Some cheesecakes are firm and dense, like a classic New York-style cheesecake. Others are rich, lush, and creamy, almost like a thick custard. Still others are as light and airy as meringue.
Step 2: Making the Crust
I tried to keep the crust pretty basic as well. I probably could have done without a crust because I was testing the variation in the cheesecake but since this was going to make a lot of cheesecake I wanted to be able to enjoy the extras with a crust.
The crust recipe is as follows:
- 4 Tbsp melted butter
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup sugar
Steps:
- Melt the butter and then mix in the graham cracker crumbs and sugar
- Spoon into our mason jar/pan
- Press into pan (I used a spice container covered in parchment paper due to the size of the small mason jars)
- Bake at 370 degrees F for 10 minutes (Optional but helps the crust stay together)
If in the process of melting the chocolate your mixture because too runny, you will need to use a setting agent like mentioned above – but generally it should be fine if it doesn’t become runny as the chocolate helps set the cheesecake mixture.
When a cheesecake has seized – it will involve chocolate. A seized mixture usually happens when a melted chocolate is added to a cheesecake mixture, beaten together, but the chocolate solidifies really quick and looks like there are solid lumps of chocolate in the mixture.
Whenever I add chocolate I prefer to add the chocolate after I have beaten together the cream cheese and icing sugar – and before the double cream. This is a choice, you can add the chocolate in last – but I find it’s much less likely to seize if you do it before the cream.
Often a cheesecake mixture can split or curdle because of over mixing – I often get comments of ‘how long do I mix for?’ and annoyingly, I can’t say for certain. How long depends on what brand of mixer you use, whether you are using a stand mixer or hand mixer, or even just your arm and a balloon whisk. It varies, and you just need to keep an eye on the mixture. You need to check your mixture often, to make sure it won’t over mix.
If a mixture is under whisked, it tends to be thicker, and looks like softly whipped cream – it’ll have a smooth texture, and look a bit like meringue almost – if it is under whisked, it may be slightly soft set, but this is better than over whisked.
The Best Technique for Classic Cheesecake | Tips for a Light and Creamy Recipe | Kitchen Conundrums
FAQ
Should cheesecake be dense or fluffy?
What is the difference between light and heavy cheesecake?
Why did my cheesecake come out dense?
What is the consistency of a cheesecake?
What happens if you bake a cheesecake too low?
Cheesecakes have to bake at very specific temperatures. Baking them at too high or too low temperatures will affect the final texture. If you are baking the cheesecake at too low of a temperature, the internal structure will take too long to set. This delay causes the batter to lose its airiness and deflate.
Is cheesecake a healthy food?
Vegan cheesecake has healthy ingredients and can be adjusted according to food preferences. A recipe with rice milk and seeds is a great suggestion.
Can cheesecake go wrong?
A sweet and creamy cheesecake is the stuff dreams are made of, but this classic baked good can be intimidating for home cooks. With so many things that can go wrong (cracked top! slumped-in crust! crumbly texture!), it’s no wonder we typically leave cheesecake to the professionals.
What happens if you bake a cheesecake at a high temperature?
This delay causes the batter to lose its airiness and deflate. That being said, baking the cheesecake at too a high temperature will completely dehydrate the batter and cause it to take on a dense and rubbery texture. Furthermore, while a raw cheesecake isn’t good, neither is an overbaked one!