Don”t crack under the pressure
Define cheesecake.
Is it airy and light? Or silky and creamy? Is it crustless or supported by a buttery crumbly foundation?
Cheesecake can be any of those and more. Because it can be prepared in so many variations, it’s a good choice for a special dessert.
There’s just one problem. Getting it right can be tricky.
Anyone who’s ever attempted to make a cheesecake from scratch knows the truth.
They crack.
“The Gourmet Cookbook,” published in 2004, explains: “Sometimes this happens no matter how painstaking you are. (In general, the magnitude of the rifts and fissures corresponds to the importance of the dinner party for which you’ve baked the cake.)”
Despite this reality check, and finding just as many recipes that call for cooking a cheesecake in a water bath as those that don’t, we asked a couple of local cheesecake makers set the record straight.
“We don’t cook any that aren’t in a water bath,” says Merrilee Lindaman, whose cheesecakes served at the restaurant bearing her last name carry a hefty reputation around town. “Over all these 20 years we’ve found every cheesecake does better in a water bath.” (The water should come up halfway the outside of the cheesecake pan, Lindaman says.)
Shirley Glodt, however, who owns Spokane Valley’s White Box Pies with her husband and makes several varieties of cheesecake – including a very popular huckleberry cheesecake – says, “I don’t use any water baths.”
Hmmm. Well, maybe they can clear up the confusion about whether to leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven with the heat turned off.
Glodt does leave her cheesecakes in the oven to cool down gently. Lindaman doesn’t, saying she doesn’t have the luxury. Her cheesecakes cool on racks before going in the refrigerator for chilling.
The women do agree on one cheesecake-saving technique: Running a sharp knife around the edge of the cheesecake when it’s finished cooking and before it cools much. The reason makes perfect sense. If the cheesecake is allowed to cling to the sides of the pan as it cools, the center will split if it can’t pull its sides in.
They also say it’s important to realize that a cheesecake is cooked even when the middle is still a bit wiggly.
“It’s a wiggle, not a swish,” Glodt says of the slightly mushy appearance of a properly cooked cheesecake. “You have to use your smarts. Cook it for the allotted amount of time and then look at it. It’s ready when the top is no longer shiny. It’s not glossy.”
Glodt also suggests beating the cream cheese when it’s slightly colder than room temperature. She says this helps the cheese whip into a fluffy consistency.
The great thing about cheesecake, despite its temperamental tendencies, is how easily it can be made new with different flavors.
“It’s the blank slate thing,” Lindaman says. “We’ve very rarely made a plain cheesecake.” For years, the most popular variety at the restaurant was praline. Now it’s raspberry swirl, along with the staple Lemon Cheese Pie. And, of course, she says you can make savory cheesecakes with a whole different attitude.
Glodt, who makes an assortment of fruity cheesecakes as well as plain ones says, “Never be afraid of adding ingredients.”
And, she adds, “Always bake what you like.”
Here are a few recipes we like. The first, Light Lemon Cheesecake, is a very pleasant dessert that lives up to its promise of being lighter. Be sure to grind the granola very well.
Light Lemon Cheesecake
From “The New Basics Cookbook,” by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins
We all love cheesecake, so to justify eating lots we’ve made ours with a granola crust and lemon yogurt – it’s lighter and thinner.
1 cup granola
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, divided
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup lemon yogurt
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups sliced strawberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the granola, brown sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon zest in a food processor and process until fine. Add the butter and process until the mixture begins to come together.
Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom (see note). Bake the crust for 10 minutes then remove it from the oven. Leave the oven on.
Puree the yogurt, cheeses, cornstarch and vanilla in a food processor. Add the eggs, sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons lemon zest. Process until smooth.
Gently ladle the filling into the prepared crust and place the pan on a baking sheet. Bake until set, about 30 minutes.
Cool the cheesecake on a wire rack, and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
Remove the side of the tart pan and arrange the strawberries on top of the cheesecake before serving.
Note: We used a 9-inch springform pan.
Yield: 8 servings
Approximate nutrition per serving: 275 calories, 11.7 grams fat (6 grams saturated, 38 percent fat calories), 8.7 grams protein, 35 grams carbohydrate, 108 milligrams cholesterol, 2.2 grams dietary fiber, 136 milligrams sodium.
Who are we kidding? Cheesecake isn’t meant to be light. So we found this decadent coffee-chocolate cheesecake recipe. It is so rich; a tiny sliver of the cake is plenty. Don’t worry if it cracks (ours did), there’s enough topping and decoration to hide any flaws.
Cappuccino-Fudge Cheesecake
From epicurious.com, originally published in Bon Appetit February 2002
Be sure to make this dessert at least one day ahead to allow the flavors to blend.
Crust:
1 (9-ounce) box chocolate wafer cookies
6 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
7 tablespoons hot melted unsalted butter
Ganache:
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
20 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup Kahlua or other coffee-flavored liqueur
Filling:
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dark rum (see note)
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder or coffee crystals (see note)
2 tablespoons ground whole espresso coffee beans (medium-coarse grind)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons mild-flavored (light) molasses
4 large eggs
Topping:
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Espresso coffee beans (optional)
For crust:
Finely grind cookies, chopped chocolate, brown sugar and nutmeg in processor. Add butter and process until crumbs begin to stick together, scraping down bowl occasionally, about 1 minute. Transfer crumbs to 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. Wrap plastic wrap around fingers and press crumb mixture firmly up sides to within 1/2 inch of top edge, then over bottom of pan.
For ganache:
Bring whipping cream to simmer in large saucepan. Remove from heat, add chocolate and Kahlua. Whisk until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth. Pour 2 cups ganache over bottom of crust. Freeze until ganache layer is firm, about 30 minutes. Reserve remaining ganache (see note); cover and let stand at room temperature to use later for creating lattice pattern.
For filling:
Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Using electric mister, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until blended. Beat in flour. Stir rum, espresso powder, ground coffee, vanilla and molasses in a small bowl until instant coffee dissolves; beat into cream cheese mixture. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, occasionally scraping down side of bowl.
Pour filling over cold ganache in crust. Place cheesecake on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until top is brown, puffed and cracked at the edges and the center 2 inches moves only slightly when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Transfer cheesecake to rack. Cool 15 minutes while preparing topping (top of cheesecake will fall slightly). Maintain oven temperature.
For topping:
Whisk sour cream, sugar and vanilla in medium bowl to blend. Pour topping over hot cheesecake, spreading to cover filling completely. Bake until topping is set, about 10 minutes. Transfer cheesecake to rack. Refrigerate hot cheesecake on rack until cool, about 3 hours. Run small sharp knife between crust and pan sides to loosen cake, release pan sides. Transfer cheesecake to platter.
To decorate, spoon reserved ganache into pastry bag fitted with small star tip. Pipe 6 diagonal lines atop cheesecake, spacing 1-inch apart. Repeat in opposite direction, making lattice. Pipe rosettes of ganache around top edge of cake. Garnish with coffee beans, if desired. Chill until lattice is firm, at least 6 hours. Cake can be made 4 days ahead. Wrap loosely in foil, forming dome over lattice; keep chilled.
Note: We used additional Kahlua instead of dark rum and eliminated the instant coffee crystals. We also had quite a bit of ganache leftover even after pouring a generous layer on the crust and piping decorations on the finished cheesecake. You can freeze the leftovers for another use.
Yield: 12 to 16 servings
Approximate nutrition per serving (based on 16): 849 calories, 56 grams fat (33.8 grams saturated, 59 percent fat calories), 11 grams protein, 74 grams carbohydrate, 171 milligrams cholesterol, 3.7 grams dietary fiber, 303 milligrams sodium.
For beginners who are leery of overcooked, cracked cheesecake, refrigerator cheesecakes offer a safer alternative. The current issue of Cook’s Country magazine has a feature all about refrigerator cheesecakes. Here’s one of the recipes:
Icebox Cheesecake
From Cook’s Country magazine April/May 2005
Don’t rush the softening of the cream cheese. If microwaved, the cream cheese will cook slightly and eventually cause the entire cheesecake mixture to break. To speed up the process, cut the cream cheese into chunks and then let it stand at room temperature for at least half an hour. When the cream cheese is no longer cold and gives easily under pressure, it’s ready to use.
Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (crushed from 8 whole crackers)
1 tablespoon sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and kept warm
Filling:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2/3 cup sugar
1 pound cream cheese, cut into 1-inch chunks and softened 30 to 45 minutes at room temperature
2 tablespoons juice and 1 teaspoon grated zest from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Stir graham cracker crumbs and sugar together in medium bowl, then add butter and stir well with fork until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer crumbs to a 9-inch springform pan, using bottom of a measuring cup, firmly press crumbs into even layer oven bottom of pan. Bake crust until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 13 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack, at least 30 minutes.
For the filling: Pour 1/4 cup heavy cream into microwave-safe measuring cup. Add gelatin and whisk to combine. Let stand until gelatin is softened, about 5 minutes, then microwave on high power for about 30 seconds, or until cream is bubbling and gelatin is completely dissolved. Set aside.
Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1 1/4 cups heavy cream and sugar in large bowl at medium-high speed until soft peaks from, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and beat at medium-low speed until combine, about 1 minute (a few coffee-bean sized lumps may remain). Scrape bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula. Add lemon juice, vanilla and salt and continue to beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl again. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes. Add dissolved gelatin mixture and lemon zest and continue to beat at medium-high until smooth and airy, about 2 minutes.
Pour filling into cooled crust and, using offset or icing spatula dipped in hot water, spread filling out evenly. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but for best results refrigerate overnight.
To serve, wrap hot, damp kitchen towels around springform pan. Unlock pan and carefully lift off sides. Slip think metal spatula under crust and carefully slide cheesecake onto serving platter.
Yield: 8 servings
Approximate nutrition per serving: 554 calories, 45 grams fat (27.6 grams saturated, 73 percent fat calories), 7 grams protein, 33 grams carbohydrate, 143 milligrams cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 296 milligrams sodium.