With roots reaching back to Mediterranean antiquity, cheesecake has been popular in the United States since the country's founding. However, it looked and tasted somewhat different before the game-changing invention of cream cheese by New York state dairy farmer, William A. Lawrence, in 1872. Popularized by the Kraft Cheese Company beginning in 1928, cream cheese revolutionized cheesecake recipes. Bakers made the switch from curd cheese to cream cheese, giving their desserts a creamy, smooth texture and a slightly sour taste—one that pairs excellently with tart fruit flavors, as in this preparation of Key lime cheesecake. Small Key limes are grown throughout the Florida Keys in the United States. With thin, yellow rinds and pale yellow juice, Key limes are more tart and aromatic than the more familiar Persian lime. This cheesecake is similar to 1950s-era graham-cracker and sour-cream cheesecakes, with Key lime juice added for a puckering punch.
Recipe Servings: 14
+ 9 hours resting
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs (from 15 full sheets)
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- ½ cup salted butter, diced into 1 Tbsp pieces and melted
For the filling:
- 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 24 oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 large eggs
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup fresh lime or key lime juice
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
For serving:
- Whipped cream
- Lime wedges, Lime zest, and fresh mint (optional)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan, lining it with an 18 x 18-inch sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the crushed graham crackers and sugar. Pour in the butter and mix until evenly moistened.
- Add the mixture to the prepared springform pan and press evenly into the bottom and part-way up the sides.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. In a small mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cornstarch, whisking until completely mixed.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese. Pour in the sugar and cornstarch mixture and blend with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
- Working one at a time, blend in the eggs, mixing until just combined before adding the next and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add the sour cream and heavy cream and mix until combined. Stir in the lime juice and the vanilla. Tap the bowl to release any air bubbles.
- Add 4 quarts of water to large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Pour the cheesecake batter over the cooled graham cracker crust. Place the springform pan inside of a large roasting pan and place the roasting pan inside the oven. Carefully pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan.
- Bake for about 1 hour, until the cheesecake is nearly set but the center remains jiggly. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Then cover and chill in refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight.
- Just prior to serving, top with whipped cream, if desired, and garnish with lime wedges, lime zest, and mint.
To make the crust:
To make the cheesecake:
To serve:
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