September Cooking Class: Cheesecake

This month Candy made a variety of cheescakes to fatten us up. I was amazed at what she presented that I thought I was at the Cheesecake Factory!

Candy explained how to make the crumb mixture. She placed in her food processor graham crackers and pulsed until crumbs formed. Those crumbs go into the pan, along with some melted butter. Always use unsalted butter. Make sure you have a good crumb mixture. Usually 2 cups of crumbs for one stick of butter. Always make extra crumbs just in case you underestimate. Any leftover crumbs can be used as an ice cream topping, or kept in the freezer for another time. The pan does not require greasing.


Take care when forming the crust. Always form the edges first.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 325 degrees F.



When making the filling, be sure to bring all ingredients to room temperature first. To soften cream cheese in the microwave, place unwrapped 8 oz. cheese in a mircowaveable bowl and microwave on hight for 15 seconds. Add 15 seconds for each additional bar. Or, just let the cream cheese soften on the counter overnight if you plan to bake in the morning. If you plan to bake in the afternoon/evening, leave it out in the morning.

When mixing the filling, be careful not to overmix. Mix until the ingredients are combined. It is important to periodically scrape down the bowl. This will ensure a smooth filling. When adding eggs, add one at a time, mixing in between. In these pictures Candy is using a food processor to mix the filling. But if you have a electric mixer or a Kitchen aid, use that. But don't mix by hand. It won't combine well.




To make a marble cheesecake:
1. save about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of the plain cheesecake filling in a bowl.
2. Add the desired flavor into the plain cheesecake filling. Such as 4 oz. melted chocolate, or 1 cup of pumpkin puree with 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
3. Mix well together
4. Spread plain batter on to prepared crust. Drop the flavored filling mixture randomly over the top.
5. With the tip of a knife, swirl the filing to create a marbling effect.
6. Be sure the crust does not get mixed in with the filling while marbling to keep the filling smooth.





Candy let Sis. Komatsu practice marbling.


Using a spring form pan will make the removal very easy. When the cheesecake is jiggly, remove from oven. Never poke to test. Immediately after removing the cheesecake from the oven, run a butter knife along the insides of the pan to allow the cheesecake to shrink uniformily which will prevent cracking. Cool cheesecake (approximately 2 hours) on a wire rack, away from drafts.



When cutting a cheesecake, fill a tall container with hot water. Dip your knife into the hot water. Wipe the blade before each cut and after each cut. This will produce a nice, clean slice. The first cut should always be made to cut a cheesecake in half. This will help ensure even slices.


Pumpkin Cheesecake


Sis. Komatsu and Sis. Miyamoto serving up the cheesecake for all the hungry sisters.




Thanks Candy for another wonderful class. You can find me walking to burn off all those extra (but certainly yummy) calories! I think it might take me month to get those extra pounds off!