New York cheesecake

Base

Take the cream cheese, eggs and cream out of the fridge ahead of time. Preheat the oven to 170 °C. Blitz the biscuits into fine crumbs in a blender and mix with the melted butter.

Crust

Press the crumbs evenly into a 22 cm springform pan lined with baking paper and bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven to 160 °C.

Filling

Zest the lemon and squeeze out 1 tbsp of juice. Beat the cream cheese with the sugar, starch, vanilla sugar, zest and juice on low speed until smooth.

Don't beat on high speed: air bubbles in the filling cause cracks.

Eggs

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing only until combined. Finally, pour in the cream.

Baking

Pour the filling over the crust and smooth the top. Bake at 160 °C for about 65 minutes, until the edges are set but the centre still wobbles slightly when you nudge the pan.

Put a tray of hot water on the bottom rack: the steam helps keep the top from cracking. Open the oven door carefully, as the steam can scald.

Cooling

Turn off the oven, prop the door open and leave the cheesecake inside for an hour. Then run a thin knife around the edge of the pan.

Fridge

Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. Release the sides of the pan and slice. Done!

Cheesecake only firms up in the fridge, so don't cut it while warm.