This is my favorite recipe for New York style cheesecake, and includes a great technique for letting the citrus-kissed cake finish in the oven, so that no crack forms when cool. The taste and texture is absolutely perfect.
This is a classic, dense, rich New York style cheesecake with just a hint of citrus, hence the “sunshine” in the title. I paired it with a lovely cherry sauce. Keep this super easy cheesecake recipe in mind. Enjoy!
New York Style Cheesecake
Servings: 12
Crust Ingredients:
- 18 graham crackers
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
Filling Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 2/3 cup milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 or 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 or 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
- Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a bowl until evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture into the bottom and about 1/2-inch up the sides of the springform pan.
- Whisk flour, sour cream, and vanilla extract in bowl. Set aside.
- Stir cream cheese and sugar with a wooden spoon in a large bowl until evenly incorporated, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Pour milk into cream cheese mixture and whisk until just combined.
- Whisk in eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.
- Stir in lemon zest, orange zest, and sour cream mixture; whisk until just incorporated.
- Pour mixture into prepared springform pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the edges have nicely puffed and the surface of the cheesecake is firm except for a small spot in the center that will jiggle when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour.
- When the cheesecake is done, turn off the oven and let it cool in the oven for 3 to 4 hours. This prevents any cracks from forming on the top of the cheesecake.
