Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Creating a Perfect Cheesecake


M3brewboy

Recommended Posts

I am bumping this thread because I have an unmolding problem with a cheesecake I just made yesterday. I knew this had come up before as far as springform pans are concerned and remembered this thread. I've concluded the damn things are worthless..it's always something. I'm tired of wrapping with foil (I have to assume this is not for waterprofing purposes'. If so it doesn't work) and dealing with wet crust. I have followed the directions exactly for the cheesecake on the cover of June's Chocolatier magazine. I cannot get the bottom of the springform pan off. This makes a soft textured cake, and will tear if I pull too hard. I've tried running a knife, sliding under the parchment..It's just not gonna come off. I can slice it off the bottom, but lose most of the crust pulling the slice off the parchment. I think the next time (and there will be a next time, it's pretty good cake) I should use a silicone baking pan? and unmold after freezing. I appreciate Wendy's instruction in this, and the affirmation that one does not have to hassle with the damn springforms.

one question: what do you think the effect of 1/3 fat cream cheese will have on the cake vs full fat?

What is the texture/function of a cookie crumb crust anyway? crunch? form? (don't want the slices falling over)

What would the effect of baking 2 cakes in 5" rounds be on presentation? I would thing the smaller the diameter of the cake, the wider they'd look when cut. I wonder if it would fool you into thinking you had a bigger slice than you really have. Great for dieters!

ok, it's more than one question, but what do you think?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am bumping this thread because I have an unmolding problem with a cheesecake I just made yesterday. I knew this had come up before as far as springform pans are concerned and remembered this thread. I've concluded the damn things are worthless..it's always something. I'm tired of wrapping with foil (I have to assume this is not for waterprofing purposes'. If so it doesn't work) and dealing with wet crust.

You mean, water from the water bath came through the foil? That would definitely sog up the crust, unless your springform actually forms a water-proof seal (none of mine do). I double wrap with large heavy-duty foil, and that always keeps the water out.

"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
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I double wrapped, but must have been careless either with the foil or by putting too much water into the pan. It didn't destroy the cake, but screwed up a big part of it's appeal ie the ginger snap crust. The cake is white chocolate and lemon.

There's something about springforms that wears out after a while...having said that, I know people who've used the same pan for 40 years, rusty bottoms and all, and have perfect cakes from them!Since I seem to have bad luck with the springforms, I'm going to pick up some silicone pans at Tues. Morning and see if that works for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am bumping this thread because I have an unmolding problem with a cheesecake I just made yesterday. I knew this had come up before as far as springform pans are concerned and remembered this thread. I've concluded the damn things are worthless..it's always something. I'm tired of wrapping with foil (I have to assume this is not for waterprofing purposes'. If so it doesn't work) and dealing with wet crust. I have followed the directions exactly for the cheesecake on the cover of June's Chocolatier magazine. I cannot get the bottom of the springform pan off. This makes a soft textured cake, and will tear if I pull too hard. I've tried running a knife, sliding under the parchment..It's just not gonna come off. I can slice it off the bottom, but lose most of the crust pulling the slice off the parchment. I think the next time (and there will be a next time, it's pretty good cake) I should use a silicone baking pan? and unmold after freezing. I appreciate Wendy's instruction in this, and the affirmation that one does not have to hassle with the damn springforms.

one question: what do you think the effect of 1/3 fat cream cheese will have on the cake vs full fat?

What is the texture/function of a cookie crumb crust anyway? crunch? form? (don't want the slices falling over)

What would the effect of baking 2 cakes in 5" rounds be on presentation? I would thing the smaller the diameter of the cake, the wider they'd look when cut. I wonder if it would fool you into thinking you had a bigger slice than you really have. Great for dieters!

ok, it's more than one question, but what do you think?

I've always used springform pan to bake cheesecakes because it has a high side and it is easy for unmolding. I use heavy duty foil to wrap it, making sure that I don't puncture it and I've never had water seeped in. The crust remains fairly dry. One problem you have is using parchment. Parchment is only good if you plan to invert a cake for unmolding. For spring form, the parchment it is not necessary and in fact a hindrance.

Chilling to firm the cake and crust would make it easier for unmolding. I lightly oil a large spatula and slide it under the crust. Slide a second oiled spatula to help transfer the cake to a platter, etc.

I guess if you use a parchment lined springform, you can freeze it as you stated and invert it and remove the parchment, then invert it again.

Do they make silicone cake pan with high enough side to make a tall cheese cake? The only ones I've seen are for regular size cakes.

I always like a crust for texture and looks. You will not be able to substitute low fat cream cheese for full fat without reformulating the recipe. It will probably need addition of flour to keep it from being too watery.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I prefer a 9" cake pan 3" deep with a parchment round. I cool the cheesecakes overnight then take a torch heat slightly, invert them, no need for a knife to loosen, remove the parchment and let crust dry this helps with a moist or gooey crust, like a turtle. Brownie crusts can simply flipped upside down and will slide out. To cut the pies i use a divider to mark the surface (12, 14, 16 for a 9") then use a cheeseblocker by Lincoln to slice, it uses some sort of metal wire, much quicker, more accurate, and with no mess. I would highly recommend the cheeseblocker to anyone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I prefer a 9" cake pan 3" deep with a parchment round.  I cool the cheesecakes overnight then take a torch heat slightly, invert them, no need for a knife to loosen, remove the parchment and let crust dry this helps with a moist or gooey crust, like a turtle.  Brownie crusts can simply flipped upside down and will slide out.  To cut the pies i use a divider to mark the surface (12, 14, 16 for a 9") then use a cheeseblocker by Lincoln to slice, it uses some sort of metal wire, much quicker, more accurate, and with no mess.  I would highly recommend the cheeseblocker to anyone.

From googling it, it looks very difficult to use on anything larger than a loaf of bread. Don't you still have to cut the item into managable chunks with a knife before moving it to the cheeseblocker? If so, that seems like an awful lot of work for something that retails at over $100.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I prefer a 9" cake pan 3" deep with a parchment round.  I cool the cheesecakes overnight then take a torch heat slightly, invert them, no need for a knife to loosen, remove the parchment and let crust dry this helps with a moist or gooey crust, like a turtle.  Brownie crusts can simply flipped upside down and will slide out.  To cut the pies i use a divider to mark the surface (12, 14, 16 for a 9") then use a cheeseblocker by Lincoln to slice, it uses some sort of metal wire, much quicker, more accurate, and with no mess.   I would highly recommend the cheeseblocker to anyone.

From googling it, it looks very difficult to use on anything larger than a loaf of bread. Don't you still have to cut the item into managable chunks with a knife before moving it to the cheeseblocker? If so, that seems like an awful lot of work for something that retails at over $100.

I place the cheesecakes on a 10" cardboard round and cut on there, there is plenty of space and it is only difficult if it is square (half hotel pan). It also works great for cutting small squares for samples. Cheesecakes are most of my business, so the $100 was very justifiable. It also cuts the crust with ease.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I prefer a 9" cake pan 3" deep with a parchment round.  I cool the cheesecakes overnight then take a torch heat slightly, invert them, no need for a knife to loosen, remove the parchment and let crust dry this helps with a moist or gooey crust, like a turtle.  Brownie crusts can simply flipped upside down and will slide out.  To cut the pies i use a divider to mark the surface (12, 14, 16 for a 9") then use a cheeseblocker by Lincoln to slice, it uses some sort of metal wire, much quicker, more accurate, and with no mess.  I would highly recommend the cheeseblocker to anyone.

these are the directions for the cake I made, but inverting and removing the bottom and parchment were worthless endevours. I swear, for the first time ever in my life I made this exactly as the recipe stated. I agree the parchment part was different, but I did it anyway. Anyone else want to try this recipe as written?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Sorry for the probable repost:

I'm having cheesecake woes. It's a standard recipe. Batter, chocolate, bake. The recipe calls for an hour in the oven at 325, followed by an hour in the oven with it turned off to cool, then cooling it to room temp, followed by overnight in the fridge.

After taking it out of the oven. Beautiful. High. Airy.

After cooling it overnight. Puny. Dense. Ugly.

What's going on? My first thought is that maybe I'm not allowing it to fully cool before putting it in the fridge. But that wasn't the problem because it was definitely room temp. Then I thought maybe I undercooked it and it just pancaked. Possible, but who knows?

What am I missing that's obvious? I know this recipe works because I've had it turn out beautifully before. Why is it taunting me?

Thanks.

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Airy? Sinks?

What kind of cheesecake are you making, the light Japanese-style one?

Can you post the ingredients list please?

:laugh: Sure.

cream cheese

mascarpone

sugar

vanilla

eggs

bittersweet chocolate

white chocolate

That's pretty much it. Obviously there's more for the crust, but that is the bulk of the recipe.

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry for the probable repost:

I'm having cheesecake woes. It's a standard recipe. Batter, chocolate, bake. The recipe calls for an hour in the oven at 325, followed by an hour in the oven with it turned off to cool, then cooling it to room temp, followed by overnight in the fridge.

After taking it out of the oven. Beautiful. High. Airy.

After cooling it overnight. Puny. Dense. Ugly.

What's going on? My first thought is that maybe I'm not allowing it to fully cool before putting it in the fridge. But that wasn't the problem because it was definitely room temp. Then I thought maybe I undercooked it and it just pancaked. Possible, but who knows?

What am I missing that's obvious? I know this recipe works because I've had it turn out beautifully before. Why is it taunting me?

Thanks.

Was there a change in how you mix it? Maybe too much air beat into the ingredients? That's the only thing I can come up with, seeing as how you've had it turn out fine before.

"Fat is money." (Per a cracklings maker shown on Dirty Jobs.)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the not to distant past there was another thread here on egullet on why cheesecakes crack when baked. You might want to go back and try and find that thread as it has several things that might apply to your problem. In the other thread one of the points that is made is that the eggs should be added at the last minute and beaten as little as possible. Bkeith says " What causes a cheesecake to firm up (and crack if over baked) is the egg proteins. And the more you work those proteins, the more readily they're going to want to shrink if over baked". Also in that thread it is pointed out by more than one contributer that the cheesecake is finished cooking when the outer edge is slightly raised and the center is still jiggly. If your entire cake is puffed and firm to the touch it may be acting more like a soufflé than a cheesecake which would explain the shrinkage as it cools. Hope this helps.

Fred Rowe

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quantities and technique (ie the whole recipe) might aid in determining what went wrong, but typical fallen or sunken cheesecakes are due to overbeating. If you are incorporating beaten egg whites into it, this definitely may be the issue. Even if you are using whole eggs, it may still be a problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm also quite sure you overbeat the batter once you started adding the eggs. There was too much air incorporated, so it souffled in the oven and then fell once it started cooling.

Coincidentally, I also made a cheesecake yesterday and it baked up flat with no cracks. I add the eggs one by one with the mixer on low speed, and I actually turn off the mixer and mix by hand for the last egg because I worry about overbeating. I bake at 325 as well, with pans of water in the oven so the cheesecake cooks gently.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, I bet the overbeating is it. I'm still an amateur, so sometimes these things aren't obvious. I was using a KA stand mixer an probably beat the eggs for 30 seconds or so on medium speed after adding the final one.

I'll try just to the point of making sure they're incorporated next time.

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Are there any other signs of things amiss? For instance, does the cheesecake "souffle" too much when baked in the oven? Because of the eggs in the batter, most cheesecakes will rise slightly while cooking in the oven, but by the time they are cooled to room temperature, they have fallen back to their pre-souffle level.

In the past, when the batter was mixed too vigorously after the eggs were added, this translated into a cheesecake that souffled and then fell in the middle as it cooled. Perhaps you are experiencing this souffle reaction and are cooking the cheesecake just long enough that it essentially "sets" the cake so that as it cools, it doesn't fall at all, thus leaving the holes.

Just a theory though.

You might also want to post your basic recipe and cooking method (don't give away any secrets :smile:). Perhaps an eGulleter can spot the culprit.

Flickr: Link

Instagram: Link

Twitter: Link

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good Explination above...

Another thing could be a similar reasoning...First...Are you talking about bubbles on the top of the cheesecake or inside of it? Either one could be due to overmixing(somewhat like the previous post said)...to not have to mix as much...Leave the cream cheese out overnight before you work with it...This will make it not as thick and you will not have to mix as much and create air into the batter...

Robert

Chocolate Forum

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since my kitchen rarely gets above 55 deg F during the winter, I will also take the pre-measured cream cheese and cut it into 1/2 - 1 pound blocks, put in on a microwave safe plate, and nuke the cream cheese on the LOWEST setting (I usually do 10%) for about 2-3 minutes. This is usually long enough to bring the temperature up to about 75-80 deg F.

Flickr: Link

Instagram: Link

Twitter: Link

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...