New York Style Goat Cheesecake with Raspberry Jam

New York-Style cheesecake traditionally relies on a combination of cream cheese and sour cream to produce its dense texture and rich, slightly tangy flavor. For the Murray’s take on this classic American dessert, there is, unsurprisingly, some cheese changes. We replace half of the cream cheese with Westfield Farm’s Capri, a bright, citrusy, fresh goat cheese made nearby in Massachusetts. We combine it with cream cheese and crème fraîche, and put it into a rich crust made of Effie’s Oatcakes crumbs, all topped off with some fruity raspberry jam to cut through all the creamy goodness. Note that for easiest mixing, have all ingredients at room temperature.

Featuring

Vermont Creamery Creme Fraiche

prep time
20minutes
assembly time
60minutes
Serves
10people

preparation & ingredients

1/4 cup Sugar

1 package Effie’s Oatcakes

6 Tbsp. Vermont Creamery Butter, plus more for greasing pan

16 oz. Cream Cheese

12 oz. Westfield Farm Capri (or other fresh goat cheese)

12 oz. Vermont Cremery Crème Fraîche

4 Eggs

1 cup Sugar

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 9-oz. jar Sidehill Farm Raspberry Jam

1 basket Fresh Raspberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F, and butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Top prepare the crust, place entire package of oatcakes into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until crumb consistency. Alternatively, put oatcakes into a resealable gallon bag, and break up with rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy pot or pan.

Mix together cocoacake crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter in a small bowl until the texture of wet sand. Press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Chill in refrigerator to set while preparing filling.

To prepare the filling, in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese and goat cheese until fluffy. Mix in the crème fraîche until evenly combined, stopping every 10-15 seconds to scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl to be sure all the cheese is evenly incorporated. Keeping the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is blended in before adding the next. Once the eggs have all been added, mix in the sugar and vanilla until combined.

Pour filling into prepared crust and place on a baking sheet in oven. Bake for about 1 hour, until top is set and knife inserted into cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, no liquid batter. If top colors too quickly, tent with foil partway through baking. NOTE: The top of the cheesecake may crack if baked on a baking sheet. To avoid this, you can use the water bath method: wrap the outside of the pan securely with aluminum foil before adding the filling. Once the cake is ready to bake, put the filled springform into a roasting pan. Put the roasting pan into the oven, then pour in enough hot water to come about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. This will ensure a more even, gentle cooking, but it may take longer to bake fully.

Let the cheesecake cool on the counter, then spread jam evenly across the top, adding fresh raspberries if desired. Chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least two hours before slicing.