I love cheesecake! And finding a decent New York cheesecake in London is proving quite a challenge (yes, there will be a post about it one day - with pictures and a rating system). After researching the subject in depth for about 6 months, I decided it was time for me attemp to bake one myself.
As luck would have it, I found a Junior's cheesecake recipe book in one of my cheap bookstore.I bought it for a song (a long song) and it sat on shelf for about two months. Then Shirley invited me to a party - and requested a cheesecake so I decided it was just the occasion to try one of Junior's cheesecake.
It was easy as hell and tasted divine!I will definitely do it again.. I can't even make any comments, it was that good. I have to apologize for the quality of the pictures though - the only one of the cake was taken in the dark so it doesn't look as good as my regular pictures.
IngredientsSponge Cake Layer
- 1/2 cup sifted cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 large eggs, seperated
- 1/3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3 drops lemon extract
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
- 1 2/3 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
DirectionsPreheat the oven to 350 F and generously butter a 9-inch springform pan. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Beat the egg yolks together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes. Then, with the mixer still running, gradually add the 1/3 cup of sugar and continue beating until thick light-yellow ribbons form in the bowl, about 5 minutes more. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts. Sift the flour mixture over the batter and stir it in by hand until no more white flecks appear. Then blend in the butter.
In a clean bowl, using clean dry beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high until frothy. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the whites should stand up in stiff peaks, but not be dry).
Stir about 1/3 cup of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining whites (don't worry if a few white specks remain).
Gently spoon the batter into the pan. Bake the cake just until the center of the cake springs back when lightly touched, only about 10 minutes (watch carefully!). Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack while you continue making the cheesecake filling. Do not remove the cake from the pan.
Directions for the Cheesecake Filling
While the cake cools, make the cream cheese filling: Place an 8 ounce package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Beat in the remaining 3 packages of cream cheese.
Increase the mixer speed to high and beat in the remaining 1 1/3 cups of sugar, then beat in the vanilla. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating the batter well after adding each one. Blend in the heavy cream. At this point, mix the filling only until completely blended (just like they do at Junior's). Be careful not to overmix the batter.
Gently spoon the cheese filling on top of the baked sponge cake layer. Place the springfoam pan in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake the cheescake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the center barely jiggles when you shake the pan, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Cool the cake on a wire rack for 1 hour. Then cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it's completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.