Instant Pot Lime Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 8 graham cracker sheets
• 1 tablespoon turbinado or brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, At room temperature
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons 45 ml lime juice
• 1 packed tablespoon lime zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3 large eggs, At room temperature
• 1/2 cup 120 ml sour cream
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
• Lime zest and thinly sliced lime, for garnish

Directions

1. Butter or spray the sides of a 7-inch round push-pan that is 3-inch tall, or use a 7-inch springform pan instead. Fit an 8-inch circle of parchment onto the bottom. For the crust, whirl the graham crackers in a food processor until they are very fine crumbs. Add the brown sugar and cooled melted butter, then pulse in 1-second bursts until the crumbs look like moist sand.
2. Scrape the crumbs into the pan you set up, and pack them into a level base, bringing them roughly 1 inch up the sides. Move the pan to the freezer so the crust can tighten while the filling comes together. Clean out the processor bowl.
3. Add the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar to the processor, followed by the cream. Spoon in the lime juice, lime zest, and cornstarch, then process for about 5 quick 1-second pulses, stopping as soon as the mixture is smooth. Tiny green specks of zest should still be visible.
4. Work in the eggs 1 at a time, giving the mixture 2 brief 1-second pulses after each egg goes in. Keep your finger off the button beyond that; too much processing will make the batter foamier than you want. With a silicone spatula, fold through any obvious ribbons of yolk, though little streaks can stay.
5. Fill the chilled crust with the cheesecake mixture. Rap the pan firmly on the counter a few times to coax out any air bubbles trapped in the filling. With a 3-inch tall pan, wrap the top tightly in aluminum foil; with a shorter springform pan, leave it uncovered. Set the pan onto a silicone pressure cooker sling.
6. Add 1 1/2 cups water to the Instant Pot. Use the sling handles to lower the cheesecake into the pot.
7. Lock on the lid, then turn the Pressure Release to Sealing. Choose Cake, Pressure Cook, or Manual, and program it for 35 minutes on high pressure. Expect about 10 minutes for the pot to pressurize before the timer starts.
8. As it cooks, stir the sour cream with 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl.
9. After the program finishes, allow a natural pressure release for 20 minutes, then turn the Pressure Release to Venting so the last steam can escape. Open the lid, put on heat-resistant mitts, take hold of the sling handles, and transfer the pan to a cooling rack.
10. Peel away the aluminum foil, then blot any moisture in the center of the cake with a paper towel. The cheesecake may be puffed and a little wobbly in the middle when it leaves the pot; as it cools, it will sink and firm. Cracks are not a crisis, since they shrink back as the cake settles and the sour cream is going over the top anyway.
11. Once the cheesecake has sunk by about 1/2 inch, which usually takes around 5 minutes, spoon on the sour cream mixture and use a spatula to level it across the surface. Keep the cake on the rack until it has cooled for about 1 hour. After that, cover it and chill for at least 12 hours or as long as 24 hours.
12. To release the cake, loosen the edge with a knife. Set a drinking glass on the counter, center the push pan over it, and gently press the outer ring downward so the cheesecake stays on the pan’s bottom disk. Pull the parchment away from the sides. Slip a thin, flexible turner between the cake and the parchment, then ease the cheesecake off the parchment and onto a serving plate.
13. Add lime zest and lime slices over the top, then cut the cheesecake and serve.