By popular request from my readers, I'm finally sharing the long-awaited cheesecake! This is a classic American cheesecake made with cream cheese and a shortbread cookie crust. It's one of the most beloved desserts out there, served in practically every café and restaurant across Europe and America. Its popularity comes down to its incredibly smooth, creamy flavor and how straightforward it is to make. The cheesecake really isn't difficult to prepare, but there are a few important details to keep in mind — I'll walk you through them below. So, let's remember: the perfect cheesecake has a smooth white or very slightly cream-colored top, a delicate buttery flavor, and a velvety texture. To achieve this, you need to: - Don't beat the filling — gently stir it so no air bubbles get incorporated (all ingredients should be at room temperature). - Bake the cheesecake at a low temperature of 150–160°C (300–320°F). - Use a water bath while baking (the cheesecake should not rise during baking, or only very slightly). - Use only the bottom heat setting in the oven. If that's not possible, cover the cheesecake with foil toward the end of baking. - After baking, let the cheesecake cool completely in the oven with the door slightly ajar (this allows it to cool gradually so the top doesn't crack). - The finished cheesecake needs to sit in the refrigerator overnight. One more important note about the filling: if we're talking about a classic American cheesecake, you need to use actual cream cheese — and Philadelphia is the best choice (it's the classic American cream cheese). Popular alternatives include Almette plain cream cheese, Buko cheese, and Rama Cream Bonjour. If you can't find high-fat heavy cream (30% or more), you can substitute full-fat, non-sour sour cream. For the crust, use a good-quality shortbread cookie and quality butter. I think that covers all the key details. I really hope your cheesecake turns out just as perfect as mine!
Ingredients:
- Crust:
- 300 g shortbread cookies (such as Jubilee or similar)
- 150 g butter
- Filling:
- 500 g Philadelphia cream cheese
- 150 ml heavy cream (30–38% fat)
- 120 g sugar
- 20 g flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 packet vanilla sugar (10 g)
- canned peaches or other sweet, soft fruit (optional)
How to cook New York cheesecake
Melt the butter and let it cool (I melt mine in the microwave). Pour the butter over the cookie crumbs and mix to combine.
Pour the crumb mixture into the pan and press it firmly over the bottom and up the sides (the sides should be about 6–7 cm tall). My pan is 22 cm in diameter — if yours is larger, it's best to scale up the ingredients accordingly. Place the pan in the oven preheated to 160°C (320°F) and bake for 10–15 minutes.
Now let's prepare the filling. Place the room-temperature cream cheese in a bowl and soften it with a hand whisk or spoon.
Add the eggs, sugar, vanilla sugar, flour, and lemon juice, and stir until smooth and well combined (do not beat).
Tightly wrap the pan with the baked crust in three to four layers of wide aluminum foil. Since the pan is springform and will be placed in water, you need to make sure no water seeps inside.
Place the pan inside a larger pan (or a deep roasting pan). Pour boiling water into the larger pan so it comes halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Place in the oven preheated to 160°C (320°F) with only the bottom heat on. Bake for approximately 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. If the center jiggles slightly when nudged, the cheesecake is done. Leave the finished cheesecake to cool in the oven with the heat off and the door slightly ajar.
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