Best New York Style Baked Cheesecake Recipe?

Finding shortcuts in the kitchen is an ancient tradition. Almost everyone, whether they are a novice cook or a lifelong kitchen wizard, wants at some point to find a better and faster way to get the results they are looking for. The New York-style baked cheesecake recipe appeals to more than its share of shortcut seekers, for two main reasons.

First, there’s the inherent simplicity of the New York cheesecake recipe. It consists of a few ingredients kept in careful balance and carefully cooked. While the end result is a marvel of smooth deliciousness, getting there can become a bit of a tedious journey once you’ve done it 10 or 20 times. The natural human urge to seek variety takes over, and the next thing you know, you’re in the recipe desert.

At the opposite extreme is the sometimes temperamental nature of the baked cheesecake recipe. Anyone who has made the recipe multiple times has run into one of the two most common problems: a cheesecake that “falls” into a flat disk of cheesy chewiness, or one that cracks to such an extent that it looks like it’s been pummeled. with a hammer. Having this happen a few times can have anyone looking for a safer way to make their favorite American dessert.

That’s where the “no bake” or “frozen” cheesecake recipe often comes into play. Most often made with some type of gelatin to hold it together, no-bake cheesecake is a dessert that has been around almost as long as the original New York-style baked cheesecake recipe was made.

If you have to try it, at least don’t spend a lot of money on the ingredients. The no bake recipe is definitely one of those frequent instances where taking a shortcut in the preparation yields less than stellar results. You’ll end up with something that looks remarkably like cheesecake, but has a waxy mouthfeel and is completely lacking in that much-sought-after smooth, creamy texture and delicate flavor.