New-york style Cherry Cheesecake

New-york style Cherry Cheesecake

There is a lovely nip in the air and what better time to sit and enjoy a piece of indulgent cheesecake with freshly brewed coffee?! Top it with some fresh fruit of the season – cherries, strawberries or even chopped kiwi. This combination of a tart fruit, creamy cheese cake and a crumbly, buttery crust is very fulfilling.

See notes below for more information about cheesecakes.

For the crust and the cheesecake 

What you will need :

• 160 gram digestive biscuits
• 40 grams melted butter (I use Amul)
• 400 grams cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon orange zest/ lemon zest
• 175 grams castor sugar
• 55 grams dairy cream (I use Amul 20% fat)
• 3 eggs
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to proceed :

1. Powder the digestive biscuits in a mixture. Then add the melted butter and mix the crumble with your fingers to form a smooth dough like consistency.
2. Pre-heat oven to 160C.
3. Take a springform pan with detachable base and spread the crumb mixture on the pan at the bottom. Bake it for 10 minutes till firm.
4. Take it out of the oven and let it completely cool.

1. Meanwhile make the cheesecake filling. Beat the cream cheese well with a whisk or a hand-held blender and add the lemon juice and zest.
2. Then add the castor sugar, cream, salt and vanilla essence. Beat well to combine all of it together.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time and mixing well before each addition. Pour this mixture into the cooled crust and bake in a pre-heated oven at 160C for 40-45 minutes.
4. The best way to check if a cream cheese is done is if it is jiggly in the centre. If yes, bake it for another 10 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven once done and let it cool down before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting :

• 125 grams cream cheese
• 50 grams Amul butter. at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon orange/lemon zest
• 300 grams icing sugar

How to proceed:

1. Whisk the cream cheese. Add butter and zest.
2. Gradually add the icing sugar, one cup at a time.
3. Whisk well.

Decorate :

• Spread the frosting on top of the cheesecake once it cools and adorn it with drained glazed cherries.

Notes :

• You can skip this frosting and just line the top with cherries or some jam. I prefer a softer, mushier frosting hence I poured it over the cheesecake. If you want a firm frosting, refrigerate it for 2 hours before frosting on top of the cake.
• Different brands of cream cheese are available in the market. Philadelphia and D’lecta are two brands I have most commonly seen. The Philadelphia cream cheese is costly (650 for 225 grams), but D’lecta cream cheese is also very good and costs Rs. 650-700 for 800 grams. In Mumbai it is available in Arife and a lot of stores having a cold storage facility.
• Cheesecakes tend to crack at the top after baking. To prevent this they are baked in a water bath. But to keep things simple, I have avoided a water bath and topped the baked cheesecake with a cream cheese frosting and some cherries.
• Cheesecakes are dense and continue to bake even when removed from the oven due to the latent heat. So to avoid over-baking it should be slightly moist at the centre when you stop baking.
• After removing cake from the oven, loosen the sides with a spatula or a knife. It allows it to cool without breaking.