Dense And Firm Cheesecake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly coat a 10 inch springform pan with spray oil. Note: You could use a 9x13 inch pan instead.
• To make the crust: Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 egg and 1/2 cup butter or margarine. Spread to the edges of the pan. Prick all over with a fork, then bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Allow to cool.
• Increase oven temperature to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 3/4 cups sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, 5 eggs and the yolks and mix thoroughly. Add cream and mix only enough to blend.
• Pour filling over crust and bake for 10 minutes at 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Reduce temperature to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) and continue to bake for one hour. Turn oven off, but leave cake in for another hour. Don't worry if it looks a little jiggly in the center.
• Chill overnight. This is imperative! If desired, top with your favorite fruit or serve plain.

Steps:

• Rich and Creamy.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Set a large tea kettle of water to boil.
• Use a 9-inch springform pan. Tear off a rectangular piece of 18-inch aluminum foil, and wrap it underneath the springform bottom and fold up along sides of pan, creating a water-tight barrier. It's a good idea to use a second piece of foil to ensure water tightness.
• Inside the pan, brush bottom and sides with melted butter. Drop in crumbs, and tilt the pan around to coat bottom and sides with crumbs evenly.
• Grate teaspoon of zest off lemon. Place zest and 1/4 cup sugar in food processor and pulse until sugar turns slightly yellow, mixing its oils with sugar. If zest isn't available, just put 2 teaspoons of lemon juice in batter.
• Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and zest-sugar to cheese and beat about 3 minutes on low speed.
• Add eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated. Add vanilla extract, mix. Add heavy cream, mix. Add sour cream, mix. I usually add an optional pinch of salt. After ensuring all ingredients are mixed evenly and thoroughly, pour mixture into the prepared pan.
• Place springform pan into a roasting pan. (A disposable aluminum one works just fine.).
• Place roasting pan on middle rack in oven, securely, and pour enough boiling water to go half way up side of springform.
• Bake for 55-60 minutes. Doing the jiggle test: gently shaking the springform pan, the outside of cake will appear firm but the center will jiggle like Jell-O, and the top will not look browned, thus giving the appearance that it is underdone. But this is what you want because the hot cheesecake will continue to cook.
• Turn off oven. Use a wooden spoon to open keep the oven door ajar a couple inches in order to cool. Leave cheesecake in oven for an hour.
• Remove springform pan from roasting pan, place on rack on counter to cool to room temperature for 2-4 hours.
• Using dental floss, cut even serving slices in the cheesecake before refrigeration. The floss ensures crisp edges and doesn't stick like a knife.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight. (It always tastes better the next day.).
• The cheesecake can be refrigerated for up to 4 days, but it won't last that long--trust me.
• Light and Airy.
• Follow the above recipe, but separate the eggs. Add only yolks when instructed to add eggs. After adding creams, beat egg whites until stiff, fold into batter, and follow the rest of the instructions. Bake 45-50 minutes.
• Firm and Dense.
• Follow the above recipe, but don't use a water bath. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Bake cheesecake at 500 F for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 200 degrees F, and prop oven door open about 12 inches with a wooden spoon for about a minute, until temperature reduces in oven. Close oven door and bake approximately 60 minutes, until the cake jiggles in the center as above. Follow the same cooling instructions.

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Line bottom of 9-inch springform pan with foil, tuck foil underneath pan bottom, assemble pan, then pull foil around side of pan, Brush bottom and sides with butter. Sprinkle crumbs over bottom. Tilt pan in all directions to coat evenly with crumbs.
• Meanwhile, beat cream cheese in bowl of electric mixer until smooth.
• Gradually add sugar and beat on medium speed until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down after each addition. If you don't scrape down the bowl after each egg, cream cheese that sticks to the bowl will ultimately show up as lumps in the batter. Add zest and vanilla and beat until just incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer; stir in cream and sour cream.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake cheesecake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees, leaving oven door ajar until oven temperature reduces. Bake until perimeter of cake is set, but center jiggles like Jell-O when pan is tapped, about 1 hour longer. Remove springform pan and set on wire rack; cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours. Can be refrigerated up to 4 days.
• TECHNIQUE: To Foil-Line a Springform Pan; To foil-line your springform pan, remove the pan bottom from the ring. Line the bottom round with foil, tucking the excess foil underneath. Return the pan to the ring and clamp it in place, pulling the foil from the underside of the pan bottom up around the side of the pan.