New York Cheesecake

Posted by Mandy on June 9th, 2011. Filed under: Cakes, Cheesecakes, Desserts, Fruit Desserts, Holiday Favorites.

Before you all think I’ve gone nuts posting such a long recipe, hear me out. I know that this recipe looks very intricate, but I promise you that it’s not. Honestly, most of the steps involve nothing more than moving the cooked cheesecake from place to place to ensure that it cools down at the right rate. As a matter of fact, it’s so easy to make that I first made this recipe when I was in high school and had absolutely no baking experience (at least no recipe experience). And if I remember right, making this cheesecake was one of the things that sparked my love of recipes back then. The way people carried on over how wonderful it tasted and how beautiful it was really made me feel good about what I had made. So before you just throw this recipe in the “never-to-try” pile, please at least give it a shot. I promise you it’s worth every bit of effort that you put into it (which isn’t really that much)!

There’s actually a funny story that goes along with this cheesecake that I can’t help but sharing. My hubby and I have been together for a long, long time. We are both 29 years old now and started dating when were both just 15 years old and have been together ever since. *awww* The first Valentine’s we shared together I went all out and bought him chocolate everything – the big huge lips, a huge Hershey’s kiss, all the good stuff. Boy was that wrong because I found out on Valentine’s Day that he didn’t like chocolate. Which speaking of…what kind of freak of nature does NOT like chocolate? Anyway, so the next year I had been with him long enough to know that one of his favorite desserts was cheesecake. Well I decided to go all out again and make him this cheesecake, but instead of a regular cheesecake pan I used a heart shaped one. The whole time I baked the cake I was watching it, and it looked great. I was so proud! Then all of a sudden I looked at it and it was cracked about 3/4 of the way down the middle. I never was able to live down the joke of making the love of my life a “broken heart” cheesecake. He still teases me about it to this day! I do have to say though…I’ve yet to witness him turn down a slice of this yummy cheesecake, cracked or not! :)

Look at the height of this cake! It’s so tall that just a small piece is enough to fill even the biggest cheesecake craving. If you’d like, serve this yummy cheesecake with a topping of fruit (I like cherry) but honestly it’s positively delightful without it. Either way, you’re sure to love it!

New York Cheesecake

5 (8 oz) pkgs. cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

5 large eggs

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large egg yolks

Make crust (recipe follows). Heat oven to 475 degrees F. Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed about one minute, or until smooth. Beat in eggs, egg yolks, and 1/4 cup whipping cream on low speed until well blended; pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees F and bake one hour longer. Cheesecake may not appear to be done, and if a small area in the center seems soft, it will become firm as the cheesecake cools. Do not insert a knife to test for doneness because the hole could cause the cheesecake to crack. Turn off oven, leaving cheesecake in the oven for 30 minutes longer. Remove cake from oven and cool in pan away from drafts on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Without releasing or removing the sides of the pan, run a knife along the side of the cheesecake to loosen. Refrigerate uncovered about 3 hours, or until chilled. Cover and continue refrigerating at least 9 hours. Loosen the edge of the cheesecake again with a knife and remove the sides of the springform pan. Serve on the bottom of the springform pan.

New York Cheesecake Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 large egg yolk

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×3″ springform pan with shortening; remove bottom. Mix all ingredients with a fork until dough forms; form dough into a ball. Press 1/3 of the dough evenly on the bottom of the pan. Place on a cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown; cool. Assemble bottom and side of pan; secure side. Press remaining dough 2″ up the side of the pan. Fill and bake as directed in the above cheesecake recipe.

Recipe adapted from: Betty Crocker’s Cookbook: Everything You Need To Know To Cook Today

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