New York Style Cheesecake-The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
By Kim Morgan • Jun 24th, 2008 • Category: Desserts •
My mom makes the best…………………. If I were to ask my three children they would all have a different answer as to what they think I make best. In fact, everyone of you would have a different answer, one that I would love to know if you’d like to share your answer in the comment section. Ask me about my mom and I’ll say a New York Style Cheesecake; no cracks-perfect every time. I bragged about this- not 10 days ago- when I shared some of the dishes I wanted upon my return home for the holiday.
So the time came when mom had to ante up and deliver the goods.
“Mom, it’s time I posted about a dessert. Will you make your famous cheesecake?”
“Sure, Kim.”
“Good. Let me watch you so that I know how to make a cheesecake without cracks.”
“What do you mean without cracks?” she said.
“Well mom, I bragged to everyone that you make the best cheesecake without any cracks.”
“You did what?”
“Well, your cheesecake always comes out perfect so I said no cracks. How do you do it? Can I share the secret?”
“I don’t have a secret, it just usually comes out of the oven without cracks. I have been making this cheesecake since your dad and I were first married.” (They just celebrated 57 years on Saturday). “I don’t think about, it just happens.”
“Okay, let me watch and don’t start with out telling me as I want to take pictures of the whole process.”
We finished the cheesecake and it went into the oven. The problem is, I didn’t pick up on any secret to share and I am miffed how my mom does it every time. Toasty brown cheesecake with the center slightly indented. Perfect sides and not one crack on top. We haven’t even gotten to the taste of this magnificent dessert. I can live without cheesecake mind you, but my mom’s makes me want a slice or two.
The buzzer went off and mom opened the oven. This is it, I am going to have fun being a show-off, something I haven’t done for 20 years or so. Suddenly, I hear my mother yell out from the kitchen.
“Kim! The cheesecake has a crack!”
“The cheesecake has a what?”
“A crack!”
“That’s alright, I’ll just cheat a little and take a picture of the side that doesn’t have a crack.”
“You better come here, because the cheesecake has a crack around the whole cake.”
“Oh, no! You have got to be kidding?”
Sure enough- the cake is seriously cracked and I don’t have it in me to ask my mom to make another one (minus the cracks).
My mom says, “Sorry, guess you can’t blog about this.”
“Mom, this is food blogging- like it or not, I have got to show The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.”
“You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”
“Yep! Your cheesecake is getting shown with a giant crater that circles the cake. The first cracked cheesecake you have made- and hundreds, maybe thousands are going to see it, mom!”
My tail is between my legs and I will never brag again. On a good note, it still tasted good. Actually, very good. Why this didn’t turn out is beyond me and my mother. This is a trusted recipe and somewhere, something went terribly wrong. This will go down as the most cracked cheesecake ever made in the history of our home.
If you want a New York Style Cheesecake which is a little dryer than most give this a try. My mom makes this with a number of different crusts. You will not be disappointed and you have good odds that it will not have any cracks. Just don’t brag about it until it actually comes out of the oven.
New York Style Cheesecake
5 pkgs. (8oz) cream cheese
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel
1 1/2 teaspoon orange peel
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
In a large bowl of electric mixer combine cheese, sugar, flour, lemon and orange peel and vanilla.
Beat high speed just to blend.
Beat in eggs and yolks one at a time.
Add cream until well combined.
Bake crust for 10 minutes.
Then add cheesecake mix and bake 10 minutes at 500 degrees, reduce to 250 degrees and bake 1 hour or until set approximately 1 hour.
Serves 16-20 people
Butter Almond Crust
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sliced almonds (not blanched)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
Mix together working in the butter till crumbly. Press into a buttered spring form pan on the bottom and up the sides some.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes till lightly browned.
Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup melted butter
6 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons strong coffee
Combine crumbs, sugar, pecans, cocoa & butter.
Press into prepared pan.
Bake 8-10 minutes 350 degree oven.
Cool completely.
Melt chocolate chips with coffee in top of double boiler over barely simmering water.
Stir till smooth.
Spread evenly over crust.
Refrigerate till chilled and set.
Pour cheesecake batter into pan and bake as instructed.
Chocolate Graham Crust
Almond Crust
New York Style Cheesecake
Kim Morgan is the aspiring writer, photographer & passionate cook of ayankeeinasouthernkitchen.com; she is currently cooking Southern food, one stick of butter at a time.
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I love cheesecakes, especially this version! Yours looks truely delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Cracks or no cracks I’m sure it tasted great…actually the cracks make it more real
and I crave real food.
Thanks for taking a look at my blog. I love the title of your blog! I was a Jersey girl for most of my life. That is, until I married a Marine and moved to North Carolina. I suffered severe culture shock, especially when a woman asked if I was a Yankee and I thought she was talking about the team.
Nothing illustrated the difference to me more than the food and the lack thereof, at least of the items I knew and loved. It was a challenge. New York Style Cheesecake was always something I could make without special ingredients. I love it, but refrain from making it too much lest I eat it all. BTW, Alton Browm, “Good Eats”, did a show about making a cheesecake without cracks.
Hi Kim - this looks divine! I have never understood the “no cracks” thing - to me, cheesecake has cracks and it’s fine! That said, adding sour cream sometimes make a difference in a good way, as does baking in a hot water bath and/or at a steady 325 degrees. But who really knows the secret - there must some rules of chemistry or physics that apply, but they never explained in high school how that stuff could be both interesting and practical, so I don’t know the answer! Hope you are well and enjoying the trip. Tell your mom she rocks for letting you “papparazzi” her!
Maybe the crack was from the camera flash! Tell that to your mom so she doesn’t feel bad. It looks great anyway and must taste even better.
Oh my gosh!!!!!! My sister cracked her cheesecake?!!
What has this world come to?!!! What have you done to my sister?!!!
Given your history of late, I gotta tell you girl - you have to be a jinx..all those years of marriage - no cracks…Kim shows up - cracks….mighty suspicious
So hilarious but nothing a generous dollop of whipped cream can’t hide!
Why oh why did you do that to your mom? but as long as it tasted good, it can’t be too bad.
That cheesecake looks really good! I don’t mind cracks in a cheese cake, it tastes just as good.
It still tasted excellent with or without a crater:D
I think that the cracks is something to do with the way the way that the dairy reacts to the heat..chemistry. If a custard is baked in a oven..it will crack if it’s in direct contact with heat and not in a bain marie.
Help?
A little trick I have learned over the years that really works - place a pan of water on the rack under your cheesecake. This creates a moist air while the cheesecake bakes. I never bake a cheesecake without my pan of water.
Try making sure all items are at room temp before mixing, and don’t over beat. Also make sure cream cheese has no air whipped into it mix it until smooth not light and airy. Do not open oven until time is up, trust the recipe. Also make sure your temps in the oven are correct. Somewhere in the mess that I just sent you is why your cheesecake cracked. My guess is over mixing and/or to hot of an oven.