Name: foolproof new york cheesecake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 12 servings

A slice of New York cheese cake with the rest of the cake in the background and a bowl of berries.

Published - 19 Jan 2026

My mum is a connoisseur of cooked cheesecake. No matter where in the world she goes, if it is on the menu, she will order it.

I have made more cheesecakes than you care to imagine to come up with this recipe that she considers good enough to pass on!

Prep time

15 mins

Cooking time

1 hour

Serves

Ingredients

200g digestive biscuits, crumbed
100g butter, melted
½ lemon, zest and juice
750g cream cheese
150ml double cream
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
5 eggs
275g caster sugar
1 large tablespoon plain flour
fruit compote, to serve

Equipment

20cm cake tin
Baking parchment
2 mixing bowls
Electric or hand whisk

Method

Line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper – simply fold at the edges as you go round. Do not cut it, as you need to keep all the mixture inside as it cooks.
Mix the biscuit crumbs with melted butter and press into the bottom of the tin with a metal spoon.
Whisk all the other cheesecake ingredients together and spoon over the base.
Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until the top has risen and the surface is cracked. Do not remove from the oven before the surface cracks, as this means it is not ready (see notes).
The cheesecake can be made up to 5 days ahead, and stored in the fridge or frozen. Defrost in the fridge for about a day before serving. Remove from the fridge about 1 hour before serving, as it tastes better at room temperature.
Serve slices dusted with icing sugar and some fruit compote spooned over.

Notes

Lucy’s tips

Cook the cheesecake until it is cracked on the top – this means it is cooked. If you remove it before it is fully cooked, it will sink.
The texture is better after a couple of days, so make ahead.
The flour in this recipe helps stop the cheesecake sinking.
Crumb the biscuits either in a food processor or by putting them in a plastic bag and smashing them with a rolling pin.
As an alternative, you can replace the digestives with ginger biscuits.

Managing a budget?

Use own-brand digestives for the base.
Own-brand butter is also fine.
Use full-fat cream cheese, but it doesn't need to be top-of-the-range.

Recipe from Lucy’s Food: Minimum Effort, Maximum Impact!, by Lucy Cufflin (Hardie Grant), RRP £16.99.

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Foolproof New York cheesecake