Lucinda's New York-Style Cheesecake

New York-style cheesecake is a super simple dessert that is even creamier and denser than a classic cheesecake. You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t love it, even outside of New York.

There are only two components to cheesecake, and our recipe has perfected both. A silky sweet filling is essential, but a sturdy, well-baked crust is arguably the most important part, as it makes the cheesecake easier to slice. This cheesecake requires only about an hour of oven time, but you’ll need to set aside another eight hours for it to thoroughly set up in the refrigerator before digging in. We can assure you—it's most certainly worth the wait.

What Causes a Cheesecake to Crack

There are a few reasons the top of cheesecake tends to crack and some ways to minimize cracking:

1. Overbaking: A properly baked cheesecake should actually look underbaked when you pull it out of the oven. Give the pan a gentle wiggle. When the edges are set but the center jiggles like Jell-O, the cheesecake is ready.
2. Over-mixing the filling: Beating too much air into the cream cheese mixture could cause the cheesecake to rise too quickly or unevenly. As the filling cools and sinks, it will be more likely to crack.
3. Cooling too quickly: Going from hot to cold too quickly can also cause cracks to appear on the surface. Let the cheesecake cool completely at room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator.
4. Not using a water bath: When the cheesecake is surrounded in a water bath, the filling is guaranteed to cook evenly, which should prevent cracks.

Tools and Techniques

Springform Pans

Springform pans are ideal for delicate desserts like cheesecake. The pans have a nonstick removable belt around the outside that pops off to expose the edges of the cheesecake. From there, the cheesecake can be gently lifted instead of inverting it onto a platter and risking it breaking.

Water Bath (Bain Marie)

Baking the cheesecake in a water bath in the oven helps keep the cream cheese filling silky smooth and creamy. The most important thing a water bath does is create moisture in the oven as the cheesecake bakes. A moist atmosphere in an otherwise dry climate will help keep the cheesecake from drying out and cracking. It will also help the filling rise evenly since it's surrounded by a water barrier.

The Importance of Room Temperature Ingredients

When reading through the ingredient list, you'll notice that we call for the dairy components—cream cheese, butter, and sour cream—to be at room temperature. Not only does it require less physical effort to mix them when they're slightly softened, they also blend much better with one another, resulting in a creamy, emulsified batter that bakes up beautifully.

How to Ensure Your Ingredients Are Room Temperature,

To get the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream to the right temperature, take them out of the refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes before you plan to begin cooking. To speed things up a bit, you can cut the butter and cream cheese into smaller pieces, just avoid using the microwave—you'll risk melting them, which can throw off the cheesecake's finished texture.