Super Easy Lemon Cheesecake Recipes Are The Best Desserts
For some reason the humble cheesecake is something that every aspiring home chef seems to have troubles with at one point or another. There are many secret restaurant recipes that are so tricky to locate and a few common problems baking these super easy lemon cheesecake recipes, include large cracks , burned top, lumpy filling, collapsed centers and the awe-inspiring shrinking cheesecake (cake shrinks near the outside).
Many of these problems tend to leave when the cheesecake is produced and baked properly.
Before we get baking , a little science if you please. Some of the problems talked about above all stem from an improper baking process . That ordinarily is because everyone treat the recipe as if it was for a cake. But the truth is, cheese cake is very similar to a custard pie than it is to a regular cake recipe. So, that means you need to work and cook the ingredients not the same .
Leading off with is the pan. Some people recommend using a spring form dish but I don’t choose them. The reason will become apparent when we get into the cooking process. For now locate a 9 inch round cake pan with very high sides (at least 2 inches). We first need to treat the dish so we can get the cooked cheese cake out after . For that, melt a bit of butter and with a brush, coat the whole inside of the pan . Next , using parchment paper, cut out a circle for the backside of the pan and a long rectangle for the side. Once the waxed paper has been added to the pan, we can focus on the crust.
Some people like a cookie crumble crust but I prefer good old graham crackers. I take about 2 dozen and put them in a plastic ziptop bag. Using my fingers only, I squeeze them for about thirty seconds to a minute . Some big chunks are ok. Now , melt 1/4 cup of unseasoned butter and add the cracker crumbs to it along with 1 tbs. of sugar. Mix with a spatula briefly and put into the bottom of the dish . Next get a heavy glass with a flat bottom or other tamping tool (the kind used to flatten chicken works supurb ). You will want to tamp down all the crumbs in the pan so they stick to each other and help the crust form. Bake the crust blind for Ten minutes at three hundred degrees.
Next comes the filling. Before you started working on the dish preparation , you should have grabbed the cream cheese out of the refridgerator and place it on the counter to soften (at least 30 mins or so). We are also going to need 1.25 cups of sour cream , one cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of cream (whipping or heavy), 1 tablespoon of vanilla, 5 large eggs, one quarter cup of lemon juice, the zest of 1 lemon, and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch (optional).
Now , the mixing of the batter is very important. We want everything combined well but we don’t want to add any air into the batter. Air is usually the problem when a cheesecake falls or has a sunken center. So, the best tool in my opinion is the Kitchenaid stand mixer (or your favorite brand).
To begin , put the sour cream in the mixing bowl and with the paddle attachment, beat on medium low for a minute. Next put in the creamcheese , the sugar and the optional cornstarch. The cornstarch acts to help slow down the binding of the eggs in the custard which helps prevent cracking. Think of it as a little extra insurance. If you follow this recipe you should not need it but if this is your first time trying this recipe, consider adding it.
So, next we beat this mix in on low speed for 1 minute. Then turn up the speed to medium for a few more minutes. Stop the machine and scrape the bowl. Next, in a container mix the 1/3 cup of cream, vanilla, two large eggs, 3 egg yolks, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix this up well with a fork.
Put the mixer on medium low speed and slowly drizzle in half of the cream and egg mixture. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl again. Start it again but this time on medium high speed and add the remaining egg mixture. Continue mixing for about 1 more minute. The batter should be uniform (no lumps) and not airy.
Next , the cooking . Preheat the oven to two hundred fifty degrees. Remember when we baked the crust blind. Well, we want to add the batter to the pan but first make sure the crust is completely cool (let it cool out of the oven for at least 15 minutes). Add the batter to the pan. Give the pan a few little twists left and right to help any air bubbles come to the top.
At the same time, boil at least two quarts of H2O (the amount will depend on your pan size). You need to create what’s called a “bain marie” (Marie’s bath). If you have another cake pan that is a few inches larger? in diameter use that. If not, a throw away aluminum baking dish works well too (the kind for lasagne or roasting). Add a clean towel to the bottom of the large pan and stick in into the oven. Add the cheese cake pan into the bigger pan and carefully push it aside . Next , cautiously add the boiling water into the larger pan. Pour enough to come up 2 thirds the way up the cheese cake pan.
Next , being careful , center the cheese cake pan in the larger pan and close the oven. Bake at 250 for one hour. Here’s the hard part. After 1 hour the cake will not looked cooked. But the problem is we don’t want to over cook the cheese cake . So, open the oven door for about thirty seconds to let some heat escape. Next , close the door and leave the cake alone for another hour. After that, carefully take the cake pan out of the water pan and place it in a fridge for six hours.
Finally we have cheesecake. There are some minor tumbling necessary to get the cake out of the pan. First, fill your sink 1/2 way up with hot water directly from the tap (the hottest it will go). Next , let the pan float in the sink for fifteen seconds . Now remove it and put it on a towel. Using a sharp thin knife carefully trace around the outside of the pan and then carefully take out the waxed paper from the side of the pan. Next , take some wax paper and cut a circle the same size as the cheese cake . Place the wax paper on top of the cheesecake. Place a round plate or the bottom from a spring form pan on top of the cheesecake and gently but quickly invert it. Next remove the pan.
Ok, but now you are looking at the underside of the cheesecake . Remove the parchment from the bottom. Choose what dish you will use to serve the cheesecake (or opt a nice size bakers cake round). Put that on the underside of the cheesecake and once again invert it carefully . Lastly, remove the wax paper from the top and cut the cheese cake .
If all went ok you should have a delicious and beautiful lemony cheesecake that your friends and family will thought you bought . And you know what, if the top does crack, who cares. That’s why they invented whipped cream! Right?
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