July 30th is National Cheesecake Day. It may be our favorite food holiday of the year—not just because we love cheesecake, but because we allow ourselves to have it so rarely.

This recipe that follows is from King Arthur Flour. Check below for many more cheesecake recipes, both savory and sweet. In fact, there are more than enough to make a different cheesecake every week of the year (a cheesecake version of Julie and Julia?).

New York-Style Cheesecake is a dense cream-cheese cheesecake, usually made with two pounds of cream cheese on a graham cracker crust. But what’s a Brooklyn-Style Cheesecake?

According to King Arthur Flour, the Brooklyn style has a vanilla cake crust, a concept that was pioneered by Junior’s Restaurant in Brooklyn, New York.

If you fancy something different, the 45* cheesecake recipes below have something for everyone.

Cheesecake freezes beautifully, by the way, and it can even be enjoyed frozen (think Cheesecake Pops).

> The history of cheesecake.

> The history of cheesecake.
 
 
RECIPE: BROOKLYN-STYLE CHEESECAKE

Thanks to King Arthur Baking for the recipe. Prep time is 25 minutes to 35 minutes. Bake time is 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 35 minutes.

Ingredients For One 9″ Cheesecake (About 16 Servings)

For The Crust

 
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*Why use cake flour? It has less protein, which makes a finer, lighter, more airy crumb. The more protein, the chewier the texture. Bread flour is 14% to 16% protein, all-purpose flour is 10% to 12% protein, pastry flour is 9% protein, and cake flour is 7%-8% protein. If you don’t have cake flour, use unbleached all-purpose flour, reducing the amount to 7 tablespoons (1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon).
 
For The Filling

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ round springform pan. This cake is very tall, and requires an extra-deep pan, at least 2 3/4″ deep. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with aluminum foil, preferably a single sheet.

2. MAKE the crust: Place the flour, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the baking powder, salt, butter, and 3 egg yolks into a large mixing bowl. Beat until well combined; the mixture will be stiff and somewhat crumbly.

3. BEAT the egg whites with the cream of tartar in a separate bowl, until they’re frothy. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of sugar gradually, beating continuously, until the mixture is stiff and glossy.

4. MIX the beaten egg whites into the batter, 1/3 at a time. Take care to keep the batter light; mix gently, don’t beat. You may find at the end there are still some tiny lumps in the batter; that’s O.K. Stir in the vanilla.

5. SPOON the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the cake has risen, is barely beginning to brown, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven, and immediately loosen the edges with a table knife or thin spatula. Allow it to cool in the pan while you make the filling. It will settle and shrink a bit as it cools; that’s OK. Leave the oven on.

6. MAKE the filling: Place 8 ounces (1 package) of cream cheese, 1/3 cup of sugar, and the cornstarch in a mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until smooth. Add the remaining cream cheese, 8 ounces at a time, beating on low speed until smooth. Slowly beat in the remaining 1-1/3 cups sugar and the vanilla.

7. ADD the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the cream, beating just until blended. Spoon the batter over the cake in the pan. The filling will expand and rise, so make sure you don’t fill the pan to the brim.

8. PLACE the springform pan into a larger pan, and fill the larger pan with enough hot water to come 1″ up the sides of the springform pan (this is called a bain-marie). Place both pans on a lower-middle rack of your oven.

9. BAKE the cheesecake for 75 to 90 minutes, until the cake is just barely beginning to turn golden around the edges and the top appears set. The center will still look jiggly; that’s O.K. A thermometer inserted into the center should register 160°F to 165°F.

10. REMOVE the cake from the oven, and gently lift it out of the water bath onto a cooling rack. Allow it to cool at room temperature, undisturbed, for 2 to 3 hours, until it’s no longer warm to the touch. Refrigerate the cake, covered, until you’re ready to serve it.

11. TO SERVE: Slice with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry. Repeat this step after every slice. This cake is traditionally served without topping; but feel free to add your own favorite, if desired.
 
 
 
 
MORE CHEESECAKE RECIPES: DESSERT CHEESECAKE

 
 
CHEESECAKE BARS, POPS & MORE

 
 
SAVORY CHEESECAKE RECIPES

[1] No food makes us happier than a slice of cheesecake. Or is that, two slices (photos #1 and #2 © King Arthur Baking).

[2] Extra slices freeze beautifully.

[3] Who could say no to chocolate chip cheesecake (photo © Kelly Cline | iStock Photo).

[4] A simple, elegant garnish (photo © Wilton | Facebook).

[5] Savory cheesecake can be served as a first course, or with a salad course. Here, a goat cheese and basil cheesecake. Check out these savory cheesecake recipes (photo © Love & Olive Oil).

[6] A sour cream top is one of our favorites (photo © Kraft Food Services).

[7] Birthday cheesecake (photo © Carnegie Deli | Facebook).

[8] A super-special cheesecake: chocolate truffles and jam top a plain cheesecake. Here’s the recipe (photo © DeLallo).

[9] This cherry cheesecake puts the cherries in the center and a chocolate glaze on top. In effect, it’s a Black Forest cheesecake. Here’s the recipe (photo © Betty Crocker).