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New York Style Cheesecake

Another foolproof recipe from Americas Test Kitchen, it is an annual tradition for my eldest son’s birthday.
If you don’t own a meat thermometer, this recipe is a good reason to get one as cooking it to 150 degrees really does yield the best result. I also added the water bath step as I have found it to do the best job to prevent cracking.
Finally, I would also recommend making it the day before serving. I think the extra time in the fridge helps solidify the amazing texture.
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Ingredients
  

Graham Cracker Crust

  • 1 cup graham cracker crust (4 ounces, 8 whole crackers, broken into rough pieces and processed in the food processor until uniformly fine)
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted, plus additional 1 tbsp melted butter for greasing the pan

Cheesecake Filling

  • 2 1/2 lbs cream cheese cut into 1 inch chunks and left to stand at room temperature for 30-40 minutes
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 2 tsp lemon juice from 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 large eggs
  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 pints fresh raspberries
  • 1 cup seedless raspberry jam

Instructions
 

Crust

  • Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325° degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in medium bowl; add 5 tablespoons melted butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened. Brush bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with most of remaining melted butter, making sure to leave enough to brush pan in step 3. Empty crumbs into springform pan and press evenly into pan bottom. Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around edges, about 13 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling.

Cheesecake

  • Increase oven temperature to 500° degrees.
    In a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese at medium-low speed to break up and soften slightly, about 1 minute. Scrape beater and bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula; add salt and about half of sugar and beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute.
    Scrape bowl; beat in remaining sugar until combined, about 1 minute.
    Scrape bowl; add sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla, and beat at low speed until combined, about 1 minute.
    Scrape bowl; add yolks and beat at medium-low speed until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; add whole eggs two at a time, beating until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute, and scraping bowl between additions.
    Wrap pan with two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil taking care to overlap it to keep it watertight. Brush sides of springform pan with remaining melted butter and pour filling over crust.
    Set springform pan in large baking dish or roasting pan. Heat about 3-4 cup of water in a pourable vessel to boiling. Place roasting pan in oven, the pour water in roasting pan to create a water bath.
    Bake cheesecake at 500° for 10 minutes; without opening oven door, reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and continue to bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of cheesecake registers about 150 degrees, about 1 ½ hours.
    Transfer cake to wire rack and cool 5 minutes; run paring knife between cake and side of springform pan. Cool until barely warm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours. (Cake can be refrigerated up to 4 days.)
    To unmold cheesecake, remove sides of pan. Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving plate. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.
    To make a 6" cheesecake, cut recipe in 1/2 and cook as directed but cook only 45 minutes at 200 degrees.
    HAPPY EATING!!