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Creating a Perfect Cheesecake


M3brewboy

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make 2 cheesecakes (one with a crust, one without a crust), chill, and then put the one without the crust on top of the one with a crust. You can add a layer of something in between, or even make the two layers different flavor.

He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise. --- Henry David Thoreau
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make 2 cheesecakes (one with a crust, one without a crust), chill, and then put the one without the crust on top of the one with a crust. You can add a layer of something in between, or even make the two layers different flavor.

Yeah, we do this at work and it makes me crazy*--like fruit fillings in between cheesecake layers--can you say 'slip & slide'--but we do it all the time.

Coupla ideas for you--freeze your layers before handling. And be sure to use a 'dam' as it's called. The dam is ganache or sturdy buttercream that you run around the top edge of the bottom layer so that when you place the top layer on there, it has something to grab on to. Then you of course fill with whatever filling or you can just sandwich them together with all ganache or all buttercream. But you need to at least outline the top edge of the bottom layer with something that will keep the two layers stuck together. Especially if you are using a fruit filling, or a slippery filling. You don't want your layers to slide apart.

*we do not freeze our layers :rolleyes: When you are stacking layers, cold cheesecake doesn't re-adjust like frozen cheesecake :huh:

:biggrin:

Edited by K8memphis (log)
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make 2 cheesecakes (one with a crust, one without a crust), chill, and then put the one without the crust on top of the one with a crust. You can add a layer of something in between, or even make the two layers different flavor.

Yeah, we do this at work and it makes me crazy*--like fruit fillings in between cheesecake layers--can you say 'slip & slide'--but we do it all the time.

Coupla ideas for you--freeze your layers before handling. And be sure to use a 'dam' as it's called. The dam is ganache or sturdy buttercream that you run around the top edge of the bottom layer so that when you place the top layer on there, it has something to grab on to. Then you of course fill with whatever filling or you can just sandwich them together with all ganache or all buttercream. But you need to at least outline the top edge of the bottom layer with something that will keep the two layers stuck together. Especially if you are using a fruit filling, or a slippery filling. You don't want your layers to slide apart.

*we do not freeze our layers :rolleyes: When you are stacking layers, cold cheesecake doesn't re-adjust like frozen cheesecake :huh:

:biggrin:

K8memphis is right---I should have been explicit. I also use crushed nuts or praline (pistachios, walnuts, pecans) in a chocolate or stiff custard to act like studded snow tires.

He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise. --- Henry David Thoreau
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Add more eggs or even just whip the whites and fold in.

That sounds like a good idea!

Does anyone else do this? If so, does it have much effect on the appearance of the cheesecake?

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced" - Vincent Van Gogh
 

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Add more eggs or even just whip the whites and fold in.

That sounds like a good idea!

Does anyone else do this? If so, does it have much effect on the appearance of the cheesecake?

I don't think it would affect appearance, but it would certainly affect the density and "mouth feel" if you added enough egg whites. It could become more like a mousse and less like a cheesecake (dense).

He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise. --- Henry David Thoreau
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Add more eggs or even just whip the whites and fold in.

That sounds like a good idea!

Does anyone else do this? If so, does it have much effect on the appearance of the cheesecake?

I don't think it would affect appearance, but it would certainly affect the density and "mouth feel" if you added enough egg whites. It could become more like a mousse and less like a cheesecake (dense).

I don't personally like this texture. Too light and airy. However, I got the height I wanted. You also MUST use a waterbath or you will definitely get cracks.

Shaloop

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Change the pans and the amount of batter your using. I use 9" round cake pans that are 3" tall. You can buy cake pans in any size that are 3" tall. That's where you get your height/look....gotta use a taller pan and add more batter.

Wendy: Do you mean the cakepan without a loos bottom, and how can i remove the cake?

make 2 cheesecakes (one with a crust, one without a crust), chill, and then put the one without the crust on top of the one with a crust. You can add a layer of something in between, or even make the two layers different flavor.

JayBassin: Sounds unusual, also i think it want help for a fulln crust.

Guys: I'm thinking of something like cheesecake factory cheesecake style.

Many Thanks

Edited by ALTAF (log)
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Yes, I bake cheesecakes in regular cake pans with-out removable bottoms and I highly suggest it to everyone. You can bake using a water bath and never have a leak. In addition to having more size options when using a standard cake pan.

I do nothing different preparing the pan. Don't line it (But I do spray my pan with pan release). Bake the cheesecake as usual. As with all cheesecakes your best to completely chill it before removing it from the pan (or you could dent it or make it colapse)........well the same thing applies to using a cake pan. Once the baked cheesecake is cold or frozen I place a cardboard cake circle on top of the pan, invert it, then apply heat to the pan (bottom & sides). I use a blow torch like people use for creme brulee'. The heat melts the butter in your crust so it no longer sticks to the pan. It pops out cleanly everytime.

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One of the places I worked had very tall cheesecakes on the menu. We just buttered the bottom and sides of the springform pan and put graham crumbs (just plain, not mixed with butter and sugar) to line the bottom and about halfway up the sides of the pan, with the excess dumped out...so there was almost no crust to speak of.

The batter contained some flour and the resulting cheesecake was very firm. The place has closed down (I worked there 7 years ago) so I could post the recipe for you if you like. It wasn't personally my favourite recipe since I prefer a moister cheesecake, but it most definitely was tall.

If only I'd worn looser pants....

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Yes, I bake cheesecakes in regular cake pans with-out removable bottoms and I highly suggest it to everyone. You can bake using a water bath and never have a leak. In addition to having more size options when using a standard cake pan.

Wendy....do you ever bake cheescakes in square or rectangular pans? I wanted to make a large cheesecake to cut into diamond shapes for banquets but I was unsure about getting them out of the pans. I have done cheesecakes in round silpat molds to make a "deconstructed" cheesecake with the cheesecake circle placed onto a cinnamon almond sable and topped with carmelised apples. I got them out of the molds but it was a pain and 3 of them broke. Any advice you could give me on making non-round cheesecake shapes?

Thanks, Teri

If only I'd worn looser pants....

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I bake cheesecake in full sheet pans all the time...with or with-out a sheet pan extender (thats a frame to increase the height of a sheet pan). Unless I don't have enough time I always freeze my cheesecakes to remove them from the pan, it's the easiest safest way.

With a full sheet cake, place a piece of parchement on top of the frozen baked cake, place a cardboard of another sheet pan on top then invert, hit the bottom and sides with heat (blow torch) and it pops/drops out of the pan. Then re-invert to use.

It's way easer to cut a semi-frozen cheesecake then a room temp. one. You can use a cookie cutter too if you want. But it hurts your hand pressing repetitively in semi-frozen cake.

Silicone molds are the easiest method of all. You freeze the cheesecake in the molds (when done baking) and basicly peel the molds off your frozen cake. No need for heat. You shouldn't have any breakage working with frozen or semi frozen cheesecake.

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apply heat to the pan (bottom & sides). I use a blow torch like people use for creme brulee'. The heat melts the butter in your crust so it no longer sticks to the pan. It pops out cleanly everytime.

What a great solution, Wendy! I'm going to make our Christmas cheesecake that way this year. Thank you! You are a marvel!

Eileen

Eileen Talanian

HowThe Cookie Crumbles.com

HomemadeGourmetMarshmallows.com

As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists. ~Joan Gussow

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Don't line it (But I do spray my pan with pan release).

Wendy: In case i did not find a pan release spray, would butter or shortining be ok?

I always freeze my cheesecakes to remove them from the pan, it's the easiest safest way.

wendy: How long do you freeze them? And want that procedure affects the cheesecake interior?

t's way easer to cut a semi-frozen cheesecake then a room temp.

Wendy: What method do you use for cuting chessecakes? Hot water & knife? or waxed thread? The cakes at the coffee houses has A smooth neat cut look.

with your experience as apstry chef, do you use a cake divider (marker)? I have one that gives you 16 pieces, which i don't like because the cake pieces lok very thin. Any Advice?

Sorry for too much questions :blush:

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You can't use butter in place of pan spray. Butter and some pan sprays contain h20/water and that makes items stick to pans. So always look at the ingredient list on your pan spray. You could use shortening, but with a cheesecake you could avoid it all together.......some people do. If you don't use anything to coat your pan, just run a thin knive around the edges before you heat the bottom to remove the cake.

You can freeze them for weeks or hours.......once it's semi frozen it's easier to handle....then when it's completely frozen its practically indestructible. I've read some peoples thoughts that freezing cheesecakes ruins them. I don't agree. I freeze them all the time and they turn out fine.

To cut, I use a knive dipped in hot water and wiped dry between every slice.

I don't use a cake divider, I do that visually myself. For a 9" round I like to cut it into 12 pieces. 16 slices are too thin even if you use a 10" pan, they want to flop over and not stand nicely....and using a larger pan just makes for a longer slice not a more steady sitting slice.

I cut cakes the old fashioned way. Usng a long knive that reaches across the whole surface of the cake, the first cut I divide the cake in half. Second cut, I divide the cake into 1/4's. Once I have my cake in fourths I then cut each section into thirds (4X3=12 slices) using a french knive. The hardest part of slicing cakes well (for me) is after I've inserted the knive it's hard to cut downward perfectly straight. That's why I switch from using a long knive after it's in 1/4s into a smaller knive... and then I cut one portion at a time so I can see I'm coming down straight in my slice....getting a even portion.

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I agree, freezing cheesecake doesn't ruin it. Semi-frozen cheesecake is kinda like ice cream--there's a store in town that recommends it for their cheesecake even.

Regarding the whipped egg whites: Would the texture be close to that of the light and fluffy Japanese-style cheesecakes?

May

May

Totally More-ish: The New and Improved Foodblog

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  • 1 month later...

I read about adding flour or cornstarch in the cheesecake batter with help prevent those cracks that mar their surface once they're baked. But I wasn't sure when to add them to my recipe... so after I beat my cream cheese, I sifted the two tablespoons of AP flour into the mixture and it looked fine. But when I added my room temperature liquid ingredients, suddenly, there were these uneven lumps everywhere... :unsure:

Why and how can I prevent this? When should I mix in the flour?

Does anyone have a tested recipe of a basic NY-style cheesecake with starch in it?

I am in the process of fulfilling a dream, one that involves a huge stainless kitchen, heavenly desserts and lots of happy sweet-toothed people.
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where did you read about putting flour or cornstarch in your chease cake? and there are better ways to preventing cracks than putting flour or starch into the batter.

Dean Anthony Anderson

"If all you have to eat is an egg, you had better know how to cook it properly" ~ Herve This

Pastry Chef: One If By Land Two If By Sea

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I read about adding flour or cornstarch in the cheesecake batter with help prevent those cracks that mar their surface once they're baked. But I wasn't sure when to add them to my recipe... so after I beat my cream cheese, I sifted the two tablespoons of AP flour into the mixture and it looked fine. But when I added my room temperature liquid ingredients, suddenly, there were these uneven lumps everywhere...  :unsure:

Why and how can I prevent this? When should I mix in the flour?

Does anyone have a tested recipe of a basic NY-style cheesecake with starch in it?

Are you sure the lumps are from the flour? Only 2 tablespoons of starch in a typical 1.5-2 lb of cream cheese shouldn't create lumps. I suspect rather that you didn't beat the cream cheese well enough or that you didn't incorporate the eggs one at a time and well enough. If you added sour cream to the cheese, the cheese needs to be very smooth first.

As for the cracks, I don't think the starch will avoid cracks. Cracks are usually caused by over baking the cake, or cooling too fast, or both. The center of the cake should jiggle slightly when it's done; it will set up when cooling. If its firm all through the center, it's over done. Let the cake cool slowly, in the oven, with the door adjar.

He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise. --- Henry David Thoreau
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If you are adding cornstarch or flour to a cheesecake batter, I've found that mixing it either of them with the sugar the recipe calls works best. (Then you add the sugar at whatever time the recipe states.)

If your batter was lumpy, it's probably chunks of cream cheese as JayBassin says, rather than the flour particles (if you push the lumps against the bowl of the mixer, that would tell you).

Edited by JeanneCake (log)
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Baking a cheesecake in a waterbath is a sure fire way to avoid cracks. Lumps in your batter can come from 1. your cheese is too cold, 2. You didn't scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl well enough, 3. The liquid ingredients were added to quickly, add them slowly allowing each addition to be incorporated into the batter and scraping the bowl efore adding the next addition.

Good luck and happy cheesecake making!

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Oh... it's probably that I didn't scrape the batter well enough because I did leave the cheesecake in room temp for about an hour...

I THINK I read in baking 911 that starch helps in coating particles and stuff so as to avoid those cracks... Hmm...

I am in the process of fulfilling a dream, one that involves a huge stainless kitchen, heavenly desserts and lots of happy sweet-toothed people.
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