Cheesecake

This classic Jewish American cheesecake is essentially sweetened cream cheese held together, like a custard, with eggs. The only thing that sometimes goes wrong is that the top of the cake cracks. You can cover any fissures with a layer of sour cream, but you can also prevent the cracking by baking the cake in a
water bath, which ensures that it bakes slowly and evenly.

MAKES ONE 10-INCH CAKE

• Room-temperature butter for preparing pan
• Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1½ cups sour cream
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 10-inch springform pan and wrap the outside of the pan with
aluminum foil (to prevent leaks from the water bath).

In a bowl, combine the cream cheese and sugar and beat on medium speed with a stand mixer fitted
with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer o by hand with a wooden spoon until smooth. This
should take about 5 minutes by mixer or 10 minutes by hand. With the mixer on low to medium speed,
or with the spoon, beat in the lemon juice and the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, beating well after
each addition. Then beat in the sour cream, vanilla, and salt until incorporated. Transfer the batter to
the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.

Place the springform pan in a baking pan or roasting pan that is at least as deep as the cake pan.
Pour the hottest tap water into the baking pan to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

Bake for 1½ hours, or until only a 1-inch-wide bull’seye at the center of the cake moves when you jiggle
the pan. Remove the cake from the water bath and let cool on a rack for 1 hour. Remove the foil, cover
the cake, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours before serving. To serve, release the clamp,
lift off the sides, and place on a serving plate.