Cheese Cake

Like a poem, not exactly light fare, but a dream come true for a special occasion. Various forms of cheesecake have been baked since the Greeks and Romans, but it may have been the addition of cream cheese in the US in the early 20th century that made the cheesecake we know today. A German-born immigrant, Arnold Reuben, is said to be the inventor of the New York Cheesecake, and without the Philadelphia brand, which produces the high-fat double-cream cream cheese, the cheesecake would not have made its triumph around the world.

Cheesecake is not difficult, but a little diva. Temperature and humidity are important. If it’s not perfect the first time, keep trying. It is worth it.

important questions

Curd cheese, cream cheese, double cream?
Probably the central question par excellence. An original cheesecake needs double cream cheese. It is characterized by the fact that it has 60-75% fat (in dry matter). That’s twice as much as normal cream and a multiple of cream cheese or curd cheese. The high fat content gives the cheesecake its smoothness and of course its good taste. Commonly available is Philadelphia (the brand) Cream Cheese.

Pre-bake base or not?
That’s a matter of taste. Pre-baking keeps the base crispier.

In a water bath – above the water bath?
Very high humidity is important when baking. This works perfectly in a water bath (Bain marie), but you have to be careful that the baking pan is completely tight and the water doesn’t get into the baking pan, otherwise the bottom will get damp. On a roasting pan over a water bath also works.

cracks in the surface
This can be caused by a lack of humidity or by stirring the cream cheese mixture too much.

Ingredients

for an 18 cm baking tray

– 120g biscuits
– 60 grams of melted butter
– 400 g cream cheese (full fat)
– 120 g of granulated sugar
– 200 g sour cream or 100 g cream + 100 g yogurt
– 150 ml cream
– 2 eggs
– 2 tbsp cornstarch
– 1.5 tbsp vanilla extract or a vanilla bean
– Juice of ¼ lemon

Refining

In the US, dry and unsweetened graham crackers are commonly used for the base. We experimented with different biscuits and crackers and ended up with butter biscuits. If you pre-bake them, they caramelize slightly and that gives a very fine touch.

You can also put nuts in the base.

The cheesecake is often served with a fruit puree. Classic strawberry sauce. Mix 200 g strawberries (can also be defrosted) with 40 g sugar and a spoonful of water. Strain through a sieve.

CULINAMUS

For our CULINAMUS cheese cake we pre-bake the base, use butter biscuits and, after a few attempts, have now started baking with a roaster (with grid).

Preparation

20 minuntes
– Take all the ingredients out of the fridge and bring to room temperature.
– Weigh and prepare ingredients.
– If you pre-bake the base, you must let the base cool down. This takes a total of 45 minutes to an hour.

Baking

3 hours including cooling down

The Base
– Finely crumble 120 g biscuits in a bowl and mix with 60 g melted butter
– Place in an 18 cm baking pan and press down evenly on the bottom.
Optionally bake at 160 degrees top/bottom heat for 15 minutes. Then let it cool down.
– Rub the edge of the baking tin with butter and cover with baking paper.
Cover the bottom and edges with aluminum foil from the outside. (Water bath)

– Preheat the oven to 180 degrees top/bottom heat.

The Cream
It is important not to overmix the mass. This can cause cracks in the finished cake. Rather sloppy and mix briefly.
– Place 400g Cream Cheese (Philadelphia) in a bowl. Add 120 g granulated sugar, mix with a whisk and stir until smooth.
– Add 200 g sour cream, stir until smooth.
– Add 150 ml cream and mix.
– Add 2 teaspoons Maizena (cornstarch) and stir until smooth
– Add 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract or the pulp of a vanilla pod and stir in.
– Add the juice of ¼ lemon
– Add 2 eggs and mix
Once again, briefly stir everything until smooth and then pour onto the dough base and smooth out in the baking pan

Baking
– Place on a baking tray and fill the tray with hot water. Alternatively, fill a roasting pan with hot water and place the cake tin on the grid.

– Bake at 180 degrees top/bottom heat for 30 minutes.
– Then reduce the heat to 150 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes.
– Turn off the oven and leave in the oven for 1 hour.

Remove, leave to cool and then chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight).

Decorate with fresh fruit. A fruit puree tastes wonderful with it.

CULINAMUS!

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