Cheesecake Crusts
Cheesecake crusts vary from classic crushed graham crackers to cookies, nuts, and pastry dough, chosen to complement the filling's flavor. Common options include graham cracker, Oreo, shortbread, gingersnap, and nuts like almonds or walnuts, providing textures ranging from crumbly and buttery to crunchy.
Chocolate cookies work welll for chocolate or mint cheesecakes. Gingersnaps are popular for pumpkin or spiced cheesecakes. Ground pecans, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts or coconut can accentuate many cheesecakes. Pretzel Crust provides a salty-sweet crunch, excellent for caramel or peanut butter cheesecakes.
NY Cheesecake Crust Recipe (traditional)
from https://www.kingarthurflour.com/
Although there are many cheesecakes out there that are New York style with graham cracker crusts, the traditional crust of a New York Style cheesecake is actually a short dough crust made from scratch. The crust is usually prepared with a mixture of sugar, butter, eggs, and flour. It isn’t too sweet, but serves as a base to showcase the delicate flavors of the cheesecake itself.
1 1/2 cups (181g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup (67g) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons, 113g) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg, at room temperature
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 10" springform pan.
To make the crust: In a mixing bowl with a paddle, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and butter. Mix until the mixture is crumbly, then add the egg and continue to mix until a soft dough forms.
Press the dough on the bottom and an inch up the sides of the prepared pan; prick it all over with a fork, and bake for 15 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.
Walnut Crust
from https://www.foodandwine.com/
Food and Wine used this crust with their Vanilla Bean Cheesecake.
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces
1/4 cups sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 10-inch springform pan.
In a food processor, pulse the walnuts with 1/4 cup of the sugar until finely ground. Add the butter; pulse until the mixture resembles moist sand.
Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 12 minutes, or until browned around the edges.
Junior's Sponge Cake Crust
from https://www.cbsnews.com/
The Kitchn described the crust this way: "Ask just about any native New Yorker where to find a quintessential slice of New York-style cheesecake, and they’ll send you to Junior’s — a local chain of restaurants known for their exceptional cheesecake. But what makes their slice so beloved? It all comes down to the crust — or lack thereof, I should say. Junior’s ditches the standard graham cracker crust for a thin layer of sponge cake, transforming the typically heavy dessert into something light and airy. "
For the full recipe: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/juniors-original-new-york-cheesecake/
For one 9-inch cake crust:
1⁄3 cup sifted cake flour
3⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 extra-large eggs, separated
1⁄3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 drops pure lemon extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1⁄4 teaspoon cream of tartar
For one 8-inch cake crust:
1/4 cup sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 extra-large eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 drops pure lemon extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Makes one 8- or 9-inch crust
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously butter the bottom and sides of an 8- or 9-inch springform pan (preferably a nonstick one). Wrap the outside with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and extending all the way up the sides.
2. In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
3. Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes. With the mixer running, slowly add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and beat until thick light yellow ribbons form, about 5 minutes more. Beat in the extracts.
4. Sift the flour mixture over the batter and stir it in by hand, just until no more white flecks appear. Now, blend in the melted butter.
5. Now, wash the mixing bowl and beaters really well (if even a little fat is left, this can cause the egg whites not to whip). Put the egg whites and cream of tartar into the bowl and beat with the mixer on high until frothy. Gradually add the remaining sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the whites will stand up and look glossy, not dry). Fold about one-third of the whites into the batter, then the remaining whites. Don't worry if you still see a few white specks, as they'll disappear during baking.
6. Gently spread out the batter over the bottom of the pan, and bake just until set and golden (not wet or sticky), about 10 minutes. Touch the cake gently in the center. If it springs back, it's done. Watch carefully and don't let the top brown. Leave the crust in the pan and place on a wire rack to cool. Leave the oven on while you prepare the batter.
Dark Chocolate Sponge Cake Crust
Slice into some of Junior's cakes, especially the chocolaty ones, and you'll find a chocolate sponge cake on the bottom, instead of a golden sponge. The recipe and mixing techniques are the same, except you stir in 2 ounces of melted and slightly cooled bittersweet chocolate when you add the extracts.
The Junior's Way
Bake the cheesecake crust in the same springform pan you're using for the cheesecake. Watch the crust closely; since it's so thin, it needs only 10 to 12 minutes to bake.
