Cheesecakes

Cheesecake is a fairly easy and delicious dessert to make. They can range in size, can be almost any flavor, from sweet to savoury, and can be bake or no-bake. Cheesecakes can also be made with any type of crust, and any type of garnishes.
The main ingredient in cheesecakes, of course, is cream cheese. Most recipes recommend that you use full-fat cream cheese for the best results, but some recipes use low-fat or even fat-free cheesecake. Sometimes sour cream or yogurt is also added to the cheesecake to further enhance the rich, creamy texture and flavour. Another important ingredient in cheesecakes is eggs, which can be any amount upwards of three. Eggs provide stability and help the cheesecake to rise, since no baking powder or baking soda is used. Sugar provides the sweetness in dessert cheesecakes to make them sweet. And every cheesecake needs a splash of flavouring, whether it be vanilla extract, orange zest, cold coffee, lime juice, or almond extract.

The one problem many of us have with cheesecakes is cracking, which often occurs during baking or shortly after. If your cheesecake does crack, hide it with garnishes. Whipped cream, chocolate glaze, fruit, and chocolate curls are all good at concealing
cracks. However, there are some steps and precautions you can take to prevent your cheesecake from cracking.

* Make sure cream cheese is at room temperature before using, and not softened in the microwave.
* Thoroughly beat the cream cheese with the sugar.
* Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, but being careful not to overbeat.
* Any ingredients added after the eggs should be beat until just blended.
* Cheesecakes should be baked at a lower temperature for a longer amount of time.
* Bake cheesecakes in a water bath.
* Do not open the oven until the minimum amount of baking time is reached.
* Do not over bake cheesecakes. They should still jiggle a bit in the middle.
* Do not test a cheesecake for doneness by inserting anything into it.
* Run a butter knife around the edge of the cheesecake immediately after removing it from the oven to loosen it from the pan.
* Allow cheesecakes to cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating.
* Cheesecakes should be baked in springform pans.