How to Cheesecake

[bakerdev]

Hello everyone,

I am on a dilemma on how should I bake my cheesecake properly, right now I am using gas oven, and non-spring form baking pan.
I've tried numerous times baking my cheesecake in a water bathe, apparently, my cheesecake doesn't get denser (I like it denser), it gets a bit soggy to be honest, compared to the cheesecake I baked for the first time without the water bathe. I bake my cheesecake at 180-190c around 30 mins for the first half, and, 25 mins for 150c, and leave it inside the oven for around an hour, this method apparently gives a nice brown top (which I also wanted to since it is hard to get a browning using a gas oven) but I don't want my filling to be soggy or bit wet. Should I try going back on baking the cheesecake without water bathe and bake the cheesecake at high temperature for few minutes and bake it longer it in a lower temperature to prevent it getting soggy? Thanks!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

180°C (350°F) is way too high for a cheesecake. And 190°C (375°F) is an astronomical temperature for any cake unless you are making a burnt cheesecake.

135°C (275°F) - 150°C (300°F) is the temperature range for a cheesecake.

Cheesecake is not meant to be brown. It is a custard, not a cake. In 1990 a burnt top version was created by a chef in Spain in an attempt to draw in tourist to their restaurants La Vina. In the past two years it’s become a fad. But that cheesecake is deliberately burnt at high heat. 195°C.

The cheesecake is a custard not a cake. It needs to be baked at a very low temperature and slowly to allow for controlled protein denaturation. What you call “dense” is the protein denaturation.

The bain Marie (water bath) is necessary if you want a creamy and to prevent a dried out custard.

Water boils at 100°C (212°F) at sea level. When water boils it turns to steam and evaporates. So water is not going to get any hotter than 100°C (212°F). It’s simply going to disappear at that point. So that keeps the temperature around the pan the temperature of the water. In other words the water acts as insulation to keep the pan temperature lower than the actual oven temperature.

If your cheesecake is soggy it means you’re baking improperly. If you are not using a springform pan, there are no seams, no water should be leaking into the pan. So it means you’re simply not baking long enough.

My cheesecake is 10”. It bakes at 135°C (275°F) for 90 minutes. The top has just a hint of browning on top. It then sits in the oven for one hour. Then the oven door is just cracked open for 30 min more. It’s a perfect cheesecake every time. Cheesecake is about a baking technique more than anything else. It’s a baked custard—you cannot bake it like a cake because it it NOT cake. And stop expecting it to brown because it is NOT made with wheat flour.

These are photos of various cheesecakes from a restaurant chain in the United States that specializes in cheesecake. They offer 34 types of cheesecakes. As you can see some of their cheesecakes are almost completely colorless on top.

We Try Every Cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory

Few have attempted to try all 33 different flavors of cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory; fewer have succeeded without medical assistance. But we've boldly gone where no others have gone before.

sweets.seriouseats.com

 

[Cahoot]

I've also read this comment on Reddit that explains the purpose of baking cheesecakes at a lower temperature, although specifically in the context of preventing cracks on top. They claim that baking at a low temperature makes a water bath redundant, although I've seen conflicting opinions on that one.

Regarding a browned top, it seems that a lot of NY-style cheesecakes do actually have that. The SE article that Norcalbaker linked also contained a link to this other article on NY cheesecakes, and they all have varying levels of browned tops. But those are probably still baked at lower temperatures than 350°F, simply because it's easier to get a more consistent product at a lower temperature.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I've also read this comment on Reddit that explains the purpose of baking cheesecakes at a lower temperature, although specifically in the context of preventing cracks on top. They claim that baking at a low temperature makes a water bath redundant, although I've seen conflicting opinions on that one.

Regarding a browned top, it seems that a lot of NY-style cheesecakes do actually have that. The SE article that Norcalbaker linked also contained a link to this other article on NY cheesecakes, and they all have varying levels of browned tops. But those are probably still baked at lower temperatures than 350°F, simply because it's easier to get a more consistent product at a lower temperature.

To prevent cracks the internal temperatue of the cheesecake should not exceed 65°C - 68°C(150°F - 155°F) and the cheesecake slowly cooled. Cracking occurs when too much protein denaturation happens. Just like when you scrabble an egg, the longer you cook it, the more it cogaulates—that‘s the protein denaturation. If you bake to 65°C - 68°C(150°F - 155°F) then let it cool slowly, the residual heat finishes the cooking.

Not overbaking applies to custard pies like pumpkin and sweet potato to prevent cracks as well.

my sweet potato and pumpkin pies don’t crack unless I drop it boxing it

 

[retired baker]

Hello everyone,

I am on a dilemma on how should I bake my cheesecake properly, right now I am using gas oven, and non-spring form baking pan.
I've tried numerous times baking my cheesecake in a water bathe, apparently, my cheesecake doesn't get denser (I like it denser), it gets a bit soggy to be honest, compared to the cheesecake I baked for the first time without the water bathe. I bake my cheesecake at 180-190c around 30 mins for the first half, and, 25 mins for 150c, and leave it inside the oven for around an hour, this method apparently gives a nice brown top (which I also wanted to since it is hard to get a browning using a gas oven) but I don't want my filling to be soggy or bit wet. Should I try going back on baking the cheesecake without water bathe and bake the cheesecake at high temperature for few minutes and bake it longer it in a lower temperature to prevent it getting soggy? Thanks!

The recipe might be a bit too wet for a bain marie.
I make it like flowing mud and stop adding liquid at that point.
For a drier cheesecake you can try using half cream cheese and half bakers cheese.
Also, try using less water in the water bath, no need to go more than 1/4 inch of water, I use less on a sheet tray, maybe 1/8th.
In a convection oven I add water twice because it evaporates off.

 

[Dante White]

so i have a question: since browning the top of the cheesecake has become a fad, and we know that its not supposed to brown, how would one go about browning it anyway? personally i kinda like that way...

 

[Norcalbaker59]

so i have a question: since browning the top of the cheesecake has become a fad, and we know that its not supposed to brown, how would one go about browning it anyway? personally i kinda like that way...

The cheesecake you’re referring to is a specific cheesecake that was created by a chef in Spain. Google La Viña cheesecake.