Photography: John Paul Urizar. Styling: Olivia Blackmore.
When you think of cheesecake, nothing beats the classic New York cheesecake with its silky-smooth texture and luscious sour cream topping. It’s a decadent and always popular choice for birthdays, dinner party desserts or any celebration! This is our ultimate New York cheesecake recipe.
Plus, scroll down for four fantastic flavour variations to try, our baking tips for cheesecake success and the history behind the New York cheesecake.
Ingredients
Method
Invert the base of a 24cm springform pan, line the base with a round of baking paper.
Using a food processor, process biscuits until fine crumbs form; transfer to a large bowl. Add butter; stir through until evenly combined. Press biscuit mixture over base and side of pan. Place pan on an oven tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan-forced).
Place cream cheese, orange and lemon rinds and the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (do not whisk as it will aerate the mixture too much); mix until just smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides, then sour cream and lemon juice. Pour filling into pan.
Bake New York cheesecake for 1 hour or until just set; carefully remove from oven. Cool for 15 minutes.
SOUR CREAM TOPPING Stir ingredients in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth (don’t whisk as you don’t want to create bubbles).
Spread Sour Cream Topping over New York cheesecake; bake for a further 20 minutes. Turn oven off; cool cheesecake in oven with the door ajar. Refrigerate cold cheesecake for 3 hours or overnight before serving.
New York cheesecake flavour variations
Caramel
When making New York Cheesecake, in step 4, pour one-third of the cheesecake filling into pan. Using 1 cup (320g) dulce de leche, dollop one-third over mixture, then run a knife through to create a spiral pattern. Repeat twice more with remaining cheesecake filling and dulce de leche. Continue as directed in recipe, omitting Sour Cream Topping.
Raspberry
Before making New York Cheesecake, combine 1½ cups (200g) raspberries with 4 teaspoons cornflour. In step 4, pour one-third of the filling into pan; scatter over one-third of the raspberries. Repeat twice with remaining cheesecake filling and raspberries. Continue as directed in recipe, omitting Sour Cream Topping. Dust with icing sugar.
Chocolate
When making New York Cheesecake, omit both citrus rinds. In step 4, pour one-third of the cheesecake filling into the pan. Using 1 cup (330g) Nutella, dollop one-third over mixture, then run a knife through to create a spiral pattern. Repeat twice more with remaining cheesecake filling and Nutella. Continue as directed in recipe, omitting Sour Cream Topping.
Mango
Before making New York Cheesecake, blend 1½ cups (300g) chopped mango until smooth. In step 4, pour one-third of the cheesecake filling into the pan. Dollop one-third of the mango puree over mixture, then run a knife through to create a spiral pattern. Repeat twice more with remaining cheesecake filling and mango puree. Continue as directed in recipe, omitting Sour Cream Topping.
Test Kitchen tips for making a New York cheesecake
Bring ingredients to room temperature
Ensure the cream cheese, eggs and sour cream are at room temperature before you start, this will make beating it easier and avoid any lumps. Forgot to take the eggs out of the fridge? Place eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes to bring them to room temperature.
Which biscuits make the best crust?
We like to use shortbread fingers or digestives for this New York cheesecake recipe, but any plain biscuit will work well. Some crushed biscuits absorb more butter than others so you may need to add a little more or less depending on the biscuits used. For added flavour and texture, stir through ¾ cup of chopped toasted almonds, pecans, macadamias or shredded coconut.
How to make an even cheesecake crust
To create an even crust, press one-third of the mixture over the base firmly using a spatula or straight-sided glass. Turn the pan on its side, place large spoonfuls of crumbs onto the side then press on firmly. Stand pan upright and neaten by rolling along the side with the straight-sided glass. For an extra crunchy base, bake for 10 minutes, then cool completely before adding New York cheesecake filling.
How to neatly slice a cheesecake
To slice cheesecake neatly, dip the knife into hot water between slices.
How long will cheesecake keep? Can you freeze cheesecake?
This classic New York cheesecake will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
What is a New York cheesecake and why is it so famous?
A New York cheesecake is the ultimate indulgence. It’s incredibly rich, dense and creamy thanks to generous amounts of cream cheese, eggs and sour cream that create that signature velvety texture.
As the story goes, deli owner Arnold Reuben was experimenting with a curd cheese pie recipe in the 1920s when he thought to use cream cheese instead. And so, the New York Cheesecake came into being.
But Arnold can’t take all the credit. Cheesecake dates back to Ancient Greece. Athletes at the first Olympic Games in 776 BC were served “plakous” – made from cheese and flour, and drizzled with honey – ahead of competing. When Rome conquered Greece in 146 BC, they took the recipe along with the rest of the war spoils.
Romans added the pastry crust, and gradually the treat spread through Europe, including France, where Neufchâtel – a soft, mould-ripened cheese – was used for its crumbly texture and sharp taste.
With a dearth of the French cheese in the US, in 1872 dairy farmer William Lawrence was attempting to create his own, supposedly adding too much cream, leading to the creation of cream cheese. He went on to mass produce it … Arnold being one particularly happy customer decades later.
