Deluxe Cheesecake

By Craig Claiborne

Deluxe Cheesecake
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
2 hours
Rating
5(1,762)
Comments
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Craig Claiborne brought this version of the classic dessert to The Times in September 1963, and it quickly became one of the paper's most requested recipes. It makes an excellent backdrop for almost any ripe and sweet fruit. Feel free to play around with flavorings like vanilla, and spices like cinnamon or crystallized ginger.

Featured in: Craig Claiborne’s Classic Cheesecake

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

    For the Crust

    • 1cup flour (120 grams)
    • ¼teaspoon sugar
    • 1teaspoon grated lemon zest
    • ½cup (1 stick) butter (113 grams), chilled and cubed
    • 1egg yolk, lightly beaten
    • ¼teaspoon vanilla

    For the Filling

    • 58-ounce packages room temperature cream cheese
    • ¼teaspoon vanilla
    • 1teaspoon grated lemon zest
    • 1¾cups granulated sugar (347 grams)
    • 3tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • ¼teaspoon salt
    • 5eggs
    • 2egg yolks
    • ¼cup heavy cream
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

912 calories; 67 grams fat; 39 grams saturated fat; 2 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 66 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 49 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 563 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the crust: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the flour, sugar and lemon zest. Cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly. Add the egg yolk and vanilla. Mix.

  2. Step 2

    Pat a third of the dough over the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with sides removed. Bake about 6 minutes, or until golden. Cool.

  3. Step 3

    Butter the sides of the pan and attach to the bottom. Pat remaining dough around the sides to a height of 2 inches.

  4. Step 4

    Increase the oven heat to 475 degrees.

  5. Step 5

    Prepare the filling: Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add vanilla and lemon zest.

  6. Step 6

    In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour and salt. Gradually blend into cheese mixture. Beat in eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, and the cream. Beat well.

  7. Step 7

    Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 200 degrees. Bake 1 hour longer, or until set. Turn off oven heat and allow cake to remain 30 minutes in the oven with the door ajar. Cool on a rack. Chill at least 3 hours before serving. Adorn with fruit if you'd like.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,762 user ratings
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Comments

trackhorse

I have a question: The recipe calls for 40 ounces of cream cheese. I assume the cream cheese is "Philadelphia" or similar little bricks. These commercial cheeses contain carrageenan or similar thickeners. We prefer to use locally-made cream cheese that contain no fillers— only milk and (guessing) a pinch of salt. Will using the better product affect the recipe?

Paulie

The recipe in the NYT cookbook specifies 1 1/2 hours of baking at 200 degrees, not 1 hour as in this recipe. Yesterday I printed the recipe off this website because I was baking the cake at someone else's house and it was easier than bringing my cookbook along. I baked the cake for an hour at 200 rather than an hour and a half. When I cut into the cooled cake the inside was runny like a soft custard. The baking time is a flaw in the online instructions, the recipe is the same otherwise.

Aviva Garrett

What memories! My mother started making this cheesecake in the late 1960s, and then I started helping her. We always laughed at the cracks in the final cake, calling them chasms, but could never figure out how to get rid of them. One way I've lately found to minimize or eliminate them is to beat for 1 minute just the cream cheese and then after each egg addition (using a timer!). Also, I have reduced the sugar to 1.5 cups. This cheesecake always gets fabulous reviews from eaters.

Dave

@Jane Yes. I've made several times and have frozen slices. they thawed nicely. It's a substantial cake.

Jane

Can you freeze this cheesecake? Does it freeze well?

Eric Halvorson

Let me clarify - the original recipe for the crust calls for 1/4 TEASPOON sugar, NOT 1/4 cup. Why some people are insisting this is a typo on the current recipe and the original calls for 1/4c is beyond me. Don’t just make stuff up. This is NYT Cooking not Fox News. You may like more sugar in your crust, but the original recipe is exactly as written in the NYT Cooking app. I found that I needed to add a little water for the crust as well, otherwise it was too crumbly. I recommend using an artisanal cream cheese. It should have 3 ingredients: milk, cream, and salt. Hard to find in today’s supermarkets…

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