The Ultimate Cheesecake

Prep, Basic Concepts, And Getting Started

Introduction To The Class

Cheesecake! It’s an incredible dessert with an unfair reputation for being “difficult”. Let’s be clear, it’s not a difficult dessert to make or make well once you’ve learned the foolproof steps we cover in this course.

In this course we are going to go over:

• Ingredient prep
• How to use a double boiler
• How to make an easy and versatile crust
• How to mix (or in this case, “cream”) your ingredients for a beautiful and smooth texture
• How to create an attractive chocolate swirl top
• How to bake a cheesecake without a water bath (also known as a Bain Marie)
• How to make a cheesecake with ZERO cracks in the top (and how to fix one that does)

Springform Pans: How To Spot A Good One

In this video I explain what to look for in a springform pan and how to identify a good one from a bad one.

Oven Types: Convection vs. Conventional

In this video I explain what to look for in a springform pan is and how to identify a good one from a bad one.

Ingredients

The ingredients you will need to make this cheesecake:

• 4 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 ½ C. graham cracker crumbs (= 1 sleeve + 2 graham crackers)
• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate (65%+ cocoa solids)
• 1 ¼ lbs cream cheese = 2 ½ 8oz packages
• ¾ C. Sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 extra large eggs
• 1 C. sour cream = 8oz.

Equipment

Necessary Equipment:

• 8″ Springform pan (you could also use a 2-3″ deep 8″ diameter cake pan, but it must be 2-3″ deep or you’ll get spillover in the oven)
• Either a 1 gallon freezer ziploc bag and rolling pin/dowel/wine bottle OR a Food processor/blender capable of blending dry ingredients
• 1 C measuring cup with a flat bottom OR anything about that size with a flat bottom (drinking glass, mug, jars… just needs a flat bottom)
• Small pot to boil water
• Medium sized stainless steel OR glass bowl, that fits on top of the small pot
• Either a hand mixer and a medium-large bowl for mixing, OR a stand mixer
• 1-2 spatulas
• A spoon (seriously, any spoon will work)
• Either a small offset spatula, bamboo skewer, chopstick, or any utensil with a thin handle (you could even use the spoon listed above!)
• A bowl scraper is useful, but not necessary

Making The Crust

1. Butter The Pan

2. The Most Versatile And Easy To Make Crust You’ll Ever Find

Learn the secret ratios that make this crust work every time, and how to change it up for different desserts.

3. Melting Your Butter

Melting your butter on the stovetop is more reliable than a microwave. Just be sure to use very low heat and keep and eye on it to keep it from “browning”.

P.S. Browned butter is absolutely delicious and works great it many recipes, but that’s not what we’re going for here. 

4. Blend, Butter, Set, And Bake The Crust

I cover various different ways to crush your graham crackers, the texture you’re aiming for (if using a food processor), mixing in the butter, the tricks to getting a smooth, even, and dense crust on your cheesecake, and then finally how to bake your crust.

P.S. If you don’t have a flat bottomed measuring cup, whiskey glasses, ramekins, stainless steel bowls, jar lids, and big yogurt/cottage cheese lids are all likely to have a flat bottom too.

5. What To Look For In A Properly Baked Crust

IMPORTANT: After your crust comes out of the oven be sure to drop the oven temperature by 50 degrees!

Double Boiler and Chocolate

1. What Is A Double Boiler?

I go over how a double boiler works and how to set one up, properly.

2. Setting Up Your Double Boiler

3. Melting Your Chocolate

How to melt your 3oz of chocolate and set it in a “nest” to keep it pooled after it is melted.

Mixing The Base

1. Getting Ready To Make Your Base

2. Making Your Base (Creaming)

Make sure your ingredients have had at least 30-miuntes to warm up to room temperature!

Mixing:

1. Mix cream cheese for 4-minutes at medium-low speed (~4 on a stand mixer), 6-minutes if using a hand mixer
2. Add the sugar and mix at medium-low speed for an additional 4-minutes, 6-min if using a hand mixer
3. Add vanilla extract and mix until incorporated
4. Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix the first egg at low (2 on a stand mixer) for 1-minute before adding the second one, then mix for an additional minute.
5. Add sour cream and mix on low until incorporated.

3. Assemble And Swirl

Add to pan and swirl:

1. Pour your filling into your prepared springform pan with a baked crust. Give your pan a quick twist back and forth to evenly distribute (check video) and then drop your pan a 2-3 times from roughly 2″ up to help release any large air bubbles.
2.  Use a large spoon to evenly distribute pools of your melted chocolate over the top of your cheesecake (4-5 of them should be about right). Use a thin implement (offset spatula, thin utensil handle, bamboo skewer, or chop sticks work well) to “stretch out” your chocolate by running it back and forth through your cheesecake base and passing through your chocolate pools. For additional swirl, turn your pan 90 degrees and do the same thing again.

Baking

1. Up Next, Baking Your Cheesecake!

I go over the baking process that allows you to bake your cheesecake without a Bain Marie (A.K.A. a water bath)

Make sure your oven is set to 275F Fan, or 300F Standard

1. Bake your cheesecake for 30-minutes at the appropriate temperature for your oven (see above).
2. After 30-minutes, turn your oven off. DO NOT OPEN YOUR OVEN! You need that residual heat to stay in there and help you continue to cook your cheesecake.
3. After the second 30-minutes has passed (we’re up to a total of 1hr in the oven at this point) take your cheesecake out of the oven and check if it is “set”
   1. A “set” cheesecake will be slightly domed at the edges and will still wiggle in the center if you gently shake the pan.
4. I can virtually guarantee it will be set at this point, so go ahead and take the cheesecake out of the oven and set it on the counter to start cooling.

2. What Causes Cracking

I walk you through why a cheesecake cracks, and how to avoid it.

3. Set And Separate

What to look for in a “set” cheesecake and how to release the edges of the cheesecake to avoid cracking.

Use a thin pairing knife and slide it down between the edge of the cheesecake and the pan’s collar. Holding the knife in place, start to spin the pan around until you make a full circle, releasing the cheesecake from the pan the whole way around. Doing this once is usually enough, but you’re particularly paranoid or really need to impress someone, you can repeat the releasing process every hour for the next 2-3 hours.

Cooling:

1. Let your cheesecake cool on the counter until room temp (1-3 hrs.).
2. Place in the fridge, uncovered, for 4 hrs. to allow it to firm up before serving.
   1. Why uncovered? There is still a ton of moisture in your cheesecake, some of which is trying to evaporate. If you cover it, that moisture will get trapped by the covering and then drip down onto your cheesecake making an icky watery layer on top.
3. Once it has cooled for 4hrs. in the fridge you can serve it up and enjoy! It’s also totally safe to cover your cheesecake at this point. It’s cool enough that the moisture won’t continue to evaporate fast enough to create a condensation layer.

Congratulations!

You did it! You learned how to make an incredibly versatile and easy crust, how to melt chocolate with a double boiler, tricks to creaming your ingredients so you get a deliciously smooth texture, how to bake a cheesecake without needing a Bain Marie, and how to release your cheesecake from the pan so you don’t get any cracks. You are now one of the best cheesecake makers in the world!

Bake, modify, and share your delicious cheesecakes with the world. I would love to see what you make, so please share them with me on Instagram @IAmClassicTim