Those who know me well, will know that I am a sucker for Cheesecake. Even if you don't know me well, all you have to do is head over the the recipe index on my blog and you may notice that there is already an American Chocolate Ripple Cheesecake, Japanese Cheesecake and a White Chocolate Yuzu Cheesecake recipe in the dessert gallery. I even have a recipe for Blackberry Cheesecake Brownies. That is pretty telling isn't it? 😁
What's not to love about cheesecake? If your answer is that you don't like cheese, then I'm sorry but I don't think we can ever be friends 😂 Jokes apart, the decadent taste and texture of cheesecake belies the fact that it is fairly simple to make. Cheesecake lovers know that they can enjoy this velvety smooth and creamy dessert anytime they want by stirring up a few basic ingredients including cream cheese, sugar and eggs, pouring it over a crust made of graham crackers or digestive biscuits and baking it till done. The only difficult part is waiting for the cheesecake to set in the fridge which takes a couple of hours! But then again, good things come to those who wait, right? 😜
So, why did I make cheesecake yet again you ask? Well aside from the fact that I don't need any excuse to make this dessert, I realized that I didn't have the classic New York-style cheesecake on the blog and in this recipe, I tried a few new tips and tricks that I hadn't in my other cheesecake recipes.
For starters, I pre-baked the crust for 10 mins. With my previous cheesecakes, I just chilled them in the fridge prior to pouring in the filling and baking. Pre-baking the crust made it firmer and crunchier. For the first time, I used graham crackers instead of digestive biscuits to make the crust and I finally understand why they are preferred. Much superior in terms of both texture and flavour.
A little bit of cornstarch or flour in the cheesecake batter is insurance against cracking and makes the cake easier to cut into clean slices, though it does change the texture of the cheesecake a bit. Starch makes the cheesecake more firm and sturdy, while a cheesecake that relies on eggs alone has a softer, super-creamy texture. I added flour in this recipe and yes, there were absolutely no cracks and I was able to get very clean slices. I agree that the texture was not as soft as when flour is not used but I still thought it was pretty good.
A water bath isn't mandatory if you use starch in your recipe. Many recipes even suggest baking a starchless cheesecake on its own (the American Chocolate Ripple Cheesecake and White Chocolate Yuzu Cheesecakes on the blog were baked in the oven sans a water bath), but for this cheesecake I did use a water bath just like how I did when I made the Japanese cheesecake. A water bath helps cook the cheesecake gently while also creating a steamy environment so the surface doesn't get too dry. It serves like a day spa for the cheesecake, and makes it supremely smooth and creamy. I have to concur! You don't need to be intimidated though - a water bath is not that hard. Just set the cheesecake in a roasting pan or other large baking dish, fill it with a few inches of boiling water, and put the whole contraption in the oven. The whole shebang takes a few minutes extra but is worth the effort. Wrapping the cheesecake pan in foil also helps keep any water from seeping through the cracks of the pan.
I also went a step further and made a fresh strawberry sauce. The sauce turned out lush, thick, bursting with fresh summer strawberry flavor and stunning in its ruby-red glory. The acidity from the strawberry sauce cuts through the richness of this dessert and makes for a perfect topping.
Creamy, sinful, non-stop bliss! Try it you guys 😊
What's not to love about cheesecake? If your answer is that you don't like cheese, then I'm sorry but I don't think we can ever be friends 😂 Jokes apart, the decadent taste and texture of cheesecake belies the fact that it is fairly simple to make. Cheesecake lovers know that they can enjoy this velvety smooth and creamy dessert anytime they want by stirring up a few basic ingredients including cream cheese, sugar and eggs, pouring it over a crust made of graham crackers or digestive biscuits and baking it till done. The only difficult part is waiting for the cheesecake to set in the fridge which takes a couple of hours! But then again, good things come to those who wait, right? 😜
So, why did I make cheesecake yet again you ask? Well aside from the fact that I don't need any excuse to make this dessert, I realized that I didn't have the classic New York-style cheesecake on the blog and in this recipe, I tried a few new tips and tricks that I hadn't in my other cheesecake recipes.
For starters, I pre-baked the crust for 10 mins. With my previous cheesecakes, I just chilled them in the fridge prior to pouring in the filling and baking. Pre-baking the crust made it firmer and crunchier. For the first time, I used graham crackers instead of digestive biscuits to make the crust and I finally understand why they are preferred. Much superior in terms of both texture and flavour.
A little bit of cornstarch or flour in the cheesecake batter is insurance against cracking and makes the cake easier to cut into clean slices, though it does change the texture of the cheesecake a bit. Starch makes the cheesecake more firm and sturdy, while a cheesecake that relies on eggs alone has a softer, super-creamy texture. I added flour in this recipe and yes, there were absolutely no cracks and I was able to get very clean slices. I agree that the texture was not as soft as when flour is not used but I still thought it was pretty good.
A water bath isn't mandatory if you use starch in your recipe. Many recipes even suggest baking a starchless cheesecake on its own (the American Chocolate Ripple Cheesecake and White Chocolate Yuzu Cheesecakes on the blog were baked in the oven sans a water bath), but for this cheesecake I did use a water bath just like how I did when I made the Japanese cheesecake. A water bath helps cook the cheesecake gently while also creating a steamy environment so the surface doesn't get too dry. It serves like a day spa for the cheesecake, and makes it supremely smooth and creamy. I have to concur! You don't need to be intimidated though - a water bath is not that hard. Just set the cheesecake in a roasting pan or other large baking dish, fill it with a few inches of boiling water, and put the whole contraption in the oven. The whole shebang takes a few minutes extra but is worth the effort. Wrapping the cheesecake pan in foil also helps keep any water from seeping through the cracks of the pan.
I also went a step further and made a fresh strawberry sauce. The sauce turned out lush, thick, bursting with fresh summer strawberry flavor and stunning in its ruby-red glory. The acidity from the strawberry sauce cuts through the richness of this dessert and makes for a perfect topping.
Creamy, sinful, non-stop bliss! Try it you guys 😊
