evenly. Without it, the exterior overcooks before the centre sets, leading to a rubbery texture and the dreaded cracks. The high then low temperature method achieves a golden top with a perfectly set, creamy interior. New York cheesecake must be made the day before serving — it needs a minimum of 8 hours (overnight) in the fridge to fully set and develop its characteristic dense, cold creaminess. It is served plain or with a simple berry compote, never with the elaborate fruit toppings of commercial versions.

Ingredients

Serves 12

• 200 ggraham crackers or digestive biscuits
• 100 gunsalted butter(melted)
• 900 gfull-fat cream cheese(room temperature)
• 250 gcaster sugar
• 200 gsour cream
• 4eggs(room temperature)
• 2 tspvanilla extract
• 2 tbspplain flour

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the base

   Crush crackers to fine crumbs. Mix with melted butter. Press firmly into the base of a 23cm springform pan lined with baking parchment. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes. Cool.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, beat 2 minutes. Add sour cream, vanilla and flour, mix. Add eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed just until combined.

   Do not overmix after adding eggs — this incorporates air that causes cracking.

3. 3

   Water bath setup

   Wrap the outside of the springform pan tightly in two layers of foil. Place in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the cheesecake pan.

4. 4

   Bake

   Bake at 160°C for 50–60 minutes. The edges should be set; the centre should still have a slight wobble — it will continue to set as it cools.

   When in doubt, underbake slightly. Overbaked cheesecake loses its creamy texture.

5. 5

   Cool gradually

   Turn oven off, crack door open, leave cheesecake inside for 1 hour. Then cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight.

Variations

• •

  Add a swirl of raspberry compote through the batter before baking.

• •

  Top with a sour cream layer mixed with sugar and vanilla for a polished finish.

Storage

Keeps 5 days in the fridge. Freeze whole or sliced for up to 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions