If you’re searching for the recipe for a tall, creamy and silky New York-style cheesecake, THIS is the one! This classic New York Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce is easy to make, has no cracks and no water bath is required for an even bake.
While nearly all cheesecake recipes insist that you need to use a water bath in order to achieve that fluffy and velvety texture and also to prevent cracks, the process is SUCH a pain!
I did some research online and found this method for baking a New York Cheesecake without a water bath. To ensure the cheesecake bakes gently and evenly, you start off baking it at a high temperature for just 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature in increments so that the cheesecake is baked at a very low temperature for the majority of the baking time.
The next important step is that in order to prevent the cheesecake from forming a crack, you do not open the oven once the cheesecake is baked, and don’t touch or jiggle the cheesecake, but let it cool very gently and slowly as the oven cools.
The strawberry sauce is made using frozen strawberries and it is divine yet easy to make. If you prefer not to make the strawberry sauce, no worries! This cheesecake is so amazing that it can also stand completely on its own.
New York Cheesecake is absolutely gorgeous for any occasion. I have been making this exact recipe following these exact instructions for many years and it always works! It's the best!
The cheesecake itself is easy to make, but the baking and cooling take a few hours. You're going to need a lot of patience because after it has cooled, you need to chill the cheesecake overnight in order to have the most beautiful, perfectly-textured cheesecake. Because of the chilling time, it’s essential that you make the cheesecake at least a day before serving (cheesecake keeps for 3-4 days in the refrigerator).
New York Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce
Ingredients
Cheesecake Crust:
- 7 oz. (200 g) graham crackers or whole grain cookies
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (3 oz. or 90 g) butter
Cheesecake Filling:
- 42 oz. (1200 g) cream cheese*
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 egg yolks
- 6 whole eggs
Strawberry Sauce:
- 21 oz. (600 g) frozen strawberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
Instructions
- For the crust: preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Finely crush graham crackers. Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar in a medium sized bowl. Melt the butter and stir it into the crumb mixture. Press the crumb mixture into a 9 inch (23 cm)** springform pan, building up the sides as well (about halfway up). With the oven rack in the lower third of the oven, bake the crust for about 14 minutes, or until it starts to brown and smells toasted. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while filling is prepared.
- For the filling: Increase oven temperature to 400°F (200°C). Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and beat on low for one minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again on low speed.
- Blend in lemon juice and vanilla. Add egg yolks and mix on low speed. Add two of the eggs and beat on low speed. Scrape bowl often. Add another two eggs, blend on low speed and repeat with the remaining eggs. It’s important to mix gently to prevent causing air bubbles.
- Rub a little piece of butter along the sides of the pan above the crust to prevent cheesecake from sticking. Pour the cheesecake filling into the pan and bake for 10 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Then, without opening the oven, reduce temperature to 320°F (160°C) and bake for 20 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 210°F (100°C) and bake for 1 hour 5 minutes. Without opening the oven, turn it off completely and leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and release the cheesecake from the sides of the pan with a thin knife.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool completely, cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill overnight. The cheesecake slices best when cut using a hot knife (hold knife under hot running water and wipe on paper towel). Cheesecake stays fresh for up to four days tightly covered in refrigerator.
- For the strawberry sauce: in a medium-sized saucepan stir together frozen strawberries, sugar and corn starch. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Remove from heat and puree strawberries a bit using an immersion blender. Stirring constantly, bring sauce to a boil again and boil and stir until sauce thickens (1-2 minutes). Cool and chill.
Notes
**Tip: my spring form pan doesn’t leak when the name imprinted on the bottom is up. Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker.
Nutrition
Krista
Hi Jen,
I find the “Vollkornbutterkekse“ come the closest to graham crackers. For the cream cheese, yes, the Philadelphia cream cheese in the tubs is best. You can use it in the exact amounts stated in the recipe above.
All the best,
Krista
Jen
Hi, I've been looking for graham cracker here in Germany but failed to find one. What do you use as alternative for the crust? and for the cream cheese, do you use Philadelphia (the one in plastic container that looks like for spread)? What cream cheese do you use? Thanks a bunch!
John S. Roberts
Yummy New York cream cheese cake. Thanks for sharing 🙂 .