Hello CC Family
I need some assistance.
1. My cheese cakes seem to be still soft and fall apart when you slice it (even after a day in refrig).
2 The graham cracker crust just does not have a great taste to me.
3. The crust still seems wet to me.
4. How long does the cheese cake have to set up.
Please help me it is driving my crazy and know my CC family can help me.
I have baked cheesecakes (a lot of different flavors) for years. Last year, I purchased "Junior's Cheesecakes" published by Fine Cooking. It was available in magazine form. What a great book!! Great ideas - and their cheesecake is different from the one I have usually made. People love it!! See if you can purchase it - lots of great info.
is there any flour in your recipe? is it a baked or no bake cheese cake? in your crust..sounds like you are maybe putting in too much butter. if its a baked cheese cake. maybe you are not baking it long enough. my cheese cakes bake in a water bath for 1 hr 55min.
Assuming it is a baked cheesecake:
1. If your cheesecake is still soft, it sounds like it was not cooked long enough. Another factor may be that your recipe has too much liquid in the batter.
2. Crust - consider adding more flavor such as cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc. to enhance the flavor of your crust or change the brand you are using for graham crackers or make them from scratch.
3. Wet crust - I agree with kjgjam22 in that you may have too much butter. Also, I typically will bake my crust for about 10 minutes prior to adding the filling too.
4. At least 4 hours but I prefer to allow to set up overnight to make sure it is set.
Sounds like it didn't bake long enough. Try experimenting with different crusts...pretzels, gingersnaps, brownies, I even used chocolate animal crackers once. The possibilities are endless... Let it set up at least several hours, overnight if you can.
There are many styles/types of cheesecake:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheesecake
How to make a New York style cheesecake:
(And additional recipes.)
http://www.joyofbaking.com/Cheesecake.html
http://tinyurl.com/2jqxqx
http://tinyurl.com/5soeuu
Chicago style cheesecake recipes:
http://tinyurl.com/597nda
http://tinyurl.com/5e7omr
http://tinyurl.com/5l3q39
Other flavors cheesecakes:
http://tinyurl.com/64jjxj
http://tinyurl.com/5qaz9v
http://tinyurl.com/5cpp6q
London style cheesecake recipe:
http://tinyurl.com/5drdkl
HTH
what also happens to me is water seems in through the bottom of the spring form pan if baked in a water bath. i wrap the outside of my tin twice with a heavy duty foil.
I just put a pan of hot water on the rack below the one I'm baking on and it bakes up perfectly with a level top and no cracking. The water seeping in from the water bath may be your problem.
Yes... I don't put mine in a water bath either. I don't put a pan of water in at all actually.
What do you put in your crust? You might want to add some salt if you don't already. It will perk everything up. It could be the brand of crackers you are using too. How long are you baking the crust before you put your filling into it? Do you let it cool completely before adding your filling? It could be that graham cracker srust just isn't your thing. Try ginger snaps for some flavors of cheesecake or even a shortbread crust is nice... find what you like.
Sounds like you might need to bake your cheesecakes a little longer too. They should be just wiggly in the center.
I agree with the other posts on here about what could be going wrong. Cheesecake seems to be a favorite with the entire family so I have made countless of them. I have a recipe that has come out picture perfect every time. It is a White Chocolate Cheesecake with caramelized apples and a cookie crust. I think I got out of a magazine and is a Wolfman Puck recipe. If you would like to try, let me know and I will pm it to you. As far as water seeping into cake when using water bath, I not only wrap it in aluminum foil but I also put it in a turkey roasting bag and that took care of that problem. A few tricks I have picked up about cheesecakes:
1. treat is as a regular cake and grease the pan
2. leave it in the oven for a couple of hrs after baking so this helps avoid cracking
Cracking usually results from overbaking. Your cheesecake shouldn't get over 165 degrees at the center... I aim for 155-160, but closer to 155. I always put a topping on them so the little hole from my thermometer doesn't matter.
Cracking can also be caused by overbeating and getting too much air in your batter. They can also form if your oven is too hot. Eggs need to cook slowly and evenly... get them too hot and they get angry and will cause the cracking.
Cheesecake is very much like a custard... so you have to be very careful to not overbake it or the texture will be completely wrong. The center should just wiggle and not look wet on the surface. When it is done, run a knife around the edge to loosen it from the pan (or bake with a parchment collar). Let it cool completely and place in the fridge overnight. It's best with at least 24 hours or more of resting time.
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