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Classic New York Cheesecake

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Think making cheesecake is a challenge? Think again! This foolproof recipe delivers a cheesecake so dense, rich, and creamy, it rivals those from New York’s most beloved delis—and it’s easy enough for beginners to master.

Slice of cheesecake on a plate.

Cheesecake has always been my husband Michael’s absolute favorite dessert. I remember when I first met my future mother-in-law over 20 years ago, she told me the key to her son’s heart was through his stomach—and he could be persuaded to do just about anything for a slice of NY cheesecake. Luckily, having just graduated from culinary school, I had a little advantage when it came to both winning his heart and perfecting my cheesecake! Now, I know that making cheesecake can seem a little intimidating. It’s a custard dessert that requires careful baking in a water bath to prevent cracking and achieve the perfect consistency. But don’t let that daunt you. With a few pointers and a tried-and-true recipe, which I’m happy to share with you, even beginners can whip up a dense, rich, creamy (and crack-free) cheesecake. This is a tradition-worthy dessert that rivals the best NY delicatessens. Who knows, maybe it will even help you win over someone special!

“I made this for my family at Christmas time and everyone LOVED it! I had never made a cheesecake before. The instructions were simple and easy for beginners. I am now tasked with making this for birthdays and holidays!”

Rebekah

What You’ll Need To Make A Classic New York Cheesecake

Cheesecake ingredients including eggs, sour cream, and lemon.

This recipe makes a classic New York-style cheesecake with a buttery graham cracker crust and rich, dense filling made from cream cheese, eggs, sugar, sour cream, vanilla, a hint of lemon, and a few tablespoons of flour.

Cream cheese is the key ingredient, so I recommend using a good brand, like Philadelphia. Though it is used most often as a spread for bagels (or a schmear), cream cheese is used to make many wonderful desserts, like my no-churn key lime pie ice cream, berry trifle, and cream cheese frosting.

Flour might seem like an unusual addition—not all cheesecake recipes incorporate it—but it’s the secret to success. A little starch helps prevent the cake from cracking and also makes the filling lighter and fluffier.

Key Equipment

Springform pan on a sheet of aluminum foil.

You’ll need a 9 or 10-inch springform pan and 18-inch heavy-duty aluminum foil. The springform pan features sides that can be removed from the base, so you can release the cake easily without having to flip the whole pan over (this would be a disaster with cheesecake). Springform pans, however, are notorious for leaking. Since the cheesecake bakes in a water bath, the foil prevents the water from seeping in during baking. If you’d like to try another technique that doesn’t require wrapping the pan in foil, you can place your springform pan inside a larger cake pan (see how it’s done here) or purchase a silicone wrap for your pan.

You will also need an electric mixer for whipping up the batter and a large roasting pan for the water bath.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Preheat the Oven and Prep the Pan

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Wrap the springform pan with one large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, covering the underside of the pan and extending all the way to the top. Repeat with another sheet of foil for insurance. Spray the inside of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Springform pan wrapped in aluminum foil.

Step 2: Make the Graham Cracker Crust

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and salt.

Graham cracker crumbs in a bowl with other ingredients.

Stir until well combined.

Bowl of graham cracker crumb mixture.

Press the crumbs into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, until set. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

Person pressing graham cracker mixture into a pan with a measuring cup.

Step 3: Make the Cheesecake Batter

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the cream cheese, sugar, and flour.

Cream cheese, sugar, and flour in a stand mixer.

Beat on medium speed until just smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to be sure the mixture is evenly combined.

Cream cheese mixture in a stand mixer.

Add the vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt; beat on low speed until just combined.

Cream cheese mixture and flavorings in a stand mixer.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated, scraping the bowl as necessary.

Egg in a stand mixer with a cream cheese mixture.

Mix in the sour cream.

Sour cream in a stand mixer with a cream cheese mixture.

Make sure the batter is uniform but do not over-mix.

Stand mixer full of cheesecake batter.

Pour the batter on top of the crust.

Batter pouring into a springform pan with a graham cracker crust.

Step 4: Bake

Set the unbaked cheesecake in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes about one inch up the side of the cake pan. The water bath (also called a bain marie) regulates the temperature and keeps the cheesecake baking at an even, low heat. The steam/humidity created by the water bath also protects the cheesecake from drying out and cracking.

Springform pan of cheesecake on a baking sheet.

Bake until the cake is just set, 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes. The cake should not look liquidy at all but will wobble just a bit when the pan is nudged; it will continue to cook as it cools.

Cooked cheesecake in a springform pan wrapped in aluminum foil.

Step 5: Cool

Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Cool the cheesecake in the water bath until the water is just warm, about 45 minutes. Remove the springform pan from the water bath, discard the foil, and transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator to cool for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Cooked cheesecake in a springform pan.

Remove the sides of the springform pan. You can serve the cheesecake right from the base of the springform pan. Or, if you’d like to transfer it to a serving platter, run a long, thin spatula between the crust and the pan bottom, and then use two large spatulas to transfer the cheesecake to a serving dish. Slice with a sharp knife, wiping the knife clean between slices. Serve with berry sauce, if you like.

video tutorial

Slice of New York cheesecake on a plate.
Photo by Vladislav Noseek

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Classic New York Cheesecake

Think making cheesecake is a challenge? Think again! This foolproof recipe delivers a cheesecake so dense, rich, and creamy, it rivals those from New York’s most beloved delis—and it’s easy enough for beginners to master.

Servings: 8 to 10
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 55 Minutes
Total Time: 2 Hours 25 Minutes, plus at least 8 hours to cool

Ingredients

For the Crust

  • 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs, from 12 whole crackers
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt

For the Filling

  • 32 oz (four 8-oz blocks) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon packed lemon zest, from 1 lemon
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 6 large eggs
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • Special equipment: 9- or 10-inch springform pan; 18-inch heavy-duty aluminum foil (see Pro Tip)
  • Berry sauce, for serving (optional)

Instructions

For the Crust

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the lower middle position. Wrap a 9- or 10-inch springform pan with one large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, covering the underside and extending all the way to the top so there are no seams on the bottom or sides of the pan. Repeat with another sheet of foil for insurance. Spray the inside of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and salt. Stir until well combined. Press the crumbs into an even layer on the the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, until set. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside.
  3. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Set a kettle of water to boil.
  4. Make the batter: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and flour together on medium speed until just smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to be sure the mixture is evenly combined. Add the vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt; beat on low speed until just combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated, scraping the bowl as necessary. Mix in the sour cream. Make sure the batter is uniform but do not over-mix.
  5. Check to make sure your oven has cooled to 325°F, then set the cheesecake pan in a large roasting pan. Pour the batter on top of the crust. Pour the boiling water into the large roasting pan to come about 1 inch up the side of the cake pan. Bake until the cake is just set, 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes. (If the cheesecake starts to look too golden on top towards the end, cover it loosely with foil.) The cake should not look liquidy at all but will wobble just a bit when the pan is nudged; it will continue to cook as it cools. Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Cool the cheesecake in the water bath until the water is just warm, about 45 minutes. Remove the springform pan from the water bath and discard the foil. If necessary, run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the cake to make sure it's not sticking to the sides (which can cause cracks as it cools), then cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to cool for at least 8 hours or overnight.
  6. For serving: Remove the sides of the springform pan. Serve the cheesecake right from the base of the pan; or, to transfer it to a serving platter, run a long, thin spatula between the crust and the pan bottom, and then use two large spatulas to carefully transfer the cheesecake to a serving dish. Slice with a sharp knife, wiping the knife clean between slices. Serve with berry sauce, if you like.
  7. Make Ahead: The cheesecake can be made and stored in the springform pan in the fridge, tightly covered with plastic wrap, up to two days ahead of time.
  8. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cheesecake can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, place the cake in the freezer briefly, unwrapped, to firm it up. Then double-wrap it tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator the night before you plan to eat it.
  9. Pro Tip: Springform pans are notorious for leaking. Since a cheesecake bakes in a water bath, the foil prevents the water from seeping in during baking. Please do not attempt to use standard 12-inch (30cm) aluminum foil – you can’t have any foil seams on the bottom or sides of the pan. No matter how well (or how many times) you wrap the pan, if there are seams exposed to the water, the water will find a way in. Even when wrapped properly, you can occasionally get some condensation inside the foil. If this happens, don’t worry – the crust is likely just a bit moist around the edges. Simply remove the sides of the springform pan before refrigerating and let it dry out in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (10 servings)
  • Serving size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 659
  • Fat: 43 g
  • Saturated fat: 24 g
  • Carbohydrates: 59 g
  • Sugar: 49 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 11 g
  • Sodium: 464 mg
  • Cholesterol: 233 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • If I’m using a 12 in pan how long should I bake ?

    • Courtney, Cheesecake is pretty finicky so I’m not sure I’d use a different size pan. If you do want to give it a try, it will definitely take less time in the oven, but I’m not sure by how much so keep a close eye on it.

  • Absolutely delicious! I did not cover my pan with foil. I just put a water container below and it came out great. I added a little more vanilla and lime and a little less sugar. Easy recipe for a delicious cheesecake.

  • I loved this recipe as a full fledged Cheesecake, but I was wondering if I could half it and bake it in ramekins for smaller sized portions? Thanks.

    • Hi Tina, Glad you liked it! Yes, I do think you could bake it in ramekins although they may be a bit hard to remove. Another option for individual portions are these cheesecake bars. Hope that helps!

  • I loved this recipe! so simple and easy to follow! my cake turned out wonderful & it was my first time! no cracks or sinking! I do recommend letting it chill overnight, it seemed to be better the second day!

  • I’ve baked many many cheesecakes. This doesn’t even taste like cheesecake. Not even close! This is custard. Bad custard at that. Bad! Bad! Bad!

    • I’m thinking you did something wrong this time. Just look at all the positive reviews. After reading some of the reviews and comparing to other recipes, I used 4 eggs and 1 yolk and just 1 cup of sugar. It was perfectly dense and delish.

  • The egg to cream cheese ratio is off – should be four eggs and not six; one egg per box of cream cheese.

  • This is a perfect recipe. Everyone loved it. No cracks, no sinking. Hubby said it looked professional!

  • I made this cheesecake for Christmas. It turned out to be amazing. Best desert I ever made.

  • I made this for our Christmas dessert. Followed all the directions and my cheesecake right out of the oven was cracked all over on top. It was very puffy and then it just sank. It tasted good but was so dense and heavy. I can say that cheesecake definitely has a science behind making it and not ending up with cracks.

    • Hi Callie, I’m sorry you had trouble with this! Cheesecake is dense by nature, but you shouldn’t get cracks. Did you by chance make any substitutions?

  • I followed the directions exactly & this turned out amazing!! This was our Christmas night dessert & my family loved it. Thank you!

  • made this for christmas, it was amazing! everyone loved it! A little water got in so i would recommend the two pan method over foil, but other than that, soooo good!

  • Love love this cheesecake!!!! I have 8 ” springform, halved recipe, made in water-bath with oven bag as mentioned by another reader. Baked 65 minutes. Oh my. Heaven. Thank you. Happy holidays.

  • Hi,

    I’d like to swirl in pomegranate jam. I’ve done it before with raspberry but can’t remember when it the process. Do you have a recommendation on when to swirl in the jam so it doesn’t sink and/or crack? 🙂

    • Hi Lauren, I’d swirl it in right before baking. Hope that helps!

  • Wonderful cheesecake recipe! I made this today for Christmas Eve for my family and they are going to love it! I omitted the lemon and instead added a bit of melted bittersweet chocolate to about 2 cups of the cheesecake batter. I then added that to the rest of the cheesecake to make it a chocolate swirl cheesecake. Cheesecake is my favourite dessert and this is the best recipe I’ve tried so thank you!!

  • The only problem with making this cheesecake is that it was so good, now my family expects it at every holiday! For the crust I did 1.5 times the recipe and half of the lemon juice in the cake.

  • I have a 6inch springform pan and want to cut the recipe in half, how long should I bake this for?

    • Hi Jim, I’d start checking around 1 hour, but it may take longer. Hope that helps!

  • Success with the New York Style Cheesecake recipe. Followed your recipe precisely, exception of omitting lemon. Don’t care for lemon flavor in cheesecake. I’ve made cheesecakes before, but not like this. Enjoyed making it. Will post a pic.
    Also made the coconut cream pie Successfully. Will post a review and pic after adding the homemade whipped cream. Also making the following recipes:
    Roast Beef Tenderloin with Wine Sauce, Potatoes Au Gratin, Curried Roasted Carrots, Basmati Pilaf with Dried Fruits and Almonds and Challah. This will be our 2020 Christmas Eve Dinner. All recipes from your website.
    Thank you. Your website is awesome. Easy to follow instructions and nice presentation with pictures. The text ingredients list option is brilliant.
    Thank you again. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

    • — Brenda Deitz-Siens
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn,

    It looks like I am trying a few of your recipes this Christmas! I am going to be making the almond biscotti and I have decided to also try your cheesecake recipe. I am wondering if I can cut the recipe in half to make a smaller cheesecake? What are your thoughts?

    Thanks so much!

    Catherine 😁🎄

    • Hi Catherine, You can cut the cheesecake in half. I suggest making my cheesecake squares, which is pretty much the same recipe but halved (and it doesn’t require a water bath).

  • absolutley the best make sure its room tempature its out of control

  • I just wanted to say I really enjoy your recipes and I’m looking forward to trying this cheesecake. Can I share a trick? After being scorned too many times by wrapping my pan in just foil, I now use oven bags! I just set my wrapped pan inside the oven bag which I have placed inside the roasting pan, scrunch the sides of the oven bag down around the springform pan, add my boiling water and bake away! Works like a charm!

    • — Karen Kwiecienski
    • Reply
  • Hey I made this a while ago and found the texture was a tiny bit gritty, still delicious though – do you have any thoughts as why that might be/if it’s normal? Either way I’m making it again today!

    • Hi Karl, I’m not positive but it could be the flour you are tasting. You could leave it out next time, but the cheesecake won’t be as stable.

    • In my experience with cheesecakes, I only have had a gritty texture when using a generic store brand of cream cheese. I always pay extra for Philadelphia now since it always seems to have the smoothest consistency. Maybe this isn’t the case for you but I figured I’d share. Hopefully this helps!!

      • I use store brands and it always comes out great… I’ve noticed that if you leave ingredients in room temp before baking makes huge difference. Set everything for about an hour on the kitchen table eggs cream cheese butter and since it’s not so tough it comes out way creamier. My little opinion…
        This cheesecake itself is out of this world 😋😋😋

  • Hi Jenn, this is my first time trying to make a cheesecake. I’ve got a 6 inch springform pan that’s quite deep that I want to use for your recipe (so the cake would essentially come out narrower but taller than in a 9 inch) and I was wondering what bake time you’d recommend for a smaller pan like that. Thanks!

    • Hi Nicole, How deep is your springform?

      • It’s about 4 inches tall. I was also thinking of separating the batter and making two 6 inches from the recipe in case it doesn’t all fit

        • I think that’s a good idea – I worry the batter won’t fit. Please LMK how it turns out!

          • Hey Jenn. So I ended up using a 9 inch pan instead, but without cooking in a water bath because I had nothing larger to place it in (the reason why i wanted to use my 6 inch). I also ommitted the lemon juice (just out of personal preference) but kept everything else the same. Baked the cheesecake for a bit shorter than the water bath directions – about 1 hour 35 minutes – and let it cool overnight. It did crack a bit, but I topped it with strawberries so it’s wasn’t visible haha. It came out great, the texture is smooth and lovely and my family absolutely loves it!

            • — Nicole
          • So glad it worked out – thanks for the follow-up!

            • — Jenn
  • Hi! I’m making this on Christmas Eve for Christmas Day dessert and am trying to ensure I don’t let any water into the cheesecake! I’ve seen some recipes that recommend putting the cheesecake in a tin that’s 1 inch bigger rather than/as well as wrapping in foil/a slow cooker bag – what would you suggest for the most leak proof option??
    Thanks!

    • — Amelia Burgess
    • Reply
    • Hi Amelia, If you have a pan that’s 1 inch bigger, that’s the best way to prevent the water from seeping in. If you go that route, you don’t need to wrap the springform pan in foil (in fact, the foil can sometimes cause condensation). You can watch a short tutorial here. Hope that helps!

  • This will be a first attempt at making a cheesecake for Christmas.
    I have tried so many of your wonderful recipes. Can i use frozen berry mix for sauce. Thank you.

    • Yes, frozen berries should work here. Hope everyone enjoys the cheesecake! 🙂

  • I feel so fortunate to have discovered this recipe. Like many here, it was also my first attempt at a cheesecake, and a New York-style at that. Being such a temperature-delicate cake employing bain marie (water bath), I used the “True Fan” setting on our electric oven, an Italian La Germania, which uses fans to gently circulate the hot air inside the oven for a more uniform-temperature baking. From experience, this setting is so mild that I usually have to add a few to several more minutes of baking time. So, as I expected, even after 1:45 hours, the cheesecake still looked pale and a bit liquid. It was at 2 hours that the top part started turning just very slightly brown. Yet, it was perfect! As it cooled down and shrunk a bit, it did not stick to the sides at all. I discovered, however, that the cake should be served after being chilled several hours in the refrigerator. I made a mistake of taking it out too early and it was initially a bit soggy and soft. After refrigerating it again, it has firmed up. Yes, I also agree that this is at par or even better than cheesecakes served in restaurants specializing in cheesecakes. Thank you for sharing this jewel of a recipe, Jenn!

  • Perfecto. La receta que estaba buscando, un cheesecake cremoso y sobre todo no muy dulce. Queda perfecto. Lo mejor a mi esposo le encanto, ya por eso 5 estrellas. Gracias por esta exquisita receta.

    • — Scherazada Vega
    • Reply
  • This cheesecake is so good and so easy to make. I get requests all the time for it. I have a few people at work who requested this as a Christmas present. I don’t have time to make 8 cheesecakes in the evenings before Christmas. I was wondering if I could use mini springform pans and how long would they cook for? This way I can cook 4 at a time. Thanks for your guidance.
    I’ve made a dozen or two of your recipes and there isn’t one that my family hasn’t devoured. Thank you so much for your website!

    • Hi Shannon, So glad you like the recipes and what a nice gift for your coworkers! Yes, you can make smaller versions of these — the timing really depends on the size of the springform pans.

  • Can the roasting pan be a pyrex dish?

    • Sure – hope you enjoy!

      • Hello I love this recipe!!! Just a question should it be more “runny”
        In the middle?

        • — Christine Pompile
        • Reply
        • No, it shouldn’t be. If it was, it sounds like it was a little underbaked.

  • Cheesecake came out pretty, and I was super excited! I followed the recipe exactly. However, I had two fails that amounted to the 2 star review. 1) I wrapped in heavy duty foil as instructed and water still got in. I realize this may be my fault and so the second thing is really why I rated two stars. 2) Too lemony. However, if you like lemon, you’ll love this cheesecake! I should have went with my gut and omitted the lemon juice, or all of the lemon. With that being said, I wonder if I omit the lemon, if 4tsp of vanilla will then be too much? Otherwise, the consistency of the cheesecake was good.

    • Hi Dona, sorry to hear you had problems with this! If you want to give it another try, here’s a technique you can use for a water bath that you may prefer. Also, it’s fine to omit the lemon juice without adding any additional vanilla. Hope that helps!

      • Now 5 stars! Thank you, Jenn! I made this recipe again last night, omitting the lemon and using only 1 teaspoon of vanilla. I also found a silicon wrap to go onto a cheesecake pan to protect it for a water bath. Cheesecake came out fantastic!!! Thank you so much for your recipe, as it is the great base needed, and easy to make adjustments! Also, my mother-in-law liked the first one with lemon, so that was her birthday request. Thank you again!!

        • Glad the second time was the charm — thanks for the follow up! 🙂

  • I’ve made this 3 times and each cheesecake was devoured by family.
    You kindly include fail proof directions.
    Today I made the berry sauce and can’t wait to try it over the cheesecake tomorrow at dinner. It will be hard to wait!

  • Amazing cheesecake! Great instructions that are easy to follow. I didn’t boil the water for the water bath but put very hot water from the tap in the bath and it worked just fine. I will definitely make this again! Thanks for sharing such a fantastic recipe that was thoroughly enjoyed by a bunch of people 🙂

    • — Christie Wilkes
    • Reply
    • I also added E.D. Smith cherry pie filling on the top of each piece of cheesecake served after it had been chilled in fridge.

      • — Christie Wilkes
      • Reply
  • Made this for my son’s birthday. I consider myself a good baker, but cheesecake had always eluded me. This recipe was a game changer for me: easy and foolproof. Thank you for the great recipe and instructions! Our family loved it. I served it with a blackberry sauce on the side.

  • The instructions were easy to follow and resulted in the best home-baked cheesecake I’ve ever had, and even better than most restaurants as well.

  • Can I make this cheesecake ahead of time and freeze it ? .. has anyone tried it. Thanks

    • Yes — see the freezer-friendly instructions at the bottom of the recipe. Enjoy!

  • I’m 13 and for my science fair project I am doing which baking method (New York or Water Bath) produces a cheesecake with the greatest rise and the least amount of cracks. Would this recipe work for testing both methods? This recipe looks very good! Thanks!

    • Hi AJ, That sounds like a yummy project! 🙂 Sure, you could use this recipe. I think you’ll find that you’ll likely have cracks in the version that does not use the water bath. Good luck!

      • Thank you so much!

    • This recipe looks great but does seem to have a high sugar ratio. Has anyone found it to be too sweet? Keen to give it a try.

  • Hi Jenn, I made your cheesecake a few months ago for the first time and it was perfect, I took it to a party and everyone loved it and I felt like some sort of baking goddess! So today I attempted to make it again, but I can’t get it right and I’m not sure why. I’ve made it 3 times today and it’s badly cracked each time and they were all much darker in colour than my first one. I want to give one as a gift tomorrow and I’ve also committed to making one for dessert on Christmas Day, so I need to master it!

    The only difference between the previous bake and today’s is that the cheese was from the fridge and not at room temperature. Could this be making it crack?

    For the 3rd bake today, I put the roasting tray on the bottom oven rack, and put foil over it when I saw it start to brown on top but it still cracked.

    Can you help this amateur baker get her cheesecake back on track? xx

    • Hi Monica, It’s very important that the cream cheese be at room temperature, so I think that’s likely the issue. Sometimes the top turns golden — it doesn’t bother me, but you can cover it with loosely foil towards the end if you like.

      • Thanks so much Jenn, I’ve got my cheese at room temp, so I’m off to try it again. 🤞

      • Hi Jenn, success! The cheesecake turned out perfect thanks to your advice, the room temperature cheese definitely made a difference. I also reduced the temp in my oven to 150 as the other one started to crack quite early in the bake. My reputation as a cheesecake goddess among my friends has been saved. 😂

        • That’s great — so glad it worked out! 🙂

  • First time making a baked cheesecake, and wow, did this recipe not disappoint! The only change I made to the recipe was to use Digestive Biscuits, as in Australia we don’t have Graham Crackers. My cheesecake was cooked in exactly 1 hour 30 minutes. It was slightly browned on the top, but I liked the look – it gave it that baked cheese tart look.

    Highly recommend this recipe!

  • OH MY! First time making it, I used a spatula to stir everything in ( I do not own a a self mixer) and used a turkey roasting bag around the springform pan for the water bath…. other than that, I followed the recipe to a T and everyone couldn’t stop talking about it, came out PERFECT!!! Highly recommend!

  • I absolutely love this recipe, I make it every holiday and have now been deemed the “cheesecake queen” by relatives and their friends. Dessert is now my automatic thing to bring to meals, thank goodness I love any reason to bake.

    For this recipe I will say that I only add about 3/4 cup sugar as with the addition of a fruit topping it is sweet enough. I have never made this recipe with the 2 cups suggested so I cannot comment on if it’s too much.

    This year I will be using it to make an apple pie cheesecake.

    • — Meagan L Overduin
    • Reply
  • Best Cheesecake Ever!
    We bake this fantastic cheesecake for all our Birthdays and Holidays! It’s that great! Took me a while to get the hang of the foil wrapping but now it comes easily. Makes it a better cheesecake because of the water bath. I give this recipe 5 stars! I like it even better than Junior’s cheesecake in NYC! Thanks for such a great recipe and a new family tradition. Even my sons want to learn how to make this one!

  • I made this for Thanksgiving dessert and it was a hit! One of the best cheesecakes I have ever had – restaurant or otherwise. I was afraid the lemon or vanilla would be overpowering but it was the perfect meld of flavors!

  • First let me say i have never made a cheesecake before and did a lot of research before picking this recipe and i am so glad i did.
    It was absolutely delicious and i had no problem with cracking or water seeping into the pan. I thought 2 cups of sugar was too much for me so with advice from Jenn i reduced the sugar to 1 1/2 cups with no problem. I also made the berry sauce with frozen mixed fruit which was also a hit. Don’t hesitate to make this cake you will love it.

  • Oh my! This cheesecake is perfection.

    • — JENNIFER J CASHMORE
    • Reply
  • We Have A Winner!!! I have been cooking & baking for over 35 years… keeping a journal of all the recipes that were pasted down, created, or just perfect. I lost that journal so I’ve been rebuilding it with recipes that are as familiar to me as I can remember. This Recipe is so close to what I remember but even a little better. I didn’t tweak a thing & it’s PERFECT! Thanks for bringing a damn good cheesecake back to my home.

    • — George B.Evans
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  • Just made this recipe last night and followed the instructions very carefully. It turned out perfectly. The cake is uniform, moist throughout and has a rich, smooth texture with an exceptional taste. Definitely going to print out the recipe and add to my repertoire.
    Some observations:
    I did not have 16″ aluminum foil so I used the 12″ stuff. I used a 9″ springform pan so the foil came up about 1.5″ on each side. It was still enough height to get 1″ of water in the pan and with a lot of steady hands and care there was no splashing into the cake and zero water intrusion.
    Pulled the cake out at 1.5hrs of bake time. The cake was firm on top, but seemed still quite undercooked in the center. After re-reading the instructions I set it out to cool in its waterbirth. The cake did, in fact, continue to cook a little while out of the oven and after being left in the fridge overnight came out perfectly. My initial anxiousness with it being undercooked was an overreaction.
    Follow the recipe EXACTLY and you will be ok.

    • I found your review very helpful so I thought I would ask you about the 2 cups of sugar she recommends, did you use it and did you find it too sweet? thanks Elaine

    • Hi, I want to make this recipe but was wondering what I could change to make it with a premade crust. I’ve used this recipe before & it was a hit but I’m skipping the crust & pan part. Any help?

      • Hi Dyondra, yes, you can use a store-bought premade crust but I’d cut the rest of the recipe in half as you won’t be able to fit as much batter in. Also, the bake time will be shorter so keep a close eye on it. Hope that helps!

  • Hello Jenn!

    I just want to say I’m back for another year and another round of cheesecakes. This is the most requested thing I get for the holidays and I even have people asking for it as a Christmas present. “Just make me a cheesecake!” At this point, I could probably make this recipe in my sleep. So thank you for the wonderful and easy recipe!

    One tip I’d like to add is if others do not have a roasting pan big enough, use a disposable turkey pan! They are large, deep and you can use it for several cheesecakes. They’re especially easy to find now during the holiday season.

    • Did you have to change your cooking time when baking more than one at a time? if so would you be able to tell me what you adjusted your time to? Thank you in advance!

  • I must admit, if the recipe is followed exactly as it is, this is a HIT! It was first time on this style cheesecake. And I was hesitant how’d it turn out. But my husband who’s super picky about his deserts, had 2 slices on the cake back to back 😘 it was perfect. I also complimented it with Strawberry sauce (your recipe) loved it!

    • — Beenish Ismail
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  • Authentic New York style cheesecake does not have a graham cracker crust. It is made with no crust.

    • According to whom?

  • I decided to make this recipe after reading the reviews because it seem to be the best one out there; let me add, it’s my first time making a cheesecake. It was an easy recipe to follow but I did change 2 things. One: I bake everything in a roasting oven and decided to do the same with the cheesecake. Two: I gave it a “bath” but I did so after I cooked it for 1 hour and 45 minutes. It turned out amazing. (Wanted to upload a picture, not really sure how to on this site).

  • Flavor was fine, but texture was off, too eggy.

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