New York-Style Cheesecake with a Fresh Strawberry Topping

By Foodiewife

This smooth, creamy cheesecake is absolutely irresistible! For a chocolatey twist, use chocolate wafers instead of graham crackers in the crust--it goes perfectly with the strawberry topping!

Ingredients

• CRUST:
• 8 graham crackers
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional 1 tablespoon melted butter for greasing pan
• FILLING:
• 2 1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
• 6 whole eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• TOPPING:
• 2 pounds fresh strawberries, cleaned, hulled, and cut lengthwise into thin slices
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• pinch table salt
• 1 cup strawberry jam
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation

Step 1

Crust:
Break graham crackers into small pieces and transfer to a food processor. Pulse until you have fine, uniform graham cracker crumbs. You should have 1 cup of crumbs.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325°F.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in medium bowl; add 5 tablespoons melted butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened.

Brush bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with most of remaining melted butter, reserving a bit to brush the pan again before putting in the filling.

Empty crumbs into springform pan and press evenly into pan bottom.

Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around edges, about 13 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling.

Filling:
Increase oven temperature to 500°F.

Cut room temperature cream cheese into small chunks. For easier cutting, you may also cut into chunks before allowing to come to room temperature.

In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese at medium-low speed to break up and soften slightly, about 1 minute. Scrape beater and bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula; add salt and about half of sugar and beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; beat in remaining sugar until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; add sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla, and beat at low speed until combined, about 1 minute.

Scrape bowl; add yolks and beat at medium-low speed until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; add whole eggs two at a time, beating until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute, and scraping bowl between additions.

Set springform pan on rimmed baking sheet (to catch any spills if springform pan leaks). Pour filling into cooled crust and bake 10 minutes. Without opening oven door, reduce oven temperature to 200°F and continue to bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of cheesecake registers about 150°F, about 1.5 hours.

Transfer cake to wire rack and cool 5 minutes; run paring knife between cake and side of springform pan. Cool until barely warm, 2.5 to 3 hours. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours. (Cake can be refrigerated up to 4 days.)

To un-mold cheesecake, remove sides of pan. Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving plate. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving with strawberry topping.

Topping:
Toss berries, sugar, and salt in medium bowl; let stand until berries have released juice and sugar has dissolved, about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally to combine.

Process jam in food processor until smooth, about 8 seconds; transfer to small saucepan. Bring jam to simmer over medium-high heat; simmer, stirring frequently, until dark and no longer frothy, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in lemon juice; pour warm liquid over strawberries and stir to combine.

Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours. To serve, spoon a portion of topping over each slice of cheesecake.