Cheesecake is a decadent dessert made with cream cheese and thick, fruity toppings. The best tip for making cheesecake is to make it from scratch. Ready-made box cheesecakes are good for a pinch, but nothing compares to the rich creamy flavor of homemade cheesecake. There are several recipes available on the Internet and in most dessert cookbooks.
There are two basic types of cheesecakes. These are either baked or whipped refrigerated versions. The refrigerated version only takes a few hours to prepare, whereas a baked cheesecake takes considerably more effort. When making cheesecake, it is important to allow enough time to complete the entire baking process.
Making a whipped cheesecake only requires a blender, refrigerator, and a few measuring utensils. This is a thin form of cheesecake that is typically made with whipped cream and cream cheese. Whipped cheesecake firms after refrigeration and is typically topped with fruit toppings.
Baked cheesecake is a delicious pie that requires cream cheese, eggs, and other dry ingredients to be backed in a conventional oven for about 1.5 hours. This cake is extremely soft and should be checked with a hand-held thermometer to ensure the pie is fully cooked. Recipes typically recommend an internal temperature of 160° Fahrenheit (70° Celsius).
Baked cheesecakes are best baked in a special spring form pie pan. The pan has side clips that clamp the pie shell pan around the bottom of the pan. This type of pan is better for cheesecakes because it is easier to remove the sides from the pie crust.
It is extremely important to provide adequate cooling time for a baked cheesecake. A cheesecake should cool overnight in a refrigerator before removing it from the pan. This will make it easier to cut the cake away from the pan.
The most important tip for making cheesecake is to determine the flavor of the filling and topping before beginning. Cheesecake filling can include most chocolates or fruits. These ingredients are added to the cream cheese mixture before it is baked or refrigerated.
Cheesecakes can be topped with almost any type of fruit or pie filling. Some of the most popular are cherry and blueberry toppings. The best fruit toppings for pies are labeled as pie fillings, which have a thick syrupy consistency and are great for making cheesecake.
Graham crackers are another important ingredient when making cheesecake crust. Using this type of crust makes the cheesecake taste like it has a cookie shell. There are also a few dairy-free cheesecake recipes that are made specifically for people who are lactose intolerant. These pies require a soy-based cream cheese as a substitute for standard cream cheese. Lactose-free cheesecakes have a rich creamy texture without the heavy dairy side effects.
