There’s a lot of hype about cheesecakes being so hard to make. Some of it is true; they can be temperamental little buggers if you don’t treat them right. But they really aren’t as difficult as everyone makes them out to be, and if you just follow these steps, your cheesecake should be good as gold!
- Thou shalt use parchment paper: Lining your pan with parchment is essential when it comes to actually getting your cheesecake out of that spring form and onto your plate!
- Thou shalt use only Philadelphia cream cheese: End of story. No exceptions.
- Thou shalt not use low-fat anything: I’m pretty sure “low-fat cheesecake” is an oxymoron. If you want your cheesecake to turn out, use the real thing.
- Thou shalt use ingredients at room temperature: Eggs, cream cheese, sour cream… let it all come to room temperature before mixing them together. It really makes a difference!
- Thou shalt not make a graham cracker crust: Let’s be a little more creative here… there are so many other delicious options: shortbread, gingersnaps, brownies… Just anything besides graham crackers, please.
- Thou shalt use a bain-marie: Bain-marie is French for “water bath” and is absolutely necessary for keeping your cheesecake from getting an ugly crack down the middle. When baking your cheesecake, put the spring form in a roasting pan with about an inch of hot water. (Just make sure you wrap your spring form in foil… twice!)
- Thou shalt let thy cheesecake cool in the oven: This also prevents cracking. Once the cheesecake is done baking, just turn the oven off and leave the door slightly ajar. Let it sit in there for about 30 min.
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