good eats: New York Style Cheesecake

This is the recipe I followed for Big Red's birthday cheesecake. It is, quite possibly, the best cheesecake I've ever made. No complaints from this household.

Crust:

2 sleeves of Honey Maid graham crackers, crushed (I pulverized them in my food processor)

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

4 packages of, room temperature, cream cheese

1 cup granulated white sugar

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

5 large eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup heavy cream 

          3 tablespoons lemon zest

                                                                                                        1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping:

1 cup sour cream (full fat, people!)

2 tablespoons granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• Directions: Grease, or spray with Pam, a 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan. Place the springform pan on a larger baking pan to catch any leakage while the cheesecake is baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with rack in center of oven.
• For Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and about 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of the springform pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.
• For Filling: In bowl of your electric mixer place the cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the whipping cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour in the filling. Place the cheesecake pan on a larger baking pan and place in the oven.
• Bake for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) and continue to bake for about another 60 -90 minutes or until firm and only the center of the cheesecake looks a little wet and wobbly. I baked mine for 58 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Spread the topping over the warm cheesecake and return to oven to bake for 15 more minutes.  Remove from oven and carefully run a knife or spatula around the inside edge of pan to loosen the cheesecake (helps prevent the surface from cracking as it cools).

Let cool completely before covering with plastic wrap. Refrigerate several hours, preferably overnight. 

Adapted from Joy of Baking