Layne's Counterfeit Nyc Carnegie Deli Cheesecake

Photo: Layne Diehl

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg yolk

1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ¼ –inch bits

5 packages (8 oz) softened cream cheese

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 Juice of lemon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

3 tablespoons heavy cream

Preparation

Prepare crust using Steps 2-3.

Place the 1 cup flour, sugar, grated lemon rind, vanilla extract, egg yolk, and butter in a large mixing bowl. With your fingertips, work the ingredients together until a ball forms. Dust with flour, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate 1 hour.

Spray cooking spray on the bottom of a 9 inch X 2 inch spring-form pan. Roll out dough thin enough to cover bottom and sides of pan. Cut circle just smaller than bottom of pan. Transfer to bottom of pan and press to cover the entire surface. Bake pan bottom in a preheated 350 degree oven 10-12 minutes. Cool. Add side to pan. Spray cooking spray on inside of pan. Roll out and line the inside of the pan with remaining cookie dough. You may need to press it with fingers to cover the entire inside.

Prepare filling using Step 5:

Vigorously beat at medium speed cream cheese one block at a time in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Beat in the sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. Then beat in 2T flour, lemon, vanilla, eggs, egg yolk, and heavy cream. Set mixer to medium high and beat for 3 more minutes.

Preheat the oven to 490 degrees. Pour the filling into the cookie dough lined pan, bake in the center of the oven for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove cake and cool for 30 minutes. Set oven to 350 degrees.

Return cheesecake to oven for 21-23 minutes. Do NOT overbake. Center of cake will appear to be shaky. Cool on cooling rack for at least two hours. Remove side of pan and refrigerate overnight.

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About

This recipe was originally pulled off of the Carnegie Deli's website and modified over a dozen times before getting it right. When making cheesecake, just remember that the middle will not appear done when you pull it out of the oven. It will set while cooling. If the cake cracks, it's been cooked too long.

For chocolate variety, add 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts to dough recipe, replace lemon rind with powdered cocoa, replace lemon juice with 3 tablespoons chocolate sauce, sprinkle milk and white chocolate chips on top of cake before first baking, then drizzle with caramel after cake is cool.