A foolproof, no crack cheesecake filled with love. Most cheesecake recipes are loaded with cream cheese and I often wonder whether they really taste like cheesecake or just cream cheese. Cheesecake is a classic dessert consisting of cream cheese, sugar, eggs and sour cream with a base of crushed cookies. Baked in a springform pan using the water bath process for even distribution of heat and preventing the cake from drying out. Cooled, refrigerated to set and tastes divine with its rich, creamy consistency, so a small slice goes a long way.
To bake a perfect cheesecake, first grease the bottom and interior sides of the springform pan for easy removal when ready to serve. Spread the crushed cookies for the base evenly in the pan and press firmly using the smooth bottom of a glass. Refrigerate the pan for the crust to set while you work with the filling. Ensure that the ingredients are at room temperature. Mix using an electric hand beater at a moderate speed without incorporating too much air or else the cake will crack when baking. Secure the pan firmly on all sides with aluminum foil to prevent water from seeping into the seams and ruining the base. Pour the filling into the prepared pan. Bake the cake at 300 F or 150 C in a water bath till almost set while the centre has a slight jiggle. The cake will continue to cook with the residual heat. Cool completely and refrigerate for at least 12 to 24 hours, allowing it to solidify to a perfect consistency. When ready to serve, loosen cake by running a knife around the edges of the cake. Loosen the base using a palette knife and transfer the cake onto a platter. Slice with a warm knife to prevent the cheesecake from sticking to it.
Crushed graham crackers, digestive biscuits, oreo cookies or sponge cake crumbs can be used to form a crust or a base. Full-fat cream cheese and full-fat sour cream provide the rich creamy texture. The filling can be flavoured with various fruits or served drizzled with a chunky fruit puree. For an attractive look, strained fruit puree can be topped onto the filling before baking to create swirls. A sweet flavoured cheesecake is served as a dessert while the savoury one as an appetizer.
(Play slideshow below to view the various pictures.)
To bake a perfect cheesecake, first grease the bottom and interior sides of the springform pan for easy removal when ready to serve. Spread the crushed cookies for the base evenly in the pan and press firmly using the smooth bottom of a glass. Refrigerate the pan for the crust to set while you work with the filling. Ensure that the ingredients are at room temperature. Mix using an electric hand beater at a moderate speed without incorporating too much air or else the cake will crack when baking. Secure the pan firmly on all sides with aluminum foil to prevent water from seeping into the seams and ruining the base. Pour the filling into the prepared pan. Bake the cake at 300 F or 150 C in a water bath till almost set while the centre has a slight jiggle. The cake will continue to cook with the residual heat. Cool completely and refrigerate for at least 12 to 24 hours, allowing it to solidify to a perfect consistency. When ready to serve, loosen cake by running a knife around the edges of the cake. Loosen the base using a palette knife and transfer the cake onto a platter. Slice with a warm knife to prevent the cheesecake from sticking to it.
Crushed graham crackers, digestive biscuits, oreo cookies or sponge cake crumbs can be used to form a crust or a base. Full-fat cream cheese and full-fat sour cream provide the rich creamy texture. The filling can be flavoured with various fruits or served drizzled with a chunky fruit puree. For an attractive look, strained fruit puree can be topped onto the filling before baking to create swirls. A sweet flavoured cheesecake is served as a dessert while the savoury one as an appetizer.
(Play slideshow below to view the various pictures.)
Cheesecake with Raspberry Hearts
(Serves 10)
You will need a 9" springform pan
Crust
Ingredients:
2 cups honey Graham crumbs (available at Walmart) or finely ground cookies (as desired)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)
extra butter for greasing
Method:
Grease the bottom and interior sides of a 9" springform pan with butter.
Secure the bottom of the pan with two large pieces of aluminum foil ensuring to cover all the way up along the sides and folding inside around the top edge. This will prevent water from seeping at the base into the seams of the springform pan.
In a bowl, mix the crumbs with the melted butter using a fork till well moistened. Press crumbs in the pan all over the bottom and along the sides. Use fingers or smooth bottom with a measuring cup or glass. Refrigerate the pan and prepare the filling.
Raspberry Topping
Ingredients:
3 cups raspberries fresh or frozen (thawed)
2 teaspoons sugar
Method:
Heat raspberries with sugar till soft and pulpy. Strain through a fine sieve. Cool and pour in a squeeze bottle. Keep aside.
Filling
Ingredients:
375 gms full-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
300 ml full-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon of orange or lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons all purpose flour or maida
Method:
Ensure that cream cheese, eggs and sour cream are at room temperature.
For the water bath, boil some water in a saucepan or kettle enough to cover halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
Preheat oven to 300 F or 150 C and ensure that the oven rack is in the middle position.
Using a stand mixer or electric beater, beat the cream cheese at moderate speed till smooth and with no lumps. Add the sugar and beat until creamy. Then add the eggs, one at a time followed by the flour, sour cream, vanilla extract and orange or lemon zest. Do not overbeat and incorporate too much air or else the cake will rise and crack. Pour filling over the crust.
Top cake with strained raspberry puree piping circles starting from the centre and working all the way outward. Using a wooden skewer, create heart swirls starting from the centre circle and going all the way around. If you prefer single hearts, wipe skewer with a paper towel after each swirl. For a continuous round of hearts, do not lift the skewer till you complete the entire row.
Carefully place the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water in the roasting pan covering halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes till the cake is set all around with a slight jiggle in the centre. It will firm up on cooling. (Do not test cake with a toothpick.) Let cake rest in the pan for some time. Remove the aluminum foil and cool cake completely in the pan before refrigerating.
Cover pan with a plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or at least for 12 to 24 hours.
Run a knife along the sides of the pan to loosen cheesecake. Remove the outer rim of the pan. With a long palette knife, loosen the bottom crust on all sides and then slide cake onto a platter. (If you find it difficult to separate the crust, cutting a slice first makes it much easier or cake can be served with the base of
the pan.)
Dip a smooth knife in hot water, wipe dry with paper towel and slice the cake. Repeat the above process for each cut.
Serve cake with leftover raspberry puree.
Note:
(Serves 10)
You will need a 9" springform pan
Crust
Ingredients:
2 cups honey Graham crumbs (available at Walmart) or finely ground cookies (as desired)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)
extra butter for greasing
Method:
Grease the bottom and interior sides of a 9" springform pan with butter.
Secure the bottom of the pan with two large pieces of aluminum foil ensuring to cover all the way up along the sides and folding inside around the top edge. This will prevent water from seeping at the base into the seams of the springform pan.
In a bowl, mix the crumbs with the melted butter using a fork till well moistened. Press crumbs in the pan all over the bottom and along the sides. Use fingers or smooth bottom with a measuring cup or glass. Refrigerate the pan and prepare the filling.
Raspberry Topping
Ingredients:
3 cups raspberries fresh or frozen (thawed)
2 teaspoons sugar
Method:
Heat raspberries with sugar till soft and pulpy. Strain through a fine sieve. Cool and pour in a squeeze bottle. Keep aside.
Filling
Ingredients:
375 gms full-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
300 ml full-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon of orange or lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons all purpose flour or maida
Method:
Ensure that cream cheese, eggs and sour cream are at room temperature.
For the water bath, boil some water in a saucepan or kettle enough to cover halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
Preheat oven to 300 F or 150 C and ensure that the oven rack is in the middle position.
Using a stand mixer or electric beater, beat the cream cheese at moderate speed till smooth and with no lumps. Add the sugar and beat until creamy. Then add the eggs, one at a time followed by the flour, sour cream, vanilla extract and orange or lemon zest. Do not overbeat and incorporate too much air or else the cake will rise and crack. Pour filling over the crust.
Top cake with strained raspberry puree piping circles starting from the centre and working all the way outward. Using a wooden skewer, create heart swirls starting from the centre circle and going all the way around. If you prefer single hearts, wipe skewer with a paper towel after each swirl. For a continuous round of hearts, do not lift the skewer till you complete the entire row.
Carefully place the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water in the roasting pan covering halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes till the cake is set all around with a slight jiggle in the centre. It will firm up on cooling. (Do not test cake with a toothpick.) Let cake rest in the pan for some time. Remove the aluminum foil and cool cake completely in the pan before refrigerating.
Cover pan with a plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or at least for 12 to 24 hours.
Run a knife along the sides of the pan to loosen cheesecake. Remove the outer rim of the pan. With a long palette knife, loosen the bottom crust on all sides and then slide cake onto a platter. (If you find it difficult to separate the crust, cutting a slice first makes it much easier or cake can be served with the base of
the pan.)
Dip a smooth knife in hot water, wipe dry with paper towel and slice the cake. Repeat the above process for each cut.
Serve cake with leftover raspberry puree.
Note:
- I have used orange zest in the cake.
- Though I prepare cheesecake with no flour, I had to use some for a thicker consistency and to prevent the raspberry puree from sinking to the bottom.
- The cheesecake was divine and delicious with the family enjoying every bite.
