Junior's New York Cheesecake

By carvalhohm

New York styled cheesecake with a spongecake crust.

Ingredients

• 1 (8-inch) sponge cake crust, baked and cooled
• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 extra large eggs
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Details

Servings 14
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 155mins

Preparation

Step 1

Make and bake sponge cake crust as recipe directs. Let cook in pan on wire rack. Leave oven on at 350°F.

While sponge cake crust cools, make cheesecake filling. Place 1 package cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and cornstarch in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer (using paddle attachment, if you have it) on low for about 3 minutes to make stable starter batter. Blend in remaining cream cheese, 1 package at a time, scraping down bowl after adding each one. This will take about another 3 minutes.

Increase mixer speed to medium (no faster!) and beat in remaining sugar, then vanilla. Blend in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Beat in cream just until completely blended. Filling will look light, creamy airy, and almost like billowy clouds. Be careful not to overmix!. Gently spoon filling over crust.

Place pan in center of large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 8 inch up side of springform pan. Bake until edge of filling is light golden brown and top is light golden tan, about 1 1/4 hours.

Gently remove cake from water bath, transfer to wire rack, remove foil, and leave it on rack (just walk away---don't move it) for at least 2 hours. The less you move it, the less likely your cake will crack. Once cooled, leave cake in pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Release and remove side of springofrm pan, leaving cake on bottom of pan. Place on serving plate.

If you wish to remove cake from bottom of pan, freeze cake in pan for about 30 minutes, enough to firm up. Warm bottom by placing on ho wet towel or over burner on very low heat for about 15 seconds--just long enough to melt butter used to grease pan but no long enough to make pan hot. Release spring and, using potholders, remove side of pan. Now, insert long metal spatula between cake and pan bottom, over in circle, and lift up cake oh so gently, just enough to release vacuum. Slide cake onto serving plate, using spatula and your hands. Serve; cover any leftover cake and refrigerate for up to 3 days or wrap and frees for up to 1 month.