It happens all the time. You pick out the perfect cheesecake recipe, stock up on pricey ingredients, spend a few hours in the kitchen, and come out with a disappointing cheesecake. There are a few major reasons why cheesecakes often flop, so we thought we'd take a moment to cover them during dessert week here on The Kitchn.
The thing about cheesecakes is they're so much better when made at home, but folks are often scared of them. Maybe it's the springform pan or the hot water bath that so many recipes call for. When it comes right down to it, so much of the success of a good cheesecake is based around time, temperature, and accuracy in your approach to whipping the ingredients, so let's spend a moment with some prize-winning tips.
5 Tips and Tricks to Make the Perfect Cheesecake
1. Pay attention to temperature: First, you must follow instructions and allow your cheesecake to chill. Many recipes call for a 6-hour overnight chill time and I know this seems excessive to many home bakers, but it really is necessary if you want a completely set cheesecake that will come out of the pan with ease. Second, cheesecakes absolutely taste best at room temperature, so after chilling let it stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
2. Soften the cream cheese: Word to the wise: bring your cream cheese to room temperature before making a cheesecake. Much like using a springform pan, this is one of the non-negotiables if you want a smooth, lump-free cheesecake.
3. Don't stress over cracks: Many cheesecakes crack on the top. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever made one that didn't crack just a little. This has a lot to do with temperature and the rate at which your cheesecake heats up, but the good news is that it can be fixed. My instant (and tasty) trick is to spread a layer of sour cream over the cooled cheesecake. It will give it a clean finish and add a little extra creaminess to each bite.
4. Prebake your crust: Many recipes don't require you do this, but I guarantee you're going to have a crisper, lovelier crust if you do. With any kind of crumb crust (like graham cracker, for instance) you'll just want to give it a quick 10 minute bake in the oven before filling it with your cream cheese filling. No pie weights or fuss required.
5. Whip, whip whip: If you think about your idea of a great cheesecake, it's probably super, super creamy. To get that at home, your batter must be completely smooth, so be sure to beat your batter more than you think you need to. Sure, it may be lump free but you don't want to stop until you have what Dorie Greenspan calls a "satiny" batter. I find I often have to beat my batter for an extra 1 to 2 minutes after the point at which the recipe says to stop to achieve this satiny texture.
A Few of Our Favorite Cheesecake Recipes:
• Dorie Greenspan's Creamy Cheesecake - Serious Eats
• Perfect Cheesecake - Simply Recipes
• Lemon Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust - Epicurious
• Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Cheesecake - The Food Network
Related: How to Make Cheesecake That Will Amaze Your Friends
(Images: Martha Stewart)
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i made a cheesecake once and it sunk in the middle. i did make the mistake of altering the recipe slightly when i have not made cheesecake ever before, but i still felt pretty discouraged - not only by the look but by the taste. need to try again!
My mom has been the cheesecake queen for almost 30 years and now I've taken over. We always make the same recipe and whenever I make it, it gets raves and requests for the recipe. I've never actually let the cream cheese rise to room temp and it seems fine--I always use the blocks of cream cheese too, not the spreadable kind--it seems to help with the cracks.
My other hint that I always am careful of is, if you want a lovely creamy texture, DON'T OVERBAKE!!!
Although this is a lemon cheesecake, it's neutral enough to put with almost any other flavour--strawberries, blueberry sauce, you name it. I found a copy of the recipe online!
http://mommyof1andcounting.blogspot.ca/2011/08/recipe-of-week-famous-lemon-cheesecake.html Yum!!
I have made many, many cheesecakes over the years, and I have never liked one I didn't make with Philadelphia brand cream cheese. I'll use other types of cream cheese for cooking, but when it comes to cream cheese frosting and cheesecakes, there is no substitute. I
I've found pre-baking the crust isn't always necessary, especially if you make a graham-cracker crust. But there are so many recipes out there. The first time I made cheesecake it came out great and only got better. I researched recipes, I FOLLOWED IT and I hit on one that was excellent.
Philly's not that great overall. Hyper-processed, kind of gummy. When I moved to Germany I started using Buko, which has such a smooth and creamy texture. You can find Philly pretty easily here but almost no one buys it.
I also invested in a good (quality but not super-expensive) springform which I do think makes a difference.
I'm well-known among my circle for my cheesecakes.
I don't use springform pans. I use solid pans that are about 3" deep. I have them in every size from 5" to 12".
The issue with cracking and sinking in the middle is this: Cheesecakes are essentially a specialized type of custard. They give off a great deal of moisture as they bake and as they cool. The trick is to get them not to stick to the sides of pan. If they stick to the pan, as they shrink, the only way they can shrink is by cracking in the middle. You can prevent them sticking to the sides of the pan by making your crust go all the way up the pan, or by doing what I do: coat the pan generously with melted butter and dust it with cookie crumbs. I prefer a light/no crust cheesecake so this works for me.
I bake my cheesecake in a water bath. When it's "done" I turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the water bath until it's room temperature. The cooling period usually takes about 2 hours. [Note, when I say "done" it's set about a third to half way between the edge of the pan and the center.]
I then take the cheesecake from the water bath and invert it onto a cake cardboard covered with plastic wrap and IMMEDIATELY put it into the refrigerator where I chill it overnight.
When it's thoroughly chilled, I invert it onto a cake cardboard so it's now right side up. I then slice it and arrange it on the serving plate.
It takes a certain amount of guts to invert the tepid, still-soft cheesecake out of its pan. But the texture and taste of the finished product is worth it.
I've made many a cheesecake in my time, but I assure you, this one is the best:
http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/london-cheesecake-147
(Back in the '80s, the Frugal Gourmet made a similar one with a sour cream top, but Nigella's is better).
Tip: When I worked in a bakery, I was taught to turn off the convection fan for cheesecakes and other custards (we used the convection setting for breads, cookies and sturdier baked goods). It helps to keep the temperature lower, and the fan can disturb how the custard sets up. If you have a convection oven that has a fan that can't be switched off, use an oven thermometer, lower the temp to what the recipe calls for, and cover the cheesecake with foil or a sheet pan to prevent the surface from browning from the hot air circulation.
Wonderful additional tips, all! You guys are fantastic!
Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature, eggs, cream, whatever you pull from the fridge needs to be the same room temperature. If you add cold eggs to silky creamed cream cheese, the mixture will curdle, and can cause lumps. Scrape the bowl and beaters often. Sometimes you get lumps from the bottom of the bowl or the paddle attachment. Also don't scrape the sides of the bowl/beater when you pour the batter, just in case.
Also, use the paddle and do not over-mix the batter. If you beat it on high, or for too long, you incorporate air into the mixture which can cause it to rise, and then fall, causing cracks and an unstable cheesecake.
Do not check with a knife to see if it is done. It is a custard. People generally overbake cheesecakes. When you gently shake the pan, the center should wobble as one piece, not ripple like a stone tossed into a pond. If you bake it in a water-bath, remove it from the oven, then leave it in the water until it comes to room temperature.
Temperature is also important. Bake at appropriate temp, use an oven thermometer to check. If you are not using a water bath to bake it in, lower the temp 25º-50º depending on your oven. Also, don't open the oven frequently. Every time you open the door, the temperature drops dramatically, which disturbs the custard, cooling it, then warming it up again when you close the door to bake longer.
Hope this helps!
Mochene has some excellent suggestions that I follow when I make cheesecake. I'd like to add that a waterbath is too messy for me and I'm prone to leakes no matter how careful I am. Instead I simply place a large pan of hot water beneath my cheesecake. The moist air evenly bakes the cheesecake. My theory is that moist air conducts heat better than dry air and that is why the water bath works but so does putting a pan of hot water beneath it.
Serioulsy the ultimate cheesecake by tyler florence is the best. Hands down. Its silky and smooth and not pasty or formable.
A springform pan is absolutely negotiable, i use a 3" deep cake pan that i line with parchment so i can use a water bath, which prevents cracking by moderating the rate at which the cake absorbs energy, also a little cornstarch mixed in the sugar will also prevent cracking. While I agree that sufficiant mixing is important, the term whip may be missleading. A high speed on your mixer will incorperate extra air into the batter increasing the risk of cracks and problems.
I make cheese cakes in springform pans just wrap it with heavy duty foil in your water bath no leaks Alton Brown has a very good recipe but it should be cooked 30 min longer than he suggest read the reviews http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sour-cream-cheesecake-recipe/index.html
I always, always, always fill a deep pan half way with water and stick on the rack underneath the rack holding the cheesecake. Never had it crack.