Creamy NY Cheesecake

We have tried a lot of differnet cheesecake recipes over the years.  Recently a friend requested cheesecake for his birthday, so I decided to try something new.  This recipe turned out great!  Nice and creamy and a big hit with everyone.  This can be made crustless, but I decided to add a thin bottom crust made from crushed vanilla Oreos.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the crust (Optional):

• 1/2 pack of vanilla Oreos crushed (food processor works best for this)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

For the cheesecake:

• 4 packages (8 oz) cream cheese room temperature
• 5 large eggs room temperature
• 2 cups sour cream room temperature
• 8 tbsp butter room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 vanilla beans can substitute 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

For the crust:

• Crush the Oreos (I use a food processor), add melted butter, stir to combine
• Spread mixture evenly in bottom of preparred spring form pan and press with the bottom of a flat drinking glass or just your hands

For the cheesecake:

• Tightly wrap 2 layers of aluminum foil around the outside of a 10 inch springform pan covering bottom and sides.  Generously coat inside of pan with butter.
• Preheat oven to 300º F.
• Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time until blended.
• Add sour cream and mix until smooth.  Add sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and lemon juice, beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Pour into springform pan and place in a roasting pan large enough to prevent sides from touching.
• Place into oven and carefully pour boiling water into roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of springform pan. (be careful not to splash any water onto cake)
• Bake for 2 hours, or until cake is lightly browned on top. My oven is a convection oven, so bake time in regular oven may be longer.
• Remove from water bath, remove foil and cool completely at room temperature before unlatching and removing rim.
• Cover and refrigerate until well chilled (best to leave chill overnight). Cake must be well chilled to set properly.
• Serve plain or with berries and whipped cream or even caramel sauce