• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Chef Dennis
  • Recipe Index
  • My Recipes
  • On the Road
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Cookie Policy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Recent Recipes
  • Holiday Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Ask Chef Dennis » Recipes » Dessert Recipes » Cheesecake Recipes » Classic New York Cheesecake Recipe

    Classic New York Cheesecake Recipe

    Published: Mar 8, 2020 · Modified: Jun 24, 2022 by Chef Dennis Littley · 33 Comments·This post includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    690 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly
    5 from 27 votes
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    pinterest image for cheesecake

    Everyone loves a restaurant-style New York cheesecake and admittedly Cheesecake Factory makes some of the best cheesecake you’ll ever have.

    slice of cheesecake topped with strawberries on a white plate

    I wanted to share my favorite New York cheesecake recipe which as it turns out is the Cheesecake Factories Recipe, which has been floating around the internet for years.

    I made a few subtle additions to the recipe but kept the integrity of the recipe intact. What I love most about this recipe is the baking technique. This is what gives you a smooth and creamy cheesecake without any of those ugly deep cracks!

    What ingredients do I need to make a New York cheesecake?

    ingredients to make a cheesecake in glass bowls on a wooden cutting board

    Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make this cheesecake. In chef speak, we call that the mise en place or everything in its place. You’ll notice there are very few ingredients, letting the cream cheese be the star of the show. I love using the glass bowls to set up my ingredients, it really speeds up the process.

    How do I make a graham cracker crust for my New York Cheesecake?

    graham cracker crumb crust in a springform pan

    The first step in making my favorite cheesecake is to mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and form the crust into the pan coming halfway up the sides. Wrap the pan’s bottom with foil and place the finished crust in the freezer until needed.

    ***I use 18-inch heavy-duty foil which completely covers the bottom of the pan without having any seams.

    cheesecake batter in springform pan

    After you’ve blended all the ingredients together, pour the batter into the springform pan and level it out using an offset spatula.

    How do I make a cheesecake that doesn’t crack?

    baked cheesecake on a white platter

    Baking a perfect cheesecake without those ugly cracks is easier than you might think.

    • Use a water bath. one-half inch of water in the bottom of a baking pan is all you need to make a difference. (I used a half sheet pan)
    • Let the eggs come to room temperature before using them.
    • Beat the cream cheese mixture until smooth and creamy
    • Whip the room temperature eggs before adding them to the cream cheese mixture. Mix the eggs in just enough to incorporate them. Don’t overmix!
    • Bake for 12 minutes at 475°F, then reduce to 350 °F to finish the cake.

    What ingredients do I need to make a strawberry topping for a cheesecake?

    ingredients for topping the cheesecake

    If you’re not a fan of strawberries you can use any other fruit that you like or just stick with the classic sour cream topping.

    Of course, you can get fancy and add your favorite specialty topping to the cheesecake. Like my favorite salted caramel topping.

    cheesecake topped with sour cream mixture

    Mix the sour cream with the sugar and give it 15 minutes for the sugar to fully dissolve. Then top the cooled New York cheesecake with the sour cream mixture and refrigerate.

    How do I glaze the strawberries?

    whole cheesecake topped with strawberries and glaze on a white plate

    The easiest way to glaze fruit is to use jelly. Not jam or preserves, just jelly. Heat the jelly in the microwave until it’s liquid, then brush the berries with the liquefied jelly. Refrigerate the finished cheesecake until the fruit sets (at least 15 minutes).

    The only problem with a jelly glaze is it won’t do a good job of covering the parts of the cheesecake that aren’t covered by the fruit. And it doesn’t hold up quite as well as a conventional glaze. If you’re serving the cheesecake right away and there isn’t going to be much leftover, the jelly method is easy and does the job.

    If you’re planning on keeping the cheesecake around for a few days then I would suggest making a regular glaze for the topping. You can find the optional method in the notes of my recipe.

    overhead view of a slice of strawberry cheesecake on a white plate with a strawberry

    Letting the cheesecake set up is crucial to the overall flavor and texture of the cheesecake. I always let my cheesecakes set-up overnight to make sure the rich creamy flavor has time to build. If you were to taste the cheesecake right out of the oven, you wouldn’t really think it was very good. 

    The texture is light and the flavor subtle. As it sits the cheesecake becomes denser (without getting heavy) and the flavors intensify.

    **That’s another secret to making a restaurant-style New York Cheesecake.

    Kitchen tools I use for my cakes

    • 9 -inch Springform Pan
    • offset spatula (essential for bakers)
    • 9-inch parchment cake circles
    • silicone spatulas
    • wire whisk
    • mixing bowls

    More Cheesecake Recipes You’ll Love!

    • Italian Ricotta Cheesecake with Berries
    • Mascarpone Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe
    • Lemon Cheesecake with a White Chocolate Ganache
    • No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

    Did you make this? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!

    Please SUBSCRIBE and FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST!

    partial shot of whole strawberry cheesecake
    Print Recipe Save Saved!
    5 from 27 votes

    Restaurant Style New York Cheesecake

    If you love the delicious cheesecake your favorite restaurant serves, you're going to love this cheesecake. In fact it may be better than most cheesecakes you order out.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time1 hr
    Rest in Oven1 hr
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 297kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    Ingredients

    Crust:

    • 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
    • ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted

    FILLING:

    • 4 8 oz. packages cream cheese softened
    • 1 ¼ cups sugar
    • ½ cup sour cream
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 5 large eggs
    • 1 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt

    TOPPING:

    • ½ cup sour cream
    • 2 teaspoons sugar
    • 3 cups strawberries about 1. 5 containers
    • ½ cup strawberry jelly
    US Customary – Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 475°F.

    Crust

    • Place a large pan filled with ½ inch water on the middle rack of the oven.
    • Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press crust onto bottom and ⅔ of the way up a 9-inch springform pan (line the bottom of the pan with parchment). Wrap the springform pan with foil completely covering the bottom of the pan and about half-way up the sides. **Freeze the prepared crust in the pan until filling is prepared.

    Filling

    • With your stand mixer (or hand mixer) whip the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, lemon juice, zest and vanilla. Blend until smooth and creamy. S
    • Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Whisk the eggs in a bowl, then add the eggs to the cream cheese mixture. Blend just until eggs are incorporated. *do not overmix
    • Remove the crust from the freezer and pour in the cheesecake filling.
    • Carefully place the cheesecake into the preheated water bath. Bake the cheesecake for 12 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Let the cheesecake continue to bake until the top of the cheesecake turns golden. That should be about 50 to 60 minutes.
    • Place the cheesecake on a wire rack to cool.

    Topping

    • Combine sour cream and sugar until smooth. Set aside till needed.

    Assembly

    • When the cheesecake is cooled spread the topping evenly over the cake. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
    • wash and destem strawberries then cut then in half long way.
    • place strawberries cut side up on the top of the cheesecake
    • heat the strawberry jelly in the microwave for about 30 seconds until liquid. Brush strawberries with melted jelly and chill for 15 minutes or until ready to serve.

    Video

    Notes

    Conventional Strawbery Glaze

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup fresh strawberries, washed, cleaned and mashed
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
    • ¾ cup water
    • Few drops red food coloring

    Instructions

    1. Mash the strawberries and set aside until needed
    2. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Next, add the water and mashed strawberries.
    3. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly
    4. Add food color to make the glaze more red.
    5. Return mixture to stove and continue to cook for 2- 3 minutes until thick. Keep stirring!
    6. Remove the glaze from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Allow the glaze to cool for about 15 minutes. 
    *******If you want the mixture to be smooth you can either push it through a sieve or use a food processor to completely liquefy the berries.  Do this before adding to the saucepan in step 2.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 221mg | Potassium: 144mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 409IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!
    « Easy Shrimp Salad Recipe
    Jarlsberg Chicken Recipe – Quick and Easy Weeknight Meal »

    About Chef Dennis

    Picture of Chef Dennis

    Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. The second phase of his reinvention from chef to blogger has earned him a place at the Worlds Dinner Table. Join him on his Culinary Journey enjoying his easy to make Restaurant Style recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Denise

      December 22, 2021 at 1:22 pm

      5 stars
      This beauty was mixed together, baked and is cooling as I type this review. So maybe it’s rushing things to give this 5 stars, as we haven’t tasted it yet, but I am confident it will be a winner despite calamities during the prep. Got interrupted during the mixing and mistakenly set the vanilla aside. My 9″ springform clasp broke when I removed the prepared pan from the freezer. I had a 10″, and set the parchment+crust into the pan. This meant no crumbs along the sides,but that will work out. I realized the vanilla omission 1 minute into baking, and carefully as I could, whisked it in. It probably didn’t reach the very bottom, but I think my homemade cherry topping will hide that mistake. The cheesecake looks perfect, so you know it’s a solid recipe when it can survive the issues I had. I wanted to note I used a metal deep-dish pizza pan for the water bath. This was so easy to handle with the steaming water.

      Reply
    2. Jamie

      January 25, 2021 at 12:58 am

      5 stars
      I love the generous slices of strawberry on top and the creaminess of the cheesecake! It definitely reminds me of the restaurant cheesecakes but even better since it’s homemade!

      Reply
    3. Gloria

      January 18, 2021 at 3:01 pm

      5 stars
      Oh my, I want to grab this off my computer screen. What a delicious looking cheesecake. The perfect dessert of ANY occassion.

      Reply
    4. Jo

      March 23, 2020 at 5:45 am

      5 stars
      I’m so tempted and craving for a good slice of cheesecake now, looking at your pics. This version of cheesecake looks absolutely delicious!

      Reply
    5. Femi. O

      March 22, 2020 at 11:20 pm

      5 stars
      I am a major fan of the cheesecake factory cheesecake so I’m glad I’ve found a way to reproduce it at home especially now that we’re unable to go out. Definitely appreciate the chef tips to make the cheesecake without cracks. Pinning for later.

      Reply
    6. Amy Liu Dong

      March 21, 2020 at 10:48 pm

      I am so happy to know about this, I can now make a delicious cheesecake at home using these steps. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!

      Reply
    7. Veronika

      March 21, 2020 at 8:13 pm

      5 stars
      This cheesecake remind me summer! It looks absolutely delicious and I would love to have a slice of it right now!

      Reply
    8. Paige

      March 21, 2020 at 5:56 pm

      5 stars
      My compliments to the chef! This looks amazing and delish and not hard to make either. Photos are mouthwatering!

      Reply
    9. Loreto and Nicoletta Nardelli

      March 20, 2020 at 6:24 am

      5 stars
      We’re pretty sure your fabulous looking strawberry cheesecake tastes far better than any restaurant one! Thanks for the chef’s tips, greatly appreciated!

      Reply
    10. Analida Braeger

      March 19, 2020 at 3:28 pm

      5 stars
      I love all the tips on the no-crack cheesecake! I am glad I found your recipe and I am pinning to make later. Thanks so much!

      Reply
    11. Sharon

      March 19, 2020 at 10:32 am

      5 stars
      Cheesecake is one of my favorites! I love this restaurant-style cheesecake, it is exactly like the one I get from my favorite restaurant.

      Reply
    12. Tiff M

      March 17, 2020 at 4:29 pm

      5 stars
      So the water bath is the big secret?! I’ve been taking cooking classes for just over a year now and I never knew this! Thanks for the insight. Trying some new baking recipes with my kiddos during this 14-day madness! Thanks

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        March 17, 2020 at 5:57 pm

        The water bath and evidently not too much water. I use to add water about half way up the pan and they never turned out as well. I used a sheet pan and could only add an inch of water which worked out perfectly. Have fun making the cheesecake!

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar


    I'm Chef Dennis and Welcome to my Culinary Journey where I share my Restaurant-Style Recipes & Travel Adventures. My goal in sharing my recipes and cooking tips is to make you feel more comfortable in your kitchen, and help you find the joy of cooking! 

    More about me →

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Fan Favorites

    • Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe : Restaurant Style
    • Ultimate Grilled Chicken Sandwich
    • How to Make Restaurant Style Oysters Rockefeller
    • German Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich) Recipe
    • How to make Restaurant-Style Seafood Soup
    • Restaurant Style Veal Parm Recipe
    • Best Restaurant Style Chicken Salad
    • Cannoli Cream Filling Cake

    Featured In

    logos of all the places chef dennis has been featured

    Popular Posts

    • Authentic Guinness Beef Stew Recipe
    • Maryland Style Jumbo Lump Crab Imperial
    • German Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich) Recipe
    • How to Make Restaurant Style Oysters Rockefeller
    • How to Grill a Steak House Style Ribeye Steak
    • Oven Roasted Rack of Pork – Restaurant Style Dinner

    Most Popular Posts

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    INFO

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    SUBSCRIBE

    Sign Up Today and start getting my easy-to-make restaurant-style recipes!

    CONTACT

    • About
    • Contact

    © 2009-2022 · Ask Chef Dennis · Privacy Policy · Accessibility Statement

    Proud Member of:
    Mediavine Publisher Network
    690 shares
    • 150
    • 212