New York Cheesecake

This New York Cheesecake recipe is from Kitchen Queen in Allrecipes. I was very happy how my New York Cheesecake turned out. It was fast and easy to make. I wanted to baked in the water bath  but some how I only remember after I put it in the oven.. hahah... ohh well.. it still does turned out very good!!! There was no crack on top and turned out very smooth. Both of us really like it. Yum-Yum :)

Here are some changes I made to the recipe: Instead of using graham crackers crumbs, I used cornflakes crumbs/sugar/butter as the base. I was out of sour cream, so I used blueberry pie filling & topping and whipped cream instead.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups graham crackers crumbs

1/4 cup white sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature

4 eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp cream of tartar

Top layer

1 pint sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)

Mix together the cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl until evenly moistened. Press into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Blend in the eggs, 1 tbsp of vanilla, and cream of tartar. Pour over the pie crust.

Bake in preheated oven until the center is set, about 50 minutes, Allow to cool on the counter for 5 mins.

Mix together the sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl until smooth; carefully pour over cheesecake starting from the sides of the pan and working your way to the center.

Return to oven for another 5 minutes. Allow to cool in pan to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.

Notes:

• Professional pastry chefs bake cheesecakes in a water bath. This method bakes the cake very gently so that it does not darken, curdle, or crack. A springform pan is the best choice for baking cheesecakes because you can remove the cake from the pan easily.
• To prevent water from seeping into the removable bottom of the springform pan, wrap aluminum foil completely around the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan. Place the cheesecake into a jellyroll pan (or any baking pan with sides) and place the pans into the oven. Use a teakettle to fill the outer pan with hot water. Cheesecakes usually bake for about 1½ hours, so check the bath after the first hour and refill if necessary.
• Because cheesecake is very soft, it can be difficult to judge when it is done cooking. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in it for an additional hour to ensure that it sets completely.
• For a seamless look, you can smooth the sides of the cheesecake with a hot, wet knife.