Junior's Cheesecake
Submitted by annmturner
Junior’s cheesecake delivers the iconic Brooklyn-style dense, tangy cream cheese cake with a graham crumb base and golden brown top. Cornstarch keeps the crumb tight, vanilla and heavy cream lift it silky.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
45 minREADY
3 hrsJunior’s cheesecake is the dense, no-fruit, no-fluff cheesecake style that made Brooklyn famous. Unlike a New York cheesecake that runs tall on sour cream, this version leans on heavy cream and a smart hit of cornstarch, which keeps the cream cheese batter tight and sliceable rather than soft and ricotta-light.
Graham cracker crumbs are pressed into a buttered springform as a base coat instead of a thick crust, so every bite stays mostly about the filling. Room-temperature cream cheese matters here. Cold cream cheese fights the whisk and leaves tiny lumps that won’t bake out, so let it sit on the counter a full hour before you start.
The high oven temperature gives the top that golden, almost caramelized finish that Junior’s regulars know on sight. The three-hour cool is not optional, it sets the crumb. If you slice it warm, the center pools.
Serve plain or with macerated strawberries, the way the diner does.
Pro Tips
- Bring cream cheese, egg, and cream to full room temperature before mixing, cold ingredients leave lumps
- Sift the cornstarch into the sugar first so it disperses evenly through the batter
- Don’t open the oven during the first 30 minutes, a sudden temperature drop cracks the top
- Run a thin knife around the springform edge while the cake is still warm to prevent surface tears as it shrinks
Variations
- Add a teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest to the batter for a brighter finish
- Top the cooled cake with macerated strawberries or a swirl of dulce de leche
- Swap graham crumbs for crushed Oreo for a chocolate-cookie base
Ingredients
Directions
Liberally grease the side and bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with the butter.
Crush to powder enough graham crackers to lightly coat the bottom.
Coat the bottom with the cracker crumbs and refrigerate the pan until ready to use.
Mix the sugar with the cornstarch.
Add the cream cheese and stir to blend well; stir in the egg and blend again.
Add the heavy cream, a little at a time, and mix.
Stir in the vanilla.
Spoon batter into prepared pan.
Preheat the oven to 450℉ (230℃).
Bake for approximately 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
Transfer the cheesecake to a rack and let it cool for 3 hours.
Comments
Graham cracker crust? Really? Have you ever been to Junior's? They do not use graham cracker for their crust, they use a thin slice of yellow sponge cake. Additionally, Junior's does not use spring form pans for their cakes, they use greased deep nine inch cake pans, once the cake comes out of the oven it is set aside to air cool for 90 minutes before being covered then refrigerated for at least 5 hours. Then to remove the cake from the pan they heat the sides of the pan and turn the cake out.