New York-Style Lemon Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 200 g Plain sweet biscuits (Petit Beurre type) (plain, no chocolate)
• 50 g Speculoos (to flavor the base)
• 100 g Unsalted butter (unsalted, melted)
• 600 g Cream cheese (type Philadelphia) (at room temperature)
• 150 g Granulated sugar
• 5 ml Vanilla extract (about 1 teaspoon)
• 30 g T45 wheat flour
• 1 Organic lemon (zest + juice)
• 200 g Full-fat crème fraîche 30-35% fat (no reduced-fat cream)
• 2 Eggs (large, at room temperature)
• 100 g Raspberry coulis (optional) (for serving)

Instructions

1. Melt the butter

   Place the unsalted butter in a bowl and melt it in the microwave (30 s) or in a small saucepan over low heat until completely liquid.

   Time: PT1M

2. Let the butter cool

   Allow the melted butter to sit at room temperature until no longer warm.

   Time: PT10M

3. Grind the biscuits into powder

   Place the plain biscuits and speculoos in the food processor and pulse until a coarse powder forms. Process twice if necessary.

   Time: PT2M

4. Combine butter and biscuits

   Pour the melted butter over the biscuit powder and stir with a spatula until a homogeneous crumb consistency is achieved.

   Time: PT2M

5. Press the base into the pan

   Place the mixture into the 20 cm springform pan set on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press firmly with the flat bottom of a glass, then smooth with the spatula, paying attention to the edges and corners.

   Time: PT3M

6. Bake the base

   Place the pan in a preheated oven at 180 °C (fan‑assisted) and bake for 15 minutes.

   Time: PT15M

   Temperature: 180°C

7. Cool the base

   Remove the pan from the oven and let the base cool completely at room temperature.

   Time: PT30M

8. Beat the cream cheese with sugar, vanilla and lemon

   In the mixer bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Beat on medium speed until the mixture becomes silky.

   Time: PT3M

9. Incorporate flour and lemon juice

   Add the sifted flour then the lemon juice. Mix briefly until no flour traces remain.

   Time: PT2M

10. Add crème fraîche and eggs

    Pour in the full‑fat crème fraîche followed by the previously beaten eggs. Mix on low speed until a smooth, homogeneous batter is obtained.

    Time: PT3M

11. Pour the filling over the base

    Pour the mixture over the cooled biscuit base. Smooth the surface with the spatula and gently tap the pan to eliminate air bubbles.

    Time: PT2M

12. First bake at 180 °C

    Bake the cheesecake again at 180 °C (fan‑assisted) for 20 minutes.

    Time: PT20M

    Temperature: 180°C

13. Slow bake at 110 °C

    Lower the oven temperature to 110 °C (static heat) and continue baking for 60 minutes.

    Time: PT60M

    Temperature: 110°C

14. Cooling in the turned‑off oven

    Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit inside until it returns to room temperature (about 1 hour).

    Time: PT1H

15. Refrigerate

    Remove the cheesecake from the oven, place it in the refrigerator and let it rest overnight (minimum 8 hours) before unmolding.

    Time: PT0M

16. Unmold and serve

    Gently slide a thin blade between the ring and the cheesecake, remove the ring, cut into 8 slices and drizzle with raspberry coulis if desired.

    Time: PT5M

Nutrition Facts

Calories

380

Protein

6 g

Carbohydrates

30 g

Fat

24 g

Fiber

0.5 g

Ingredient Substitutions

• Instead of Plain sweet biscuits (Petit Beurre type): digestive biscuits, graham crackers, biscottes
• Instead of Speculoos: spiced biscuits, shortbread biscuit
• Instead of Unsalted butter: margarine, melted coconut oil
• Instead of Cream cheese (type Philadelphia): 30% fat fresh cheese, cream cheese
• Instead of Granulated sugar: cane sugar, coconut sugar
• Instead of Vanilla extract: vanilla bean (seeds), vanilla flavoring
• Instead of T45 wheat flour: cornstarch (maizena)
• Instead of Organic lemon: non-organic lemon, bottled lemon juice
• Instead of Full-fat crème fraîche 30-35% fat: double cream, thick cream
• Instead of Eggs: chicken eggs, organic eggs
• Instead of Raspberry coulis (optional): red fruit sauce, raspberry compote

Equipment Needed

• Immersion blender or electric mixer
• Food processor or blender
• Large mixing bowl
• Offset spatula
• Flat‑bottomed glass (for pressing) (optional)
• 20 cm springform pan
• Parchment paper
• Oven
• Oven thermometer (optional) (optional)
• Cooling rack (optional)
• Thin‑blade knife
• Zester (optional)
• Kitchen scale

Critical Steps — Do Not Skip

• Melt the butter completely
• Mix the butter with the biscuits until a homogeneous crumb is obtained
• Press the base firmly into the pan
• Bake the base 15 min at 180 °C
• Beat the cream cheese until silky
• Incorporate the eggs without over‑mixing
• Two‑stage baking (20 min at 180 °C then 60 min at 110 °C)
• Let cool in the turned‑off oven
• Refrigerate overnight

Chef Tips from the Video

• Use organic biscuits and organic lemon to avoid pesticide residues in the zest.
• For a stronger vanilla flavor, scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean instead of using extract.
• Strain the raspberry coulis through a sieve for a smooth texture before drizzling.

Troubleshooting

Storage

Refrigerator: Store the cheesecake covered 3 to 4 days.

Freezer: Wrap tightly and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator 12 h before serving.

Room temperature: Do not leave at room temperature more than 2 hours.

Make-Ahead Tips

• Prepare the biscuit base and bake it the day before; keep it refrigerated before adding the filling.
• The raspberry coulis can be made 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated.
• The cheesecake can be unmolded and sliced before drizzling with coulis for a cleaner presentation.