Here comes the next installment in our DIY series: another super-tasty AND super-easy cake for your wedding dessert buffet. By the way: this cake can be prepared ahead of time and frozen for a week or two. Less stress!

The recipe yields 12 servings.

New York Cheesecake (with a Secret Trick)

Crust:

Mix 9 finely ground whole graham crackers, 1 tbsp sugar, tiny pinch of salt, and 5 tbsp melted unsalted butter. Spray 9 in springform pan with nonstick spray, press crumb mixture firmly in bottom of pan, bake at 325 degrees until fragrant and beginning to brown, 10-15 min. Put springform pan in fridge until room temperature.

Filling:

Increase oven temperature to 5oo degrees (yes!). Beat 2.5 lb cream cheese, 1.5 cups sugar, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/3 cup sour cream until silky smooth and no lumps remain. Add 2 tsp (or more to taste) fresh lemon juice, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 large egg yolks and 6 large eggs. Beat until fully incorporated and smooth. Pour filling over crust, smooth surface, set pan on rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 min. Then lower oven temperature to 200 degrees without opening oven door (this high-low temperature sequence is the secret trick!) and bake until instant-read thermometer shows 150 degrees in middle of cake, ca. 1.5 hours. Rotate pan halfway through bake time.

Transfer pan to wire rack, run paring knife around edge every hour, letting cool for 3 hours. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, refrigerate at least 3 hours, better overnight.

Serve with warmed-up Dulce de Leche (Spanish Milk Caramel Sauce, from a jar) and slightly sweetened whipped cream.