A Cheesecake Troubleshooting Guide

A Cheesecake Troubleshooting Guide

Cheesecakes are simple and should be problem free but occasionally, they arise. We've been baking cheesecakes-and teaching classes-for many years. These are the questions that we hear."What's the easiest way to make crumbs for my crust?"Lots of folks use a food processor; we don't bother. We use a heavy duty zipper-type plastic bag and crush the crackers or cookies with a rolling pin a few at a time. We save the plastic bag for the next crust. If we're in a hurry, we just use packaged graham cracker crumbs rather than crushing crackers."I have lumps in my cheesecake. How do avoid those?"The lumps are probably tiny lumps of cream cheese that didn't get broken up in mixing. To avoid that, beat the cream cheese and sugar together before adding other ingredients. In this creaming, the sugar crystals cut through the cream cheese breaking up any pieces. When the chocolate is mixed into the cool batter, it solidifies and creates lumps. To avoid that, make sure your melted chocolate is hot, well above the melt point. With your mixer running, drizzle the hot chocolate into the batter. With the chocolate hotter, it will disperse before setting up."I bake my cheesecake for the time specified in the recipe and the center is still soft. What am I doing wrong?"It's likely you're doing nothing wrong. Baking times are the most problematic part of any recipe. Consider them estimates only. There are a number of factors that can affect your baking time. - The temperature in your oven may be wrong (calibrated temperatures are seldom right).- The depth of the batter affects the time.- A dark pan bakes faster than a light one.- A cold your batter takes longer to bake. Don't worry about the time and just bake it until it done. (See the next question.)"How do I tell when my cheesecake is done?"There are three ways. You can gently shake the cheesecake. If only the center is still jiggly, it's done. Stick the probe in the center of the cheesecake and see what it reads. A cheesecake is done when the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. That's when the proteins in the eggs coagulate."How do I stop my cheesecake from cracking?"A cheesecake top without a crack seems to be the ultimate measure of success. It shouldn't be. A crack doesn't affect the taste. If you are using light gauge, reflective pans, consider switching to heavier gauge, dark pans.- Too high of heat may cause cracking. Consider baking at 325 degrees instead of at 350 degrees.- It your cheesecake cools too rapidly, it may develop cracks. What am I doing wrong?"More than anything else, the butter in the crust holds the crust together. Make sure there is enough butter, at least four tablespoons. Make sure the butter is well mixed with the crumbs. And compress the crumbs together so that the crust is firmly compacted. That way the butter is a solid. The sugar melts in baking and tends to hold things in place once it cools and sets."I always seem to muck up my slices when I cut my cheesecake. What's the best way to cut a cheesecake?"Use the right knife, a sharp, thin-bladed knife. After each cut, wash and dry the knife so that you have a clean blade slicing through the cheesecake."My slices seem to stick to the base and it's hard to remove them. Is there an easy way to neatly remove my slices?"There is an easy way to get slices to slide of the pan base. Heat a wet kitchen towel in the microwave. Lay the towel on the counter and place the cheesecake directly on the hot towel.