Some recipes are about food. Others are about people, places, and memories. This one is all of that wrapped into a single slice of cheesecake.
Every year when Cory’s birthday comes around there is one request and one request only. New York cheesecake. Not just any cheesecake though. Frankie’s New York cheesecake.
What does Germany have to do with NY Cheesecake
The story of this cake goes all the way back to my time living in Germany. My first proper nine to five job there was in Erlangen, working at the DeFacto Call Centre on the USA Visa Information Service. It was one of those workplaces where people arrived from all over the place and somehow became great friends. Susan, Caroline, Frankie and many others turned what could have been an ordinary call centre job into something much more memorable.
Not long before starting that job I had been travelling in the United States. While in New York I had one of those food moments you never forget. Sitting in a traditional diner, I ordered New York cheesecake and it was absolutely incredible. Rich, creamy, slightly tangy and somehow both light and dense at the same time. I came back to Germany still talking about it.
Frankie listened to all of this. Frankie had lived for the first 30+ years in the USA and he knew what a great NY cheesecake tasted like.
And he was going to recreate it. What followed was a mission. Week after week Frankie arrived at work with another attempt. Another cheesecake. Another variation of ingredients and cooking times. We became the lucky tasting panel as he tested recipe after recipe until finally he nailed it. The perfect New York cheesecake.
And the best part? I still have Frankie’s original recipe.
Over the years I have kept making it. It has appeared at birthdays, dinners and celebrations. Recently though I made one practical adjustment. Our oven is enormous. The sort of oven that only really gets used at Christmas or when we have friends round for a huge roast. For everyday cooking the air fryer does most of the work in our kitchen. So naturally Frankie’s cheesecake got a Wee Wild Adventures upgrade and now it works perfectly in the air fryer.
Here is how to make it.
Frankie’s New York Cheesecake (Air Fryer Version)
How too instructions
- First make the base. Crush a packet of digestive biscuits and mix them with about 50 grams of melted butter. Stir until everything is coated and crumbly.
- Press this mixture firmly into the base of a metal cake tin that fits inside your air fryer. Once the base is packed down evenly, cook it at 100°C for 10 minutes. This helps it set and gives the biscuits a lovely toasted flavour.
- While the base cools slightly, make the filling.
- In a bowl combine three or four packets of cream cheese depending on the size of your tin. Add four eggs, three or four scoops of flour to help the cheesecake set, and somewhere between 50 and 100 grams of sugar depending on how sweet you like it.
- Add a splash of vanilla essence, a squeeze of lemon juice and, if you can get it, a few drops of ButterMandel flavouring. I still get little bottles sent over from Germany and it gives the cake a lovely subtle almond and buttery note that reminds me of those days in Erlangen.
- Mix everything together until smooth and creamy, then pour the filling into the prepared biscuit base.
- The cooking happens in two stages.
- First cook the cheesecake at 190°C for 10 minutes. This helps it rise slightly and begin to set. After that reduce the temperature to 90°C and cook it slowly for around two hours. That long, gentle heat is the secret to the texture.
- When it is finished, take the cheesecake out and let it cool completely. Once cooled, place it in the fridge overnight.
- The next morning comes the best part.
- Breakfast in bed for Cory with coffee, presents and a big slice of Frankie’s New York cheesecake.
- A recipe that started in a New York diner, travelled through a German call centre kitchen experiment, and now lives on in a Scottish air fryer.
- Not bad for a birthday cake.
Frankie’s New York Cheesecake in the Air Fryer
A simple recipe version
Preparation time: about 20 minutes
Cooking time: about 2 hours 10 minutes
Chilling time: overnight
Ingredients
For the base
1 packet digestive biscuits, crushed
About 50 g butter, melted
For the filling
3 to 4 packets cream cheese (depending on the size of your cake tin)
4 eggs
3 to 4 tablespoons plain flour
50 to 100 g sugar (to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
A squeeze of lemon juice
Or a few drops ButterMandel flavouring (optional)
Equipment
Metal cake tin that fits inside your air fryer
Mixing bowl
Spoon or spatula
Method
1. Make the base
Crush the digestive biscuits and mix with the melted butter until evenly combined. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of your cake tin. Place the tin in the air fryer and cook at 100°C for 10 minutes. Remove and allow the base to cool slightly.
2. Make the filling
In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla essence, lemon juice and ButterMandel flavouring if using. Mix until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour the filling over the biscuit base in the cake tin.
3. Cook the cheesecake
Place the cake tin in the air fryer. Cook at 190°C for 10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 90°C and cook for 2 hours. This long, slow cook helps the cheesecake set properly.
4. Cool and chill
Remove the cheesecake from the air fryer and allow it to cool completely. Once cooled, place it in the fridge overnight.
5. Serve
The next morning slice and enjoy. Preferably served in bed with coffee and birthday presents.
