Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
For the crust:
In a medium sized mixing bowl combine crushed graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar.
Add in melted butter and mix until well coated and the texture is like wet sand.
Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Set aside.
For the cheesecake:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer), combine cream cheese and sugar. Beat together on medium speed for 2 minutes, until smooth.
Add in eggs and mix for 30 seconds on low speed. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed and mix just until eggs are combined into the cream cheese mixture.
Add in heavy cream, sour cream, lime juice, lime zest, vanilla and salt. Mix on low speed just until combined.
Add in cornstarch and mix until just combined.
Transfer the batter onto the prepared crust.
Wrap the outside of the springform pan with aluminum foil to prevent water from seeping in, then place into a large broiler pan or baking dish. Fill the broiler pan with 1” of water. Place both pans into the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 15 minutes, then without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 250°F. Continue baking the cheesecake for 1 hour.
Once baked, turn the oven off with the cheesecake left inside. Do not open the oven door. Let the cheesecake rest inside of the oven for 30 minutes.
Open the oven door and let the cheesecake rest inside of the oven for an additional 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and place onto a wire cooling rack until completely cooled.
Cover the cooled cheesecake, then place into the fridge to chill for 8 hours before serving. Top the chilled cheesecake with whipped cream swirls and lime slices if desired.
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Notes
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.The calories shown are based on the cheesecake being cut into 10 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cheesecake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**