Recipe File: Cheesecake, Plain New York Style
Cheesecakes are decadent desserts made of either American cream cheese or ricotta cheese. They are more akin to giant custards than cakes, and, as such, cheesecakes often have complicated baking directions designed to prevent the cheesecake from cracking while preserving a rich uniform texture. New York style cheesecakes are cream cheese mixtures baked without a water bath and are unique because the baking starts at a high temperature (that's quickly dropped down) producing a rich interior and light brown exterior.
Plain New York Style Cheesecake (serves twelve)
Graham cracker crust
| Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C) | ||||
| 4 oz. (110 g) graham crackers | process to crumbs | mix | form in pan | bake 325°F (160°C) 12 min. |
| 4 Tbs. (55 g) butter | melt | |||
| 1 Tbs. (12 g) sugar | ||||
Cheesecake
| Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C) | |||||||||
| 2-1/2 lb. (1.1 kg) cream cheese | mix until smooth | mix | mix in thirds | mix | mix | mix | mix in halves | bake 500°F (260°C) 10 min. | bake 200°F (93°C) 100 min. until 150°F (65°C) |
| 1/8 tsp. (1 g) salt | |||||||||
| 1-3/4 cup (350 g) sugar | |||||||||
| 3 Tbs. (23 g) all-purpose flour (optional) | |||||||||
| 2 tsp. (10 mL) lemon juice | |||||||||
| 1 tsp. (5 mL) vanilla extract | |||||||||
| 1/2 cup (120 mL) heavy cream | |||||||||
| 2 large (34 g) egg yolks | |||||||||
| 6 large (300 g) eggs | |||||||||
| 1 graham cracker crust | |||||||||
32 Comments:
This looks fantastic and not at all as complicated as I thought it would be...this looks like a good first project to break in my new KitchenAid mixer that I got for Christmas!
Michael-
I have read in numerous places that you need to be careful not to overbeat a cheesecake batter. I've never had a problem with the top cracking, so I suppose I must not be overbeating it. Or is there actually no basis in that advice? If there is, what is it? Why would overbeating cause the top to crack?
re: overbeaten / cracking
As I understand the potential problems while making a cheesecake, overbeating does not contribute directly to a cracks forming on the surface of the cheesecake. However, overbeating could introduce air bubbles into the batter. If these air bubbles are around while baking, then the bubbles could expand causing the cheesecake to rise. Then, the bubbles will burst (because a cheesecake has very little in terms of structural support - no flour) and the cake will fall. The solution? Use low speeds on your mixer and help the air bubbles rise by lightly dropping the cake before baking. A popular "trick" is to run a knife in a multiple 'S' pattern through the batter after it's been poured to help release air bubbles.
Cracking occurs for a variety of reasons. The three most likely reasons on a cake this size is rapid cooling and under or overcooking of the filling. A cracked cheesecake does not affect taste, but it might be an indicator of texture. The cheesecake shrinks a little when cooled. When cooled rapidly, the cake may not change shape uniformly resulting in a fissure forming through the middle of the top of the cake. It's best to cool it slowly in a warm, moist place. Some recipes suggest cooling in the oven (after it's been turned off), but this takes a really long time and may not be perfectly safe since the cake is kept in the bacterial danger zone for many hours.
If the middle of the cake is not fully cooked, then it might also crack during cooling. Using an instant read thermometer ensures the center of the cake will cook enough to coagulate the eggs while not overcooking. In addition, adding 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour to the recipe (mix in with the sugar) will help bind the cake without a noticable change in texture or flavor. In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, we should include this 3 Tbs. flour whenever we can. I'll add it to the recipe.
The last way I'd expect cracks to form is in the oven. If the center of the cake completely solidifies, the surface will start to crack as more and more liquid evaporates. This used to be a sign that the cheesecake was done, but in fact the interior is a bit overdone. Also, you'll have an unsightly top to your cheesecake. Many of these cracking issues can be avoided by baking in a water bath, but then it wouldn't be New York style anymore.
Table says "100min" text, "10 min"
re: 100 min.
The table is correct. Please bake the cheesecake at 200°F for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
This will sound like a really stupid question to any Americans, but could you describe what gordon crackers are like?
There's no such thing outside the US, at least not where I live. From the image I'd say they look more like biscuits than regular crackers (as in cheese & crackers). What would you advise as a substitute?
Many European cheese cake recipes use Zwiebeck as a substitute for grahm crackers in the recipe.
re: substitutes for graham crackers
If graham crackers are unavailable, you can try:
vanilla or chocolate wafers
amaretti biscuits
ginger snaps
zwieback
Don't forgot to make crumbs out of these cookies and crackers... Have fun.
Re: cracking
In my experience, cracking occurs when the cake spends too much time baking at too high a temperature, but that doesn't necessarily mean the interior is overdone. I've done tests keeping the oven at an even 300-350 for the whole baking time, and the cakes cracked like the devil even though the final color and texture were good. The problem lies in the fact that the filling doesn't cook uniformly.
Solidity starts at the outer surfaces, then works its way in. Cracks occur when the solid layer at the top is about 1cm thick and the filling has puffed enough that the surface is fully domed. Basically, the custard can't stretch enough to take the stress (custards are notorious for low tensile strength), so it breaks and you get a panful of tasty fault lines.
Puffing does *not* occcur uniformly, though. It starts as a ring around the edge of the pan and then moves in to the center. The trick to getting a good, light cheesecake is to have the puffing stop just as it reaches the center, then maintain that level of puff while the rest of the filling solidifies. Give the cake too much heat, and it will crack. Give it too little, and it will collapse.. you'll end up with a bowl-shaped, crumpled top.
The key to controlling puff is knowing when to switch the oven from 500 down to 200. You don't want to wait until the top is fully domed, because the filling will continue to puff while the oven temperature falls, and you'll get cracks. Nor do you want to drop the temperature too early, because the center won't puff and you'll end up with a bowl. 10 minutes is a decent rule of thumb, but really, you have to watch the cake.
I personally drop to to 200 when the un-puffed zone at the center is about 4-5cm in diameter. That happens to be the sweet spot for the cakes I usually make. Your mileage will vary based on the diameter of your pan, the depth of the filling, the amount of air you've whipped into the filling, humidity, your oven, the phase of the moon, and who knows what else. Just assume that your first two or three cakes will be ranging shots, and figure out what works best for you.
That bit of timing is the 'secret' of cheesecake, though.
mike stone
.
Michael,
This recipe sounded so good, I made it yesterday. We had a small slice with breakfast this morning and my wife declared it the "best cheesecake ever!" It was delicious. Light and fluffy inside and a little denser on the edges.
A few comments/questions:
1. The post says to cook the crust at 350, but the listing at the bottom says 325.
2. I didn't fully understand the part about the tablespoon of melted butter on the bottom of the pan. Are you saying to use 1/2 tablespoon of melted butter? It was confusing because you never mention what to do with the other half.
3. My cake developed a large crack around the other edge after only 20 min. I thought most cheesecakes cracked during the cooling, not the coking. I will mention that mine didn't turn brown after the 10 min at 500. so I gave it another 2 min. Maybe that had something to do with it.
Nonetheless, it was a delicious cake. Thanks for the great recipe and site.
Peter
re: crust temperature
Whoops. I made a mistake. The crust should be baked at 325°F for about 12 min. I don't think baking at 350&176;F would hurt anything.
re: 1/2 tablespoon butter
Ah, yes. I left out the all important line: "When the crust has cooled, use the remaining half tablespoon of butter to butter the sides." So, yes, use half a tablespoon for the bottom and half for the sides. Sorry.
re: browning and cracking
Although, many consider a "perfect" cheesecake to be a uniformly colored one without blemish, I think the most important aspect is probably taste. You can always top a cracked cheesecake or hide it with clever cutting. In this case, I'm not sure why the cheesecake cracked (often it's hard to tell). There are a few things you might want to try - although, you may be eaten many cheesecakes through this experimental process. (1) Use a water bath to introduce more moisture in the oven. I use a gas oven, sot here is some inherent moisture. An electric may be too dry for a cheesecake (pure conjecture on my part). Try placing a large pan of hot water in the oven on a rack positioned below the cheesecake. (2) If, you kept the door closed the entire time of the bake, then maybe try reducing the temperature a bit faster by cracking the oven door during the transition between 500°F and 200#176;F. Or, perhaps your oven's 200°F isn't 200°F (often the case). (3) If you opened the oven door while baking to peek, try not doing that. :)
Cheesecakes are finicky things and require a bunch of patience to get "perfect". (As you can see with the cheesecake I baked as an example, it did not come out perfectly because I was in a bit of a rush. This just goes to show that perhaps cheesecakes shouldn't be baked on weekday evenings after a long days work and when you have an early morning meeting so you need to get to bed and the cake is still cooling at 1:00 am.)
Good luck!
Michael
You really had your work cut out with the responses from this recipe!
One comment - the term 'graham crackers' is confusing. Are they like ritz or jatz (i.e. flaky) or are they like biscuits (i.e. crumbly)?
To overcome the language barrier, perhaps you could describe what they are made of in order for us to work out what they are. I think they are actually available here (in Australia) under a different generic name.
Graham Crackers are known as digestive biscuits in the UK. Hope that helps.
Here is a quick description of Graham Crackers with a few pictures http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?s=Graham+Crackers
Nabisco is the maker. Here is manufacture's website. http://www.nabiscoworld.com/honeymaid/
Gorgeous! You tempt me to go bake - not an easy thing. [smile]
BTW, you've probably heard it a hundred times before, but I think your cooking instruction graphs are excellent and a very good idea.
Gorgeous! You tempt me to go bake - not an easy thing. [smile]
BTW, you've probably heard it a hundred times before, but I think your cooking instruction graphs are excellent and a very good idea.
A cheesecake! My kind of entry ;)
I've had terrible cracks from time to time--mostly they occur because I forget to run a knife around the edge immedimately after taking it out of the oven, and then again before tossing it into the fridge.
When I remove it from the oven, I cover it with loosely with a paper towel and then again with plastic wrap--the paper towel becomes very moist and droops onto the cheesecake, but comes off easily. I'm not sure if it helps keep the moisture in while letting the heat out, but I haven't had a crack when doing this as well as remembering to run a knife around the edges.
For cutting, I've been told the best way to cut it is to take dental floss and press it through the cheesecake, and then pull it out.
I'll definitely have to put this one on the todo queue though =)
-Jefferson
this is a post for jeremy and anonymous who asked about graham crackers. the best substitute we have for them in australia are shredded wheatmeal. for this cheesecake, the shape of the biscuit (cookie/cracker) is inconsequential, although you may experience some inconvenience for those recipes requiring the biscuit to be used whole.
a teaspoon of ground ginger in the crumb base is not a bad addition to the recipe, it a adds a certain something.
Well I tried the recipe, and had rather unfortunate results. Upon removing the Cheesecake from the oven, the top looked great, and using an instant-read thermometer the center was about 153ºF. At the time the center of the cake was still really gooey, but the recipe said it'd set once it was fully chilled. The next morning I pulled out the cake, and the center is STILL gooey. It may have something to do with my springform pan being a little deeper (at 9", holding all the filling with some room to spare). Any suggestions on how to salvage this expensive trainwreck?
Re: gooey cheesecake
I hope this response isn't too late (it probably is), but you can try freezing the cheesecake. In general, fully cooked cheese cakes freeze really well. To thaw, just place them in the refrigerator over night and they should be ready to eat the next day. This freezing, may help to set the center of your cheesecake a bit more.
That helps with the what to do, but why did it happen? I'm not sure. It could be that your instant read thermometer needs recalibrating or the combination of humidity, atmospheric conditions, cooling properties of your pan and environment, who knows causes the cake not to properly set. I would suggest to bake the next cheesecake a little bit longer or try leaving it in the oven with the door cracked open for ten to twenty minutes after you've reached 150°F. Ideally, we want the temperature over 150° but as close to 160°F as possible - but going over 160°F almost always results in cracking.
One of the difficulties of cheesecakes is that you need to make them a few times to get the recipe just right for your ingredients, oven, and location. After investing the time and money, you've got a dessert that everyone will be fighting to get their hands on.
I just tried this recipe for a birthday present for a cheesecake lover... it worked great, aside from some problems at the start (mixing the cream cheese killed the mixer I was using.. I probably should have warmed the cheese more before starting).
I ended up with some gooeyness at the center of the cheesecake as well, but not too much. I actually cut the cooking time a little short, so it didn't surprise me. I didn't remember to look for a thermometer while looking for a new mixer, so it was mostly guesswork.
Thanks for this article, I'm sure I'll end up experimenting more with it in the future.
This post has been removed by the author.
The recipes seem quite interesting
and easy. My questions is
Can I use other biscuits like digestive biscuit to subsitute with graham crackers and American cream cheese with Philadelphia Cream Cheese since it is hard to get the same ingredients in South East Asia . To bake the crust,
I would like to mix the butter and crackers only without adding the sugar. Any comments ?
re: Hui May's ingredient substitutions
Those substitutions will work just fine. It seems that digestive biscuits are the same thing as graham crackers. In the U.S. graham crackers are made sweet, so the addition of the sugar may not be necessary for those who don't like strongly flavored sweets.
Philadelphia cream cheese is a brand of American cream cheese, so that will work well. In fact, Philidelphia cream cheese is the most popular cream cheese in the United States - so no worries there!
Good luck.
very basic Q.. when u beat the cream cheese, do u use a K-beater or the balloon whisk on ur KA (KitchenAide)? and what speed did u use? Thanks!
re: beater type and speed
I used the flat beater (not whisk) to beat the cream cheese. I started on low and moved up in speed as the cream cheese began to become smooth - then I slowly stepped up to a low-medium speed (about a 4 on my mixer). When adding ingredients, I moved it back down to low to reduce the possibility of splatter.
Well, I just tried this recipe and it was going fine until the very end--I was too afraid to open the oven door and mess with the temperature that I couldn't see that the oven (even though the dial was turned to 200) was actually 300 degrees F! The cheesecakes are cooling now, and I hope that they didn't get too terribly damaged (the thermometer reads 200 degrees at the center of each one).
One thing I dont get--and this is probably from an inexpert understanding of physics--is how if the cheesecakes are in the oven for an hour and forty minutes the center never reaches the same temperature as the oven. Shouldn't they be reading 200 degrees as well? (Well, obviously they don't since there was a 100-degree difference in mine.) Why is it that the heat doesn't permeate that far?
re: physics
My thermodynamics is a bit rusty, but a few estimates can be made if we make some simple assumptions.
A 10" cheese cake has a volume of approximately 2600 cm^3 (mL). If we approximate that cheesecake has the density of water and the specific heat of water, then it takes about 10.9 kJ to raise its temperature by 1°C (4186 J/kgC° * 2.6 kg). Starting at 20°C and ending up at 100°C, the water needs to gain about 870 kJ of energy.
Using Stefan's Law, we can approximate roughly how fast energy entered the water with an oven set to 200°C (through radiation):
P = (5.67*10^-8 W/m^2*K^4)(surfacearea)(0.95)(T^4-T0^4)
P = 5.67*10^-8 W/m^2*K^4*(0.14m^2)(0.95)(((373 K)^4-(293 K)^4)
Thus P is about 90 W
This means it takes about 9600 seconds or 2 hour 40 minutes for a body of water the size and shape of cheesecake to reach an average temperature of 200°C.
Likewise a calculation based on 90 W entering the water/cheesecake approximation, shows that after 1 hr. 40 min, 540 kJ of energy has been added to the cheesecake shaped water, raising it's temperature by 49.5 C° to a final average temperature of 69.5°C or 157°F.
Of course all of these calculations are real crude especially since a cheesecake is a bit more complicated than a fat cylinder of water, the specific heat and emissivity of water is not constant (varies a little by temperature), and we don't take into account the pan or conductive heat. (I did quickly glance at how much heat would be conducted from the air to the cake, but it looks like it would be less than a watt, so I ignored it.) Otherwise, this is probably a pretty good estimate.
Hi Michael..
My oven here in UK has GAS MARK 1, 2, 3,4 etc. Therefore i'm not sure which mark should i put in order to bake this cheesecake. I really wanted to try your recipe. Hope u could help me in this matter.
Many thanx..
re: Gas Mark
I think 500°F is around 10 Gas Mark while 200°F is a little lower than 1/4 Gas Mark.
I suggest using an oven thermometer to see what setting on your oven equates to 200°F since you're going to need to set it lower than the lowest marked value (usually 1 Gas Mark - some ovens go down to 1/4 Gas Mark but we need a bit lower).
For the record, I use the following for rough Gas Mark conversion:
1/4 Gas Mark = 225°F
1/2 Gas Mark = 250°F
1 Gas Mark = 275°F
Each additional Gas Mark is another 25F°.
Michael,
I must say this is one of the best basic cheesecake recipes I've found. I use it quite often by itself, or as a base for flavored cheesecakes. I've had zero problems with the recipe. In terms of the "gooyness" in the middle that some have reported I recommend this. When removing the cake from the oven, after running a paring knife around the edge-cover the cake with a larger pan and let it cool to room temperature. This will take along time but will set the cake nicely with no sudden drop in temperature. I then refrigerate until cold and then freeze. Freezing the cake is the easiest way I've found to get the cake out of my expensive pans. All in all I don't think you can go wrong with this recipe. Thumbs Up to Michael!
I am new in cooking ... and I have a stupid question
I don't have an electric mixer... do I HAVE to use an electric mixer for mixing the cream cheese and stuff? Would it be a nightmare to mix those ingredients just by simple tools such as... spoons?
Post a Comment
<< Home