New York Cheesecake III

Most Helpful Positive Review

Even though my first attempt was a flop, I still give this a five for taste. I am not an experienced cheesecake maker, but I looked up some tips and I will make this again today. Here's what I learned: 1)Cream the cheese before adding all your other ingredents. This gets all the lumps out without adding too much air. Eggs are what traps the air. 2) Checking for doneness: One article I read said it should look shiney on top. I did not want to prick with a toothpick and risk cracking the top, so I followed the instructions given here and it was a runny mess. 3)I added 1 tsp of vanilla and subsituted sour cream for whipping cream and it taste great. I like the tang the saour cream gives it. 4) Grease your entire pan that way it will pull away from the pan as it cools avoid cracks. I also notice the edges were nicer when it pulled away on its own. The parts where I had to run my knife around the edge looked jagged and crumbly (cold be due to being undercooked - I dunno). 5) I followed the advice of another reviewer and only spread the shortbread on the bottom, however, I found it to be too thick. Tastey, but it was like try to swallow a spoonful of peanut butter. Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to try and save any first time cheesecake makers (like myself) frustration on some of these novice mistakes.

For many years, I have been in charge of baking the dessert for various family celebrations. After baking dozens of cheesecakes, I have found that this cheesecake recipe was HANDS DOWN the most superior plain cheesecake recipe. The taste and texture were phenomenal--absolute perfection. I like a slightly dense cheesecake and this was truly was--like one you would find in a New York deli. The shortbread crust was so delicious and blended perfectly with the cake. I believe the temperatures and baking times (as well as the hour cooling time in the oven after baking is complete), were one of the reasons this cake comes out so beautifully textured and decadent. Most of my previous cheesecakes cracked. No cracks in this one. It looked gorgeous. I've unsuccessfully tried water baths in the past. I also believe that water baths add moisture to the cheesecake which negatively affects the density/testure. So, from now on, I will never use a water bath and I will adjust baking times to allow for that one hour oven cooling time. I got rave reviews...Several people insisted that this cheesecake HAD to be from a high-end catalogue. Thanks to Sandy for posting this great cheesecake recipe.

This recipe is phenomenal! I recently moved from USA to Finland, where my husband is from, and since living here I have had unconsolable cravings for foods from home that just aren't available here. Cheesecake was one of these undeniable yearnings. I asked my hubby if he knew what it was, and he didn't, nor could I find cream cheese at any of the stores. I was devasted and figured I would have to add cheesecake, my most favorite food, to the now ever-lengthening list of foods I can no longer make for lack of ingredients. But, as it turns out I was finally able to find cream cheese - yummy Philadelphia, actually - and the first thing I did was try this recipe. I didn't change a thing and it was absolutely perfect. I have made this twice in the past 2 weeks, much to the joy of my husband and his family who are now absolute cheesecake addicts! The famiy is so taken with this recipe and "new" dessert. I'll never try another again! This great recipe has already become a new family tradition for us! Also, I really think the shortbread crust was dynamite. So many cheesecake recipes call for crushed graham crackers, which I've always used, and those aren't available here in Finland, either, so having the chance to make a tasty crust from scratch with ingredients I had on hand was just awesome. In fact, the crust was the reason I chose this recipe in the first place. :P And, I have to say that this crust was better than any graham crust, and just as simple.