cheesecake, help me i'm heavy

hi, i'm new here and i'm somewhat of a novice cooker/baker, anyways i would like some advice on my cheesecake recipe, so here is my recipe for chocolate lovers cheesecake-- base: 1.1/4c choc and graham crumbs mixed, 1/4 cub melted butter -- cake: (3) packages of 250g creamcheese (softened), 3/4c sugar, 3 eggs, 6 squares of semisweet bakers chocolate, 1/4 amaretto liquer -- topping: drizzled melted chocolate, drizzled melted caramel, roasted pecans, and melted caramel coated pecans, and whipped cream around the edges...... now my question, how can i get my cheesecake lighter in texture than normal, its already lighter than commercial brands, but i want a very light airy texture, and also when i previously made cheesecake, it fell in the center and got heavier when i tried with alcohol. ? , so, momoreg suggested eggwhites and write my recipe here for more suggestions, howmuch eggwhites? (over & above the 3 eggs?)...anyways, it still tastes wonderful, I just want to learn the little extras that we all love to see in a quality dish, presentation is 60% of the mark right? taste and texture the rest . so thanks for your patience & expertise

[elakin]

i'm not known as a pastry guy, generally, but why not try and separate the eggs? mix the yolks as you do normally, but then whip the whites to stiff peaks and then gently fold them in to the mixture right before baking. you might want to try it with just the three whites, but then try again with six whites to three yolks....

[momoreg]

Good idea, eddie...

And take a tablespoon of the sugar from the recipe and add it to your whipped whites just before they reach stiff peaks. This will make them more stable.

[m brown]

i would go even farther,
take the whites and sugar and swiss meringue them, then add to the rest of the formula.

well, when i made the cheese cake, i whipped the eggwhites separate, and folded into batter, baked it, and it came out of the oven higher than ever before,it even cracked the top, but 5min later as it cooled, it sunk, AGAIN! is it possible it should cool slower such as turn the oven down specified time before i remove? anyways, i am going to do the recipe over again without the alcohol and see how it turns out. but i just thought i would atleast say it tasted great

[momoreg]

I'm sorry to hear that it didn't come out right. How are you baking it?

Usually, a cake that falls in the center has been cooked in an oven that is too hot. The outside layer cooks, but the inside is still raw, and cannot support the shape of the cake. Bake it in a low temperature (275 convection or 300 conventional), and test doneness by gently shaking the pan. It should barely jiggle.

[elakin]

hi speed *****....

i have seen pastry chefs that i've worked with drive themselves crazy to try to stop cheesecakes from cracking on the top.

you can try to bake the cheesecake in a water bath like you would creme brulee, but be careful if you're using a springform pan...you'll have to line it well with plastic or you'll have seepage.

another thing you can try is leaving the cake in the oven to cool very slowly. turn off the oven when the cake is almost done, and let it cool down with the oven...take it out when you can handle it without burning yourself, then let it sit at room temp a while before refrigerating.

personally....i don't really mind cheescake having a couple cracks on it. i actually like it better when it gets a little browned and i guess that's the price you pay. put a little chocolate sauce or strawberries over the top of it...no one will notice a thing.

I've always had good luck by starting the cheesecake at a higher than normal temp (325-350) for about 15 min. and then turning the oven down in 25 degree increments every 15 minutes until I get to 275 or so, and then when the cake is set, leaving it in the oven until it has cooled, then removing it and letting it come to room temp before refrigerating. It takes a long time, but if you want a crack-free crust, this is one way to get it.

[Dagger]

Spring fourm pans are old fashion, everyone is into silicone bakeware now. How does this stuff chage things?

[panini]

Dagger.
I don't know if the springforms are really old fashioned. I don't know anyone who has switched. We have all tried them. For me, tooo costly, hard to store, etc. I would say that most people that I keep in touch with switched to bottom pops yrs. back.
asp,
Standard cheesecake formulas,when you think about it ,really only needs to be set. but when you start to whip the whites you're moving to the chiffon type formula and that has to be baked. I have found that the chiffon types need an early kick in the oven as opposed to a later one . We start out with an initial blast to get the whites to their volume, doing this will keep them from blowing up in the final stages. I also think it is important to melt the sugar into the whites if your formula calls for sugar in the whites. We usually warm the whites with sugar till the grainy is gone(blood temp). We found if you 'swiss' the whites, some of the sugar takes longer to melt and if it melts in the later stages of baking they were prone to sinking. confused now?
Also, we've had no luck in convection. This is one of those things that has to be proved to your oven. That's why a lot of problems occur when trying new recipes. So it's usually not the baker. Good luck with your next try.Pan

[Blade55440]

Originally Posted by aspeedemon

hi, i'm new here and i'm somewhat of a novice cooker/baker, anyways i would like some advice on my cheesecake recipe, so here is my recipe for chocolate lovers cheesecake-- base: 1.1/4c choc and graham crumbs mixed, 1/4 cub melted butter -- cake: (3) packages of 250g creamcheese (softened), 3/4c sugar, 3 eggs, 6 squares of semisweet bakers chocolate, 1/4 amaretto liquer -- topping: drizzled melted chocolate, drizzled melted caramel, roasted pecans, and melted caramel coated pecans, and whipped cream around the edges...... now my question, how can i get my cheesecake lighter in texture than normal, its already lighter than commercial brands, but i want a very light airy texture, and also when i previously made cheesecake, it fell in the center and got heavier when i tried with alcohol. ? , so, momoreg suggested eggwhites and write my recipe here for more suggestions, howmuch eggwhites? (over & above the 3 eggs?)...anyways, it still tastes wonderful, I just want to learn the little extras that we all love to see in a quality dish, presentation is 60% of the mark right? taste and texture the rest . so thanks for your patience & expertise

Well I say just mix the cheescake "batter" at a high speed to help aerate it. Everytime I overmix mine or do it at too high a speed it comes out WAY too light and has a tendency to souffle a little.

Give it a try.