Original New York Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 24 ounce cream cheese at room temperature (use only full fat)
• 32 ounce cream cheese at room temperature (use only full fat)
• 2 extra large eggs 
• 0.7 cup cup heavy whipping cream 
• 1.3 cups sugar 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract pure

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• knife
• wire rack
• blender
• plastic wrap
• hand mixer
• cake form

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Make and bake the cake crust as directed and leave it in the pan. Keep the oven on.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment if your mixer has one, beat 1 package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch together on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl several times. Blend in the remaining cream cheese, one package at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each.
3. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat in the remaining sugar, then the vanilla. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in the cream just until completely blended. The filling will look light, creamy, airy, and almost like billowy clouds. Be careful not to overmix! Gently spoon the batter over the crust.
4. Place the cake pan in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes halfway (about 1 inch) up the side of the springform.
5. Bake until the edge is light golden brown, the top is light gold, and the center barely jiggles, about 1 1/4 hours. If the cake still feels soft around the edge, let it bake for 10 minutes more (the cooking time will be about the same for both the 8- and 9-inch cheesecakes).
6. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for 2 hours (just walk away—don't move it). Then, leave the cake in the pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely cold before serving, preferably overnight or for at least 6 hours.
7. Release and remove the side of the springform, leaving the cake on the bottom of the pan.
8. Place on a cake plate. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Slice with a sharp straight-edge knife, not a serrated one, rinsing the knife with warm water between slices. Refrigerate any leftover cake, tightly covered, and enjoy within 2 days, or wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.
9. The Junior's Way
10. Always bake the cheesecake in a water bath as they do at Junior's. It keeps the heat in the oven moist and helps the cake bake slowly, gently, and evenly. It also helps to ensure that your cake will have a smooth top, with no large cracks.
11. Reprinted with permission from Junior's Home Cooking: Over 100 Recipes for Classic Comfort Food by Alan Rosen & Beth Allen. Text © 2013 by Alan Rosen and Beth Allen; photographs © 2013 by Mark Ferri. Published by the Taunton Press.