While the crust is cooling, begin to make the filling. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F.
In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer), beat cream cheese and sugar on the lowest setting until very smooth (about 3 minutes). Use the whisk attachment. Do not whip too much air into the cheesecake because it should be dense when baked. Too much air will make it more likely to crack.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each step while making this recipe. The cream cheese has a tendency to stick to the bowl and you want to make sure that you don’t end up with any lumps in your cheesecake filling.
Add the eggs one at time, beating well after each addition until smooth.
Next, add the lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Beat until incorporated. Finally, add the sour cream and beat to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl one last time with a spatula to make sure that all ingredients have been incorporated and there are no lumps.
Pour the filling into the springform pan (on top of the cooled crust). This cheesecake recipe is baked in a bain-marie (i.e., a warm water bath) to allow for gradual and even cooking. This will help to prevent cracks while the cheesecake is cooking and while it is cooling. To ensure that water will not get into the springform pan and ruin the crust, wrap the pan in 1-2 layers of aluminum foil. Place the cheesecake into another, slightly larger container (I like to use a larger cake pan) and pour about one inch of very hot water between the side of the larger container and the springform pan.