New York cheesecake — a dense, rich, cream-cheese-based cake on a graham cracker crust, baked until just set and served unadorned — is the American cheesecake standard and the most famous cheesecake in the world. The New York style (as codified by Lindy's, Junior's, and Eileen's in New York City) is distinguished from Italian cheesecake (ricotta-based, lighter) and Japanese cheesecake (soufflé-like, jiggly) by its density and richness: the filling is almost entirely cream cheese, with eggs, sugar, and a small amount of cream or sour cream, producing a cake that is closer to a mousse than a sponge. Junior's Restaurant in Brooklyn (since 1950) is the most famous cheesecake in New York and possibly the world.
A thick (8-10cm tall) cake of dense, creamy, slightly tangy cream cheese filling on a thin (5mm) graham cracker crumb crust (graham cracker crumbs mixed with melted butter and sugar, pressed into the base of a springform pan). The filling: cream cheese (the dominant ingredient — 900g for a standard cake), sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, and sour cream or heavy cream. Baked in a water bath at 160°C for 60-75 minutes until the edges are set but the centre jiggles when the pan is gently shaken. The cake sets fully as it cools.
1) Room-temperature cream cheese — cold cream cheese doesn't mix smoothly and leaves lumps. 2) Do not overmix after adding eggs — overmixing incorporates air, which causes the cake to rise in the oven and then crack as it cools. Mix just until combined. 3) Water bath (bain-marie) — the springform pan is wrapped in foil and placed in a larger pan of hot water. The water moderates the oven temperature and provides moisture, preventing cracking. 4) Cool slowly — turn off the oven, crack the door, and let the cake cool gradually inside for 1-2 hours. Rapid cooling = cracks.
Junior's cheesecake: the Brooklyn benchmark. The cake is served plain — no fruit topping, no chocolate drizzle, no caramel. The cream cheese filling IS the dessert. A properly made Junior's-style cheesecake needs nothing on top. Sour cream topping — a thin layer of sweetened sour cream spread on top of the baked cheesecake and returned to the oven for 5 minutes — provides a smooth, tangy finish that some NY cheesecake traditions consider essential.
Cracking — caused by overbaking, overmixing, rapid cooling, or no water bath. Lumpy filling — cold cream cheese. Underbaking — the centre should jiggle, not slosh.
Arthur Schwartz — Arthur Schwartz's New York City Food; Dorie Greenspan — Baking with Dorie