"This incredible cheesecake was made by the mother of my first boss," says Jim Carrier of Greenwich, Connecticut. "When I called Mrs. Marshall to ask if she would consider showing me how she made it, she warmly replied, 'I would be delighted to share the recipe with you, kid.' On the evening of my 'seminar,' it was a wonderful sight as I walked into her kitchen and found the stage set with all the ingredients and utensils for the important lesson. Mrs. Marshall sat on a wooden stool and directed me through the entire process. 'Pick up that wooden spoon—and save some energy for later,' she said. 'You will be beating the egg whites by hand. We don’t use any electrical appliances in this production except the oven!' I dutifully followed each step. This is a cheesecake recipe to treasure."

　　Although Mrs. Marshall doesn't use any electric appliances to make this cheesecake, feel free to use a food processor for the crumbs and an electric mixer for the filling. The cake will rise as it bakes and fall as it cools.

　　Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 6 1/4 hr

　　

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings

　　

For crust

1 1/2 cups crushed zwieback toasts

　　1 cup sugar

　　1 teaspoon cinnamon

　　8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

　　

For filling

2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened

　　4 large eggs, separated

　　1 cup sugar

　　1 cup heavy cream

　　1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

　　1 teaspoon vanilla

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F and butter a 10-inch springform pan.

　　

Make crust:

Step 2

Stir together crust ingredients. Reserve 1/4 cup for topping and press remainder onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up side of springform pan.

　　

Make filling:

Step 3

Beat cream cheese with a wooden spoon in a large bowl until smooth and creamy and add yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sugar, cream, flour, and vanilla. Beat whites with an eggbeater in another large bowl until they just hold stiff peaks and fold into cream-cheese mixture gently but thoroughly. Spoon filling into crust, smoothing top, and sprinkle evenly with reserved crumb mixture. Put springform pan in a shallow baking pan and bake cake on lowest rack of oven 1 hour. Turn oven off and open oven door 5 to 6 inches. Cool in oven 1 hour. Chill, covered, at least 3 hours. Remove side of pan and let cheesecake stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.