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Spike's Good-Rich Cheesecake |
Cheesecake
3 eggs
24 ounces cream cheese (three 8-ounce packages)
1-1/4 pints sour cream
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 Tablespoons melted butter
Beat eggs well in mixer. Reduce to lowest speed and add bits of cheese a little
at a time. Beat (slow speed) until very smooth. Add sugar, sour cream, and
vanilla. Continue beating (slow speed). Add the buttermilk. Batter should be the
consistency of pancake batter. Fold in melted butter. Turn into unbaked crust
and bake 42 minutes at 325° , the oven having been pre-heated. Chill 8 hours or
more. Serve with whipped cream, fruit, or nothing.
Tips for Cheesecakes
Though a cheesecake can be savory (and served with crackers as an appetizer),
most of us think of the term as describing a luscious, rich dessert. The texture
of any cheesecake can vary greatly--from light and airy to dense and rich to
smooth and creamy. All cheesecakes begin with cheese--usually cream cheese,
ricotta cheese, cottage cheese or sometimes Swiss or cheddar cheese. A
cheesecake may or may not have a crust, which can be a light dusting of bread
crumbs, a cookie crust or a pastry crust. The filling is made by creaming the
cheese and mixing it with eggs, sugar (for desserts) and other flavorings. The
mixture is then poured into a special springform pan and baked. After baking,
the cheesecake is thoroughly chilled and generally topped by sour cream, whipped
cream, fruit or some other embellishment.
Copyright (c) 1995 by Barron's Educational Series, from The New Food Lover's
Companion, Second Edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst
What Is Cream Cheese?
Cream Cheese
Thanks to American ingenuity, cream cheese--the most popular ingredient for
cheesecake--was developed in 1872. The appellation comes from the smooth, creamy
texture of this mildly tangy, spreadable cheese. The soft, unripened cheese is
made from cow's milk and by law must contain at least 33 percent milk fat and
not more than 55 percent moisture. Gum arabic is added to some cream cheese to
increase firmness and shelf life. American Neufchatel cheese is slightly lower
in calories because of a lower milk fat content (about 23 percent). It also
contains slightly more moisture. Light or low fat cream cheese has about half the
calories as the regular style and nonfat cream cheese has zero fat grams. The
easily spreadable whipped cream cheese has been made soft and fluffy by air
being whipped into it. It has fewer calories per serving than regular cream
cheese only because there's less volume per serving. Cream cheese is sometimes
sold mixed with other ingredients such as herbs, spices or fruit. Refrigerate
cream cheese, tightly wrapped, and use within a week after opening. If any mold
develops on the surface, discard the cream cheese.
From The New Food Lover's Companion, Second Edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst
HOW TO SOFTEN CREAM CHEESE
Place completely unwrapped packages of cream cheese in microwavable bowl.
Microwave on High 30 to 45 seconds or until slightly softened.
CHEESECAKE TIPS AND IDEAS
1) A springform pan (with removable side and bottom) is the most commonly used
pan for making cheesecakes.
2) Avoid over-beating the batter. Over-beating incorporates additional air and
tends to cause cracking on the surface of the cheesecake.
3) For even marbling and the best distribution of added ingredients, such as
chocolate chips or nuts, do not over-soften or over-beat the cream cheese.
4) Avoid over-baking: Cheesecake baking times are not always exact, due to
variations in ovens. The cheesecake will continue to bake after it is removed
from the oven. The center of the cheesecake should be just slightly moist when
it is ready to be removed.
5) Upon removal from the oven, loosen the cake from the edge of the pan by
running the tip of a knife or narrow spatula between the top edge of the cake
and the side of the pan. This allows the cake to pull away freely from the pan
as it cools.
6) Cool the cheesecake on a wire rack away from drafts.
7) After a cheesecake has cooled completely, gently loosen the entire side of
the cheesecake from the pan with the tip of a knife while slowly releasing the
springform pan clamp. Carefully remove the side of the pan.
8) Baked cheesecakes freeze well. Cool them completely and wrap them securely in
heavy-duty foil or plastic wrap, but do not freeze cheesecakes with garnishes or
toppings.
More Cheesecake Success Hints:
PREVENTING SURFACE CRACKS
The most common complaint is cracking that develops through the middle of the
cheesecake during or after baking.
To Prevent Surface Cracking:
Bake the cheesecake in a water bath to keep the oven moisture high and the heat
gentle. (A water bath is using a larger pan containing water in which to place
the smaller cheesecake baking pan.)
Don't over bake the cheesecake. When perfectly done, there will still be a two to
three-inch wobbly spot in the middle of the cheesecake; the texture will smooth
out as it cools.
Cheesecake will shrink as it cools. Generously greasing the sides of the baking
pan before pouring in batter will allow the cake to pull away from the pan as it
cools and shrinks instead of pulling apart from the middle.
Cheesecakes have a tendency to crack, but they don't have to. This favorite
American dessert can have a cracked surface for a number of reasons. One cause
is air trapped inside the batter - a result of over-mixing. Once in the oven,
the air bubble expands and wants to escape from the cake. As it finds its way
out of the top of the cake, it creates a crack or crevice in the cake's surface.
Another cause of a cracked surface is a drastic temperature change.
How to avoid cracks then? Be sure to mix your cheesecake batter well,
eliminating all possible lumps in the cream cheese BEFORE you add the eggs. It
is the eggs that will hold air in the batter, so add them last, and mix as
little as possible once they are in the mix.
Also, be sure to cook your cheesecake gently. Use a water bath - wrap the bottom
of your springform pan in aluminum foil and place it in a larger pan with water
in it, just halfway up the outside of the springform pan. This will allow the
cheesecake to cook more slowly and evenly.
Finally, cook your cheesecake slowly - at 325º F. After about 45 minutes, turn
your oven off and leave the cheesecake inside the turned off oven for another
hour. Cool at room temperature with a plate or cookie sheet inverted over the
cheesecake to slow the cooling. Only then can you refrigerate the cake, which
you will need to do for another 6 hours at least.
If after all this, you still have a crack, make a topping or a sauce for your
cheesecake, and tell all your guests that you intentionally made a special crack
in the top of the cake to hold more sauce!
***VERY IMPORTANT TIPS ON PREVENTING CRACKING***
Cheesecakes with cornstarch or flour added to the batter do not crack as easily
from over-baking. The starch molecules will actually get in between the egg
proteins preventing them from over-coagulating. No over-coagulating, no cracks!!
Some bakers add extra insurance to a cheesecake recipe that doesn't contain
cornstarch or flour, by simply adding 1 tablespoon to1/4 cup of cornstarch to
the batter with the sugar.
With today's trend to produce larger and higher cheesecakes and to bake them
without the benefit of a water bath, they tend to over-bake at the edge before the
center of the cake has reached the temperature necessary to set (coagulate) the
eggs. Here, your cheesecake will tend to form deep cracks upon cooling.
Don't bake your cheesecake at too high a temperature (I recommend baking
cheesecakes at 300-325 degrees F at the highest) The egg proteins will
overcoagulate from too much heat which eventually shrink when cooled, causing
cracking usually in its center or tiny cracks all over its top. If you heat it
up to fast or cool it down too fast you're also going to get cracks.
Freezing Cheesecakes
Cheesecakes can be frozen. Careful wrapping is very important. To freeze, place
a fully cooled cheesecake in the freezer, uncovered, for 1 hour. If it's in a
springform pan, remove sides of pan and freeze with the pan bottom in place.
After 1 hour, use a knife to separate the cheesecake from the pan bottom. Slide
it onto a foil-wrapped piece of heavy cardboard. Wrap in plastic wrap, then
carefully place it inside a large freezer bag or wrap it in heavy duty aluminum
foil. Label and date. Freezing for more than a month is not recommended to
retain the best quality.
For a cheesecake with topping, such as fruit, always freeze cheesecake WITHOUT
the topping and add the topping before serving.
Always thaw a cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator. When partially thawed,
transfer it from the cardboard bottom to a serving plate.
" Water Bath " For Baking Cheesecakes
A "water bath" is a method that will help keep your cheesecake from cracking
while baking.
Instructions For Water Bath
First, take heavy aluminum foil, and wrap it around sides and bottom of your
springform pan or cheesecake pan with removable bottom. This prevents leakage
while baking your cheesecake.
Place your springform pan or cheesecake pan (filled with cheesecake batter and
crust) into a larger deep baking pan* that it will fit into easily.
*Note: The larger pan should be at least 2-3 inches in depth.
Place in pre-heated oven. With a kettle filled with very hot water, pour water
into the larger pan about halfway up, or approximately 1 1/2 to 2 inches.
Bake cheesecake as directed. When cheesecake is done, remove springform pan or
cheesecake pan (if using) from "water bath" in oven. Carefully remove larger pan
with water in it from oven. It will be very hot. Discard water when it has
cooled.
Remove aluminum foil from sides and bottom of pan after your cheesecake has
cooled completely in the refrigerator.
When you are ready to release sides of springform pan, or remove cheesecake from
a cheesecake pan with removable bottom (if using) and cheesecake has cooled in
refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight; this is the best time to remove
aluminum foil.
Happy Thanksgiving from Spike & Jamie |
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