I’ve been searching for the perfect New York-style cheesecake for a while now. This one from America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book (which I made a couple months ago) scores pretty high with its dense yet fluffy texture and beautiful color. Best of all, I like its baking technique of not having to use a water bath when baking the cheesecake. I did get about a three-inch crack in the middle, which I read in another book happens when the cheesecake is overbaked – the cheesecake did seem to be slightly on the drier side (I will attempt to reduce its baking time the next time round). Another thing I would change is substituting lemon zest for the juice. I find that I do prefer a slightly more pronounced lemon flavor in my cheesecake and there was barely a hint of it here. Overall, I think this is a great all-purpose baking book. Check it out at your local library (if you haven’t done so yet). It’s filled with hundreds of mouth-watering, tempting recipes and even more gorgeous pictures that will get you itching to bake in no time at all. I wish it has more whole grain recipes though but hey, that’s what my King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book is for. :) Meanwhile, the quest for the perfect cheesecake continues…
