NYC Cheesecake with Brûléed Topping

NYC Cheesecake with Brûléed Topping - The one and only New York Cheesecake recipe you will ever need. Made even more special with a sweet & brûléed topping.

Yield: 8

Ingredients

For the Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg yolk

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

For the Filling:

2 1/2 lb. cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, more for the brûlée process

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon orange zest

1 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

5 whole large eggs, plus 2 yolks

1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Start by preparing the crust. Place flour, butter, sugar, zest, salt, egg yolk, and vanilla bean seeds into a medium bowl. Rub ingredients together with your hands (or a pastry cutter) until a smooth dough forms. Divide into two equal portions and shape both into disks. Wrap in clear warp and chill for 1 hour.

Press 1 dough round onto the bottom of a 9" spring form pan. Pull off pieces from the remaining dough and press around sides of pan. Set aside and preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together cream cheese, granulated sugar, flour, zests, and vanilla until combined. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Add heavy cream. Pour filling into the prepared pan, and bake until top begins to brown, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 200 degrees F and bake for 60-75 minutes or until only the very center of the cake appears to be slightly unset. Turn off the oven and let cake rest inside the oven for 30-60 minutes before removing and letting it cool completely at room temperature. Cover cake with clear wrap and chill for 8 hours.

Cut into 8 slices and top each slice with a good coating of granulated sugar. Using a kitchen torch, torch each slice until golden and caramelized. Enjoy!