This cheesecake is a purist’s cheesecake, my type of cheesecake.
And this one happens to be my personal favorite!
I cannot remember where I got this recipe, but I think it was from the NY Times many years ago.
I call it…..PURE CHEESECAKE, UNADORNED!
It’s a great cheesecake to serve for holidays or special occasions!
IT IS crustless. It is topless. It is baked. It is tall. It is firm. It is moist. It is flat on top. It browns evenly.
IT IS NOT a no-bake. It is not creamy soft. It does not have fruit. It does not have pie filling. It does not have nuts or chocolate, or chocolate chips. It does not sink. It is not dry. It is not overly sweet.
Don’t get me wrong, I have other favorite cheesecake recipes I make with crusts, and toppings, and other additions. But I love the pure taste of cheesecake goodness of this one! It is my favorite cheesecake. Nothing on it, under it, or in it!
One slice of this cheesecake, and I think you might become a cheesecake purist like me!
There are a few different techniques to follow to assure success with this particular cheesecake!
1. *Four of the ingredients must be at room temperature before you start.
2. *You use a very low oven temperature- 300° F.
3. *It has an unusually long bake time- 2 hours and 15 minutes.
4. *You wrap the sides and bottom of the pan in two layers of foil.
5. *You bake it in a water bath.
6. *You give it a long cooling time at room temperature- 4 hours.
7. *You give it a long refrigeration time before serving- 4 hours or overnight.
See the steps how to make it in the slideshow below.
Enjoy!
Mile-High New York Cheesecake~ Crustless
Equipment
- 10-inch springform pan
- larger pan for a water bath
- heavy-duty aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 5 eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups sour cream at room temperature
- 32 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 8 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest grated
Instructions
- Move an oven rack to the center position.
- Preheat the oven to 300° F. (Yes, 300 F.!)
- Generously butter the inside of a 10-inch springform pan.
- Wrap a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil tightly around the outside of the springform pan, and around the bottom and sides, crimping and pleating the foil to conform to the pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk by hand the eggs and sour cream until well-blended. Set aside.
- With a mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese with the butter until smooth and creamy. On low speed add in the egg mixture, gradually increase the speed to medium and mix it well.
- On medium high speed, beat in the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat thoroughly until it is all mixed,, about 2 minutes.
- Make a water bath by placing the springform pan into another larger pan that is filled with very hot tap water about one-quarter full. Wait a few minutes to make sure no water is leaking into the springform pan. If it does leak, then add more aluminum foil on the bottom and around the sides of the springform pan.
- Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan.
- Bake the cheesecake at 300° F. in the water bath for 2 hours and 15 minutes, or until it is very lightly browned, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the springform pan from the water bath. Peel off the aluminum foil.
- Place the pan on a wire rack to cool at room temperature for 4 hours.
- Cover it and refrigerate it overnight or at least 4 hours before serving.