New York Cheesecake

I made a cheesecake for my mother's birthday last December.  Never got a chance to post this, along with my other couple of recipes (I will put them up, count on it).  It was my first time making a cheesecake, but with all the reviews, it came out GREAT.  And I also made ganache for the first time too.  It didn't come out too well at first.  I'll also put up that recipe as well.

I could probably say this is the best thing I've ever baked in my life. :)

Cheesecake:

Adapted from Chantal's New York Cheesecake

(Make sure ingredients are room temperature for the best results!)

• 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Crust:

• 1 1/2 C graham crackers, crushed 
• 1/4 C melted butter
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 C sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the ingredients for the crust. Press onto bottom of springform pan.
3. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust.  Do not overbeat.
4. Leave a water bath (pan or bowl of warm/hot water) on the rack below the cheesecake.  Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 4 to 5 hours; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator overnight or a few hours before serving.

• 
  

TIPS:

• Both the instructions and ingredient list are slightly different than the original directions because of recipe improvements.
• This cheesecake recipe usually come out very rich and dense.  Perfect for cheesecake-lovers, but not so for light eaters.