Baked: Upstate Cheesecake

Baked Bakery opened up in 2005 in Red Hook, Brooklyn. They opened with the premise of “open a great American bakery that is not a cupcake shop” and they have had great success ever since. While they used to have a bakery in Manhattan, it closed up shop, leaving their Red Hook flagship bakery as their only location. In 2008 they published their first of four cookbooks. This recipe came from Baked Bakery’s book Baked New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. 

The Upstate Cheesecake is Matt’s grandmother’s recipe. It’s a very creamy cheesecake and a fantastic representation of New York style cheesecakes. This recipe was very easy to do, and even though it required some time, it was freaking awesome. 

We did make one mistake while creating this cheat-day gem. We made the crust too thick in the corners as you’ll see in the pictures. It still worked out great and tasted as good as it looked. One other thing we’ll mention is when we went to pull the cheesecake out of the oven it was about to explode. It had risen higher than expected. After it cooled down and settled in, the cheesecake came back down and looked normal again. 

Recipe

Recipe

FOR THE SIMPLE GRAHAM CRUST 

2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 20 crackers)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FILLING

40 ounces (five 8-ounces packages) cream cheese, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)

1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

5 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

MAKE THE SIMPLE GRAHAM CRUST

1. Lightly spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. 

2. Put the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a large bowl. Beat, by hand, until well combined. Press the mixture into the bottom and all the way up the sides of the prepared pan. Put in the refrigerator while you make the filling. 

MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE FILLING

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. 

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, sugar, flour, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Beat on medium speed until just combined, being careful not to overbeat (too much air can cause cheesecake to crack). Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the cream and beat until incorporated. 

3. Pour the mixture into the chilled crust and bake for 10 minutes. Open the oven door to let out some heat, and lower the oven temperature to 350 F. Bake until the cheesecake is set around the outside, but still slightly wobbly in the center, 45 minutes to 1 hour, rotating the pan every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the sour cream over the top of the cheesecake. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat, crack the oven door, and let the cheesecake cool completely in the oven (about 1 hour). 

4. Chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, loosen the sides of the crust from the pan with an offset spatula, then remove the springform sides and serve.