No.23 The 100 Most Popular Recipes Ever · October 2026

New York cheesecake

Made famous by Alan Rosen (Junior's, Brooklyn)

Photo: Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook, 2007.

New York's dessert. Junior's, on Flatbush Avenue since 1950, is the cheesecake people bring home in a box, and its sponge-cake base is the signature.

Written in our own words and tested in a home kitchen. Get the original in Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook.

Ingredients

• For the crust: 1 1/2 cups (150 g) graham cracker crumbs, 2 tbsp sugar, 5 tbsp (70 g) melted butter
• For the filling: 2 lb (900 g, four 8-oz packages) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups (265 g) sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 350F (175C). Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan in two layers of heavy foil.
2. Mix the crumbs, sugar and butter and press firmly into the bottom of the pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool.
3. Beat one package of cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar and the cornstarch on low speed for 3 minutes, until creamy. Beat in the remaining cream cheese one package at a time, scraping the bowl each time.
4. Raise the speed to medium and beat in the rest of the sugar, then the vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, just until blended. Beat in the cream just until combined. Don't overbeat: air bubbles make cracks.
5. Pour over the crust. Set the pan in a roasting pan and pour in hot water to come 1 inch up the sides.
6. Bake about 1 hour 15 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden and the center jiggles slightly, like gelatin, when the pan is nudged.
7. Lift out of the water bath, set on a rack and cool 2 hours, then cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
8. Run a hot knife around the edge before releasing the ring. Cut with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped between slices.

Chef's tips

• Everything at room temperature means a smooth batter with no lumps.
• Serve plain or with fresh strawberries.

This is Chef Amazing's write-up of the dish, tested for a home kitchen. The original is in Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook by Alan Rosen and Beth Allen: get the book.

← No. 22Apple pie→ No. 24Tiramisu