Knowing How to Bake Cheesecakes

Who can resist the appeal of a rich, creamy, satin-smooth cheesecake? Because a cheesecake is one luxury that is well within reach, easy to make, and freezes well, it is worth preparing for any occasion.

For a cheesecake to taste smooth and creamy, the batter must be smooth and creamy at all times. The best way to achieve this is to have all ingredients at room temperature before you start baking. Using a countertop mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until it's smooth and soft before adding the other ingredients. If you use a handheld mixer, use it on a low speed so you don't incorporate too much air into the batter, which can cause your cheesecake to crack.

Another popular method is to dump all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and give it a whir for a minute or so; then just pour and bake. This method can incorporate a bit too much air, so if you try it, remove the blender from the motor base and thunk it on the countertop a few times to encourage the air bubbles to rise to the surface and escape.

Whichever method you choose for mixing the batter, stop several times and scrape the sides and the bottom of the container to be sure your batter is lump-free and that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom or sides.


Coping with cracks
Cracks in a cheesecake, whether they happen during baking or cooling, can be caused by several different factors: extreme temperature changes, an oven temperature that's too high, too much air in the batter, baking for too long a time, or being placed in a drafty place to cool. Sometimes cracks just happen, despite your best efforts. But worry not — the taste of the cake won't be affected. If you're serving the cheesecake to guests, and appearance is important, here are a few tips to help disguise those cracks:

Top the cheesecake with sliced fruit. Any fresh fruit will do, but f you use bananas or peaches, remember to toss them in a bit of lemon juice to prevent them from browning before serving.
Spread the top with a thin layer of sour cream. This ingredient adds to the richness of the cheesecake and conceals any imperfections.
Drizzle melted chocolate on top. Dip a fork in melted chocolate and drizzle a pattern on top of the cheesecake. The chocolate gives the cheesecake a new look. (When hasn't chocolate made everything a little bit better?)
Baking a great-looking cheesecake
A cheesecake is baked in a springform pan. It's a good idea to place the springform on a baking sheet with a lip on all four sides. A springform pan can sometimes leak, despite your best attempt to make sure it's tightly fastened. Placing the pan on a baking sheet will prevent a leaky springform from making a mess in your oven. It's also an easy and safer way to take the cheesecake in and out of the oven, preventing any surprise openings of the springform. If you don't have a baking sheet with a lip, you can wrap the bottom of the springform pan in aluminum foil to seal off any potential leaky cracks.

To tell if your cheesecake is done, observe the top surface carefully. For most cheesecakes, the edges of the cake puff up slightly and may turn faintly golden (a golden brown cheesecake is undesirable). The top should also be dull, not shiny, and when you tap the sides, they should move, but not have the jiggle of liquid. The center should be softer than the edges. The cake will rise slightly during baking, but when it cools, it will settle and solidify. If any cracks appear, they will get smaller as the cake cools and sinks down. You can also carefully run a butter knife around the edge of the cheesecake when it comes out of the oven. Then, as the cake shrinks as it cools, it won't stick to the side of the pan.

You can cool your cheesecake by removing it from the oven, or you can just turn off the oven and crack the oven door. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature before chilling it in the refrigerator for at least 3 to 4 hours, or preferably overnight, before serving.

Slicing the cheesecake

Slicing a cheesecake can be messy. The cake has a tendency to cling to the knife, so making neat slices can be quite a challenge. One solution is to run the knife under hot water after each slice is made. This keeps the knife clean, and the warm knife slices neatly through each piece. Of course, if you're cutting the cheesecake at the table, this method won't work. Instead, use two knives: one to cut the cheesecake and the other to scrape the knife clean after each slice.

A great trick for cutting a cheesecake is to use dental floss or heavy thread. Cut a piece of floss the diameter of the cake, plus enough to wrap around your fingers. Simply pull the thread taut between your hands and press it down all the way through the cake. Release the thread in one hand and pull it out with the other. Repeat, cutting the cake like the spokes of a wheel. It makes a great topic of conversation for your guests.