5 Ways to Make a Cheesecake

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

It's great to stick your fork into a cold, creamy slice of cheesecake. To make a delicious cheesecake you need to know how to make the base, the cream cheese for the filling and the toppings to garnish it. If you want to know how to proceed, follow the steps outlined in this article.

Ingrediants

For a 23 cm cheesecake

Crust

• 2 cups (475g) of Graham cookies (or Digestive if you can't find them) crumbled (this amount corresponds to two packs or 20 cookies)
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) of sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 5 tablespoons (70 g) of melted unsalted butter

Cream to be cooked

• 900 g of cream cheese (you can use Philadelphia) at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cup (270 g) of granulated sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 2/3 cup (160 ml) of sour cream
• 2/3 cup (160 ml) of whipped cream

Do not cook cream

• 500 ml of spreadable cheese at room temperature
• 435 ml of sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of vanilla extract

Coverage

• 200 ml of sour cream
• 1 sachet of vanillin
• 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar

Steps

Method 1 of 5: First Part: the Rind

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 180º

Prepare a round pan with a removable bottom by greasing it and lining it with parchment paper.

• Place a 46x46cm aluminum foil under the baking sheet. Line the outer sides with aluminum foil; do it gently to avoid getting it torn.

  

• Repeat this process with another sheet of aluminum foil of the same size.

  

• Fold the foil around the edges of the pan.

  

• Lining the pan with aluminum foil will prevent any liquid leaks that can occur if you bake the cheesecake in the oven, but this step isn't necessary if you plan to use the crust for an uncooked cheesecake.

  

• This type of cake pan is essential, as it will be easier to remove the cheesecake once it is ready.

Step 2. Place the Graham or Digestive cookies in a large plastic bag that you can seal and crush them with a rolling pin

• You can also do this with a food processor or blender, which will allow you to chop them finer and in less time.
• Place the crushed cookies in a large bowl after you're done.

Step 3. Mix them with the other ingredients, ie with sugar and a pinch of salt

Afterwards, mix them with the melted butter.

• You could turn them with a wooden spoon, but your hands will do a smoother job. Wash them before doing this.

  

• If you are using salted butter, do not add salt.

Step 4. Put all of the crust, except ¼ cup (60g), into the pan

Do this gently, leaving slightly raised edges around the inside of the pan.

• Leave approximately 5cm of crust in the pan.

• The remaining cup can be used to fill in any gaps in the crust that form as you arrange it or after removing the finished cheesecake from the pan.

  

• Use your hands to fix the crust. You can also use a metal measuring cup to pass over the crust to get a smooth and uniform base.

  

Step 5. Bake it for 10 minutes

Its final appearance may be darker or more golden, or you may not notice any changes.

Step 6. Let it cool down

If you won't bake it, put it in the refrigerator for an hour or two; it shouldn't be hotter than room temperature.

You don't need to cool the crust you are going to bake

Method 2 of 5: Part Two: Baked Cheesecake Cream

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 160º

If you cooked the crust before this step, you will need to lower the temperature.

Step 2. Beat the cream cheese left at room temperature

Cut it into chunks and beat with an electric mixer set on medium speed for four minutes.

• If possible, use a mixer with a flat beater.

  

• The spread should become smooth and creamy once you're done.

• Let it sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes to soften before using.

  

Step 3. Add the sugar to the spread and continue whisking for another four minutes

Step 4. Add the salt, vanilla and eggs

Add each ingredient separately, beating for one minute after each addition. Each egg should be added separately.

For best results, leave the eggs at room temperature for 10-30 minutes before using them

Step 5. Slowly add sour cream and whipped cream

Beat them well until they are evenly incorporated.

• Whisk around the inner sides of the bowl and incorporate what you have collected into the rest of the mixture by beating it one more time.

  

Step 6. Slowly pour the filling into the pan, onto the crust of the Graham or Digestive biscuits

Smooth the top of the cream using a silicone spatula

Step 7. Place the bottom detachable pan into another baking pan, which you have filled with enough boiling water to cover the bottom half of the detachable base pan

• Prepare two liters of boiling water, even if you don't necessarily want to use all of it.

  

• The water should not be too high to pour into the removable base pan.

  

• Placing the cheesecake in hot water will reduce the chance of cracks forming on the top of the cream as it solidifies.

Step 8. Bake it for an hour and a half

Place the cheesecake and hot water in the preheated oven and cook for an hour and a half. The filling should feel solid enough when cooked.

Step 9. Let it cool in the oven for an hour

Turn it off and leave the door open about 2.5 cm. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven for the first hour.

This cooling cycle prevents the cheesecake from cracking

Method 3 of 5: Third Part: Oven-Free Cream

Step 1. Beat the spreadable cheese until it takes on a smooth consistency

Cut the cheese and place it in a large bowl. Beat it with an electric mixer on medium speed for three to four minutes, or until it takes on a soft consistency.

The spreadable cheese should be at room temperature at the time of use, otherwise it won't be soft enough after you beat it. Leave it out for 30 minutes before use

Step 2. Add the condensed milk

Pour it a little at a time over the spreadable cheese, beating it well to get it incorporated. Continue until they are completely mixed.

With a silicone spatula, scoop the residue around the inner sides of the bowl to incorporate it into the rest of the mixture

Step 3. Add the lemon juice and vanilla and beat them well for about a minute until incorporated

• Collect the compost residues around the bowl for the last time.

  

Step 4. Pour the filling over the cooled crust

Smooth the top surface with a silicone spatula.

Make sure the crust is completely cold before adding the cream, otherwise you will have problems with the cooling of the cake

Method 4 of 5: Part Four: Coverage

Step 1. Once it has cooled, mix the sour cream with the vanillin bag and the two tablespoons of powdered sugar and spread the mixture on the surface of the cake

Put it back in the oven at 180 degrees for five minutes to make it glaze and then put it in the refrigerator for four hours or overnight

Step 2. Leave it in the refrigerator for four hours or overnight without frosting the surface

Cover the top of the cake with a sheet of aluminum foil before storing it in the fridge.

Step 3. You can serve it like this or add a sauce or syrup

The most popular sauce is that of strawberries.

Method 5 of 5: Part Five: Cheesecake Variations

Step 1. Make mini cheesecakes

Combine the standard ingredients and then fill tin or silicone muffin cups.

Step 2. You can replace Graham cookies with chocolate wafers

Step 3. Make the chocolate cheesecake

Replace the Graham biscuits with chocolate ones and add some semi-sweet chocolate after spreading the cream.

For an even richer variation, make brownie cheesecake by replacing the graham cookie crust with a layer of baked brownie. You can use standard or chocolate cream

Step 4. You can also make a white chocolate one

In this case, use semi-sweet white chocolate for the cream.

Step 5. Make the caramel cheesecake

Sprinkle the caramel over the crust before adding the cream cheese cream. When you're done baking the cake, sprinkle some melted caramel.

Step 6. You can make a more elaborate dessert if you make turtle cheesecake

Adding the pecans and chocolate chips can completely transform the caramel cheesecake into an even sweeter delight.

Step 7. Create an easy but sophisticated raspberry cheesecake

The raspberry jam is mixed with the spreadable cheese before baking the cake, creating delicious whirlpools.

Step 8. Make a chocolate bar cheesecake

Sprinkle bits of chocolate bars on the crust before pouring the filling and baking the cake. Garnish with more chocolate.

• Make a Toblerone cheesecake. Use melted instead of milk chocolate to create the cream and add small pieces to the top of the cake.
• Make a cheesecake with mashed Butterfinger bars. Put them in the cream and add small pieces on the cake at the end of the preparation.

Step 9. Believe it or not, cheesecake can also be vegan:

just use vegan cream cheese, tofu, vegan sour cream and soy cream. You should bake it in the oven.

Step 10. Try the goat cheese cheesecake, which you will mix with the cream and sour cream

This cheesecake will be slightly tougher and with a stronger flavor than the classic one.

Step 11. Conclude a special meal with a seasonal cheesecake, to which you will add one of the ingredients of the moment

• Finish your Christmas dinner with a cheesecake made with eggnog liqueur and fruit or gingerbread-based cheesecake.
• If you live in the United States, end your Thanksgiving dinner with a pumpkin or blueberry cheesecake.