New York Style Cheesecake with Strawberries and Gran Marnier
New York Style Cheesecake with Strawberries and Gran Marnier
A decadent homemade version of New York Style Cheesecake
Ingredients
- Cheesecake
- 5 packages 8-oz Cream cheese, softened
- 1.75 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 5 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 0.5 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Crumb Crust
- 1.5 cups finely ground graham crackers, or cookies such as chocolate or vanilla wafers or gingersnaps
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 0.333333 cup sugar
- 0.125 teaspoon Salt
- Strawberry Topping
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, stems removed and quartered
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 ounce Gran Marnier or Frangelico
Instructions
Crumb Crust
- Stir together graham crackers (or equivalent cookies), butter, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
- Press firmly onto bottom and 1 inch up side of a buttered 24-centimeter springform pan.
- Fill right away with Cheescake filling or chill up to 2 hours.
Cheesecake Preparation
- Preheat oven to 550°F.
- Beat together cream cheese, sugar, flour, and zests with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add eggs and yolks, 1 at a time, allowing them to blend into the mixture.
- Add vanilla, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions. Do not over mix or you risk adding in too much air. Just incorporate until the mix is evenly incorporated.
- Pour filling into crust (springform pan will be completely full) and tap it on the counter to allow any air bubbles to work out.
- Put springform pan in a shallow baking pan. Place in the middle of oven. Pour a 1- 1 1/2 inch layer of water in the baking pan.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cream cheese starts to puff. Reduce temperature to 200°F and continue baking until cake is mostly firm (center will still be slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour more.
- Run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen and cool completely in springform pan on a rack.
- Chill cake, loosely covered, at least 6 hours. Overnight is best.
- Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Strawberry Topping
- Combine strawberries, sugar and liqueur.
- Allow to macerate for 1 hour.
- Spoon over cheesecake.
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