New York-Style Cheesecake

Ingredients

• • 5 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon peel
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 5 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 egg yolks, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup whipping cream
  • Crumb crust:
  • 2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (56 to 60 wafers)
  • 2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Directions

Heat oven to 300°. Crumb crust: Mix vanilla wafer crumbs and egg whites in medium bowl until evenly moistened. Press evenly and firmly against bottom and 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches up sides of greased 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate. Combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, lemon peel and vanilla in mixer bowl. Beat on low speed until blended. Beat on high speed until fluffy. Add 5 eggs and 2 egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add cream; beat until blended. Pour into chilled crust. Bake in center of 300° oven until wooden pick inserted midway between center and edge of cake comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Center will still be soft, but will firm up as cheesecake cools. Remove from oven; carefully loosen edge of cake from pan with metal spatula or thin knife. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Refrigerate, loosely covered, until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.
Recipe provided by American Egg Board.