New York Cheesecake

For me, this is the best single cheesecake I have ever had. I found this in the Jim Fobel cookbook about 20 years ago, and that's what I came back to again and again. The color is creamy, slightly sweet, with a touch of lemon. This cheese cake has become a favorite of family and friends who have the fortune to be served this piece of heavenly goodness.

Usually I don't serve toppings because it's very tasty, but for those of you who like cheese cake with a little something, I open a can of blackberry pie and put a sweet spoon on it. I do this for you.

You may have noticed that this cheesecake does not have a crust type, both the bottom and the sides.

You might also notice that there are no cracks at the top. That's because this cheese cake is baked in bain-marie, water bath. This is one of the secrets of a really soft cheese cake.

You will need to plan ahead to prepare this recipe, but if you do, I'm sure you will fall in love with this recipe as much as I have.

In the comments section, there have been several discussions about the leaky springform pan dilemma. You have been kind enough to share a number of solutions, but a reader sent me a very good solution that I want to include here.

Brandy G. said: I also suffered a leak of water into my crust but I began using pot paste coatings instead of tin foil. The liner accommodates the pan perfectly and withstand excessive heat. I just rolled the sides down so they didn't exceed the cake and voila! This has saved so many cheese cakes ... I hope this helps others too!

Now doesn't that sound like a good solution!

New York cheese cake
(Jim Fobel's Ancient Cake Book)

• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups (one liter) sour cream, room temperature
• 4 8-ounce cream cheese packages, room temperature
• 8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of corn flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest

Generous butter in the 10-inch springform pan. Wrap the heavy duty aluminum foil double layer around the bottom and outside side, wrinkle and fold the foil to fit the pan. This will help prevent water from seeping into the pan when you put it in bain-marie. Place the cake rack in the middle of the oven; Preheat the oven to 300 * Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer, beat the eggs with sour cream until well blended.

In a medium sized bowl, beat the cream cheese with butter until smooth and soft. Add this to the mixture of sour egg cream and shake until smooth.

Add sugar, corn flour, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest, then shake until blended, about 2 minutes.

Pour into the prepared springform pan and place it in a roasted pan (or other skillet) large enough to prevent the sides from touching. Place it in the oven and pour it carefully into very hot tap water to reach half the side of the springform pan.

Bake for 2 hours, 15 minutes, or until the cake is very bright and the knife inserted in the center appears clean. Remove from the water bath and gently peel the aluminum foil from around the pan. Leave it at room temperature until it's really cold, about 4 hours. Cool, cover, until cool. For the best taste and texture, this cheesecake is best consumed overnight.

** My Note: I can't stress enough how important it is to let the first 4 ingredients in this recipe arrive at room temperature. I have rushed cream cheese and have a nice lump in my dough.

** I have tilted the mixing instructions to emphasize mixing the ingredients to achieve the desired texture.

** Have a plate or other large dish that will hold the springform pan hot and drip after you remove it from bain-marie. When you remove bain-marie from the oven, the water is very hot, so please be careful.

Before removing the pan, plan where you will arrange it so that you don't hold the pan, desperately looking for clear space to put it down. I find it impossible to remove the cheesecake from bain-marie while it's in the oven, so I erase the entire set-up from the oven. I tried hard not to burn the wrist or the back of my hand when releasing the springform pan; I have not been burned, but I have soaked the ends of the potholders in hot water, and it's amazing how quickly hot water billows until my fingers are soft!

Subscribe to receive free email updates: