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New York Cheesecake
The Lower East Side classic. Three blocks of full-fat cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, a touch of vanilla, a heavy hand of lemon zest. Baked in a low oven over a water bath until the centre still wobbles, then left overnight to set into the most stoic dessert in the canon.
Serves
12
Difficulty
Moderate
Origin
New York, Jewish bakery tradition
Best for
A weekend project
The single biggest failure mode is the top cracking. Three causes, in order: too high an oven, no water bath, opening the door during the bake. The fix is the same for all three: 150°C, two centimetres of hot water in a tray on the rack below, and not touching the oven for two hours.
