New York-Style Cheesecake

This is my favorite recipe for New York-style cheesecake, and includes a great technique for letting the citrus-kissed cake finish in the oven, so that no crack forms when the cake cools.

Original recipe makes 1 9-inch cheesecake

Ingredients

3 tablespoons melted butter
18 graham crackers, crushed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup milk
4 eggs
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

PREP

15 mins
COOK

1 hr
READY IN

4 hrs 15 mins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a bowl until evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture into the bottom and about 1/2-inch up the sides of the springform pan.
Whisk flour, sour cream, and vanilla extract in bowl. Set aside.
Stir cream cheese and sugar with a wooden spoon in a large bowl until evenly incorporated, 3 to 5 minutes.
Pour milk into cream cheese mixture and whisk until just combined.
Whisk in eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.
Stir in lemon zest, orange zest, and sour cream mixture; whisk until just incorporated.
Pour mixture into prepared springform pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until the edges have nicely puffed and the surface of the cheesecake is firm except for a small spot in the center that will jiggle when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour.
When the cheesecake is done, turn off the oven and let it cool in the oven for 3 to 4 hours. This prevents any cracks from forming on the top of the cheesecake.