Fresh Strawberry New York Cheesecake

Cheesecake

15	Graham Cracker Squares
30 g	Butter
900 g	Cream Cheese
300 g	Sugar
180 g	Milk

4	Eggs
230 g	Sour Cream
15 g	Vanilla Extract
30 g	All-Purpose Flour
	Nonstick Baking Spray

Topping

500 g	Whipping Cream
2	Whip It Cream Stabilizer

20	Strawberries

Tool

9 in	Springform Cheesecake Pan

 GRIND the graham crackers into crumbs in a food processor, and MIX in the melted butter. 

 GREASE the bottom of the springform pan and press the graham cracker crumbs onto the bottom of the pan to form the crust. 

I recommend taking the springform pan apart, and grease the bottom of the pan only. This will prevent crumbs from sticking to the sides of the pan while making the crust, giving the cake clean sides. The sides can be greased using a pastry brush after, to prevent the cheesecake from cracking and making removal easier. 

MIX room temperature cream cheese with sugar on low speed until smooth. 

BLEND in milk, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and flour in this order, a little bit at a time.

Warm the cream cheese to room temperature before mixing to prevent lumps in the batter. Mix on low speed, just enough to incorporate. Overbeating at this stage will give the cheesecake a less than ideal texture.

 POUR filling into the pan, on top of the graham cracker crust. 

BAKE in a 350° oven for 1 hour, and leave it in the oven to COOL for 5 hours.

CHILL the cheesecake in the refrigerator for a 12 hours to firm up. 

After you put the cheesecake in the oven, set the oven timer for 60 minutes and come back in 6 hours. Do not open the oven at any time. Do not try to look at the cake. Do not touch ANY buttons on your oven.

When I was baking, I turned on the oven light to check on the cheesecake. When I wanted to turn the light off, I accidentally switched off the timer. Yeah... So no, go away and don't look.

  REMOVE the cheesecake from the pan and slide onto a serving plate. 

This is a difficult step and requires a lot of patience. When purchasing the springform pan, I recommend one with a smooth bottom, which allows you to slide a knife under and makes removal easier. Springform pans with textured bottoms and/or lips are more difficult to work with. Allowing the cheesecake to chill and firm overnight also helps to prevent breakage.

I recommend this technique video.

 WHIP the whipping cream and stabilizer on high until stiff peaks form. 

SPREAD the whipped cream onto the cake and PIPE rosettes around the rim.

My favourite cheesecake toppings are strawberries and whipped cream, but chocolate ganache garnished with truffles, or caramel spread are also very delicious options.

TOP the cake with strawberries or any fruits of your choice. 

ENJOY =)