A few weeks ago it was my husband’s birthday and I knew he wasn’t keen on big celebrations, so I respected his wish. However, a birthday is still a special day and couldn’t go completely unnoticed, so I decided to prepare him a symbolic dessert, one of his favorites: the cheesecake! For this recipe I didn’t take inspiration from the classic no-bake fridge cheesecake — even if the temperatures these days suggested that would have been the most convenient choice to avoid sweating — but from the New York cheesecake, the oven-baked one. I wanted to surprise him and, believe me, I really did! Turning on the oven was the only drawback, and I almost collapsed in the kitchen, but in the end it was really worth it! This cheesecake is extremely indulgent, soft as a cloud and delicate because inside it hides that spongy texture that everyone will love!!! To garnish you can simply add powdered sugar, but of course it is divine with a fruit coulis or a chocolate glaze! I, always a voice off the beaten path, preferred to lighten it with a delicious and fragrant spreadable orange cream. Not my merit, but that of a Sicilian excellence purchased at the organic fair, where respect for nature’s rhythms merges with the essence of raw materials, giving rise to unimaginable flavors and aromas! For this I thank the company Bonuè, whose black fig version I will soon taste too!
If you love cheesecakes, here are a few other baked and no-bake versions to try below:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 50 Minutes
- Portions: 12
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: American
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for a Ø 9″ springform pan
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- 2 cups digestive biscuits (type Digestive (about 200 g / 7 oz))
- 7 tbsp butter (about 100 g / 3.5 oz (melted and cooled))
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup brown sugar (about 140 g / 5 oz)
- 1 orange extract
- 10.6 oz cream cheese (spreadable) (about 300 g / 10.6 oz (about 1 1/3 of an 8-oz block))
- 7 fl oz heavy cream (about 200 ml (roughly 3/4 cup))
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour (sifted)
- 1/2 cup orange spread (or another spread of your choice (about 120 g / 4.2 oz))
- to taste powdered sugar
Tools
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Pan
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Hand mixer
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Spatula
Preparation
Place the digestive biscuits in a mixer and grind them finely. Transfer the biscuit powder to a bowl and add the butter previously melted in a bain-marie and left to cool. Mix the two ingredients until you obtain a mixture similar to damp sand. Pour it into a 9-inch (Ø 9″) springform pan, lined on the bottom with parchment paper, compacting it with the back of a spoon until you obtain a compact and homogeneous base. Put the biscuit base in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the cheesecake filling by separating the egg whites from the yolks. Whip the whites to stiff peaks with the electric mixer and set them aside. In another bowl, work the yolks with the sugar and orange extract until you get a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
Add the cream cheese and beat with the mixer for a couple of minutes.
Then incorporate the sifted flour and the cream and mix until you get a well-blended mixture.
Finally add the whipped egg whites and fold them in with a spatula using slow upward motions.
Pour the batter into the pan and level it with a spatula.
Bake in a preheated oven at 347°F for 50 minutes. At the end of baking leave the cheesecake in the turned-off oven for another 15 minutes. As it cools the cheesecake will sink a bit and may form some cracks on the surface, but this is absolutely normal.
Unmold and garnish with powdered sugar and orange spread using a piping bag.
And voilà… the New York cheesecake with orange spread is ready to be enjoyed!
Enjoy from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉The New York cheesecake with orange spread keeps in the refrigerator for 4–5 days maximum. Alternatively it can be frozen for one month.
Tips, notes, variations and suggestions
🔵 Unlike no-bake cheesecakes, gelatin is not necessary here because the flour will thicken the filling during baking. Thanks to its high and thick edge, this iconic dessert can be garnished with the topping you prefer: from the classic berry sauce to chocolate or caramel, from jam to fresh fruit with whipped cream. I chose the Bonuè orange spread but any other type will work fine.
