New York-style baked cheesecake with raspberry sauce recipe

The first cheesecake I ever made cracked right down the middle and sank in the center like a bad souffle. My wife called it a cheese pie and ate two pieces anyway. It took me a few tries and a water bath to learn that this dessert rewards patience more than skill.

This one is baked the classic way, dense and smooth, on a plain graham crust. The eggs and milk in the filling come off my shelf, and the raspberry sauce on top is nothing but rehydrated freeze dried berries and a little sugar. Total time runs about six hours if you count the chill, but your hands are busy for maybe half an hour of that.

The pantry-powered advantage

Two shelf-stable products carry this cheesecake, and neither one asks you to compromise on the result.

Powdered Vitamin Eggs stand in for the four eggs that bind and set the filling. Half a cup of powder whisked with two thirds cup of water gives you a smooth batter that bakes up firm, and no fridge run for a carton you forgot to buy. The splash of milk that keeps the batter loose enough to pour comes from Powdered Vitamin Milk, one tablespoon into half a cup of water.

Freeze Dried Raspberry Pieces make the topping. You rehydrate them, cook them down with sugar, and get a bright red sauce with real berry flavor. I scatter a few whole rehydrated berries on top too, because they look good and they hold their shape.

The cream cheese is fresh. That is the one thing a pantry cannot fake, and I would not try.

New York-style baked cheesecake with raspberry sauce

Serves 10. Prep is about 30 minutes, baking is about 75 minutes, and the chill takes at least 4 hours. Bake it in a 9 inch springform pan.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons sugar

For the filling:

• 32 ounces (four 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Powdered Vitamin Eggs plus 2/3 cup water (equal to about 4 eggs)
• 1 tablespoon Powdered Milk plus 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the raspberry sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups Freeze Dried Raspberries
• Warm water to cover, for rehydrating
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Reconstitute the pantry items. Whisk 1/2 cup Powdered Vitamin Eggs with 2/3 cup water until smooth and set aside. Stir 1 tablespoon Powdered Milk into 1/2 cup water. Cover the Freeze Dried Raspberries with warm water and let them soak 5 to 7 minutes until soft, then drain, saving about 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid. Set aside a handful of the plumped berries whole for the top.
2. Make the crust. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar until it looks like wet sand. Press it firmly into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes, then let it cool while you make the filling.
3. Wrap the pan for the water bath. Wrap the outside of the springform pan in two layers of heavy foil, coming all the way up the sides. This is the fiddly step, and skipping it is how water gets into your crust. Take the extra minute.
4. Make the filling. Beat the softened cream cheese with 1 cup sugar until smooth, scraping the bowl once. Beat in the reconstituted eggs, the milk, vanilla, and flour just until combined. Do not overbeat, or you whip in air that cracks the top.
5. Bake in the water bath. Pour the filling over the cooled crust. Set the wrapped pan inside a larger roasting pan and pour hot water into the roasting pan until it comes about an inch up the sides. Bake at 325 degrees for 70 to 80 minutes. The edges should be set and the center should still jiggle slightly when you nudge the pan.
6. Cool slowly. Turn off the oven, crack the door, and leave the cheesecake inside for 1 hour. Then lift it out, run a knife around the edge, and chill it in the fridge at least 4 hours or overnight.
7. Make the raspberry sauce. Put the drained raspberries, 1/3 cup sugar, lemon juice, and the reserved 2 tablespoons soaking liquid in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes until it thickens into a loose sauce. Cool it before spooning over the cheesecake.
8. Serve. Release the springform, spoon raspberry sauce over each slice, and scatter the reserved whole berries on top.

Tips for cheesecake success

You can bake this a full day ahead. It slices cleaner cold, and the flavor settles overnight.

Keep leftovers covered in the fridge up to 5 days, or freeze slices wrapped tight for up to two months.

For a lemon version, add the zest of one lemon to the filling and skip the raspberry sauce, or keep both.

Wipe your knife clean with a hot cloth between cuts and every slice comes out sharp.

The Final Take: dessert off the shelf

The cream cheese is the only thing here you have to keep cold. Powdered Vitamin Eggs and Powdered Vitamin Milk build the filling, and Freeze Dried Raspberry Pieces make the sauce on top. Wrap that pan in foil and cool it slow, and the crack that ruined my first one never shows up.