My 1st Cheesecake? ... Well, sort-of

#101

Apologies for not mentioning this before now. I sometimes forget that I’ve been making cheesecakes so long, some are not familiar with removing a cheesecake from the springform pan.

If you google this, you may see all kinds of way people do this. From heating up the bottom of the pan, running the blade around the edges, etc. But I can tell you that if you run the crust up the sides of the pan as I do, this is not needed. The crust prevents the cheese from sticking to the sides, and it creates a way better appearance.

With crust up the sides, simply un-buckle and carefully remove the rim. I usually hold my hand under the pan, un-buckle the rim and allow the cake to slide downward, pulling the rim off the top. … Then, using a the blade (elongated spatula pictured above) slide it under the cake until the tip is at the center of the cake. You then keep the blade flat to the bottom and work it around the entire cake until it comes loose, which doesn’t take much effort. Be careful, because some cake pans can be quite slippery, and you could have the cake slip off if not careful. Once you loosen the cake pan bottom, slide it onto a cake plate, or round piece of cardboard, with some aluminum foil wrapped on it. … Hope this is helpful.

#102

No worries, if it does come out where you don’t think it’s ‘sweet enough’ you can always add some type of topping that helps sweeten it some.

(Jane) #103

I made 2 4” cheesecakes last night - lemon one and a spice one. Going to make some meringue for the lemon one today using one egg. How much erythritol should I use?

(back and doublin' down) #104

I just want to say Thank You for all these tips and tricks you are sharing! This thread has turned into a cheesecake coaching program and greatly appreciated!

#105

Hmm, :thinking: that’s a good question. - For a 4", you won’t need very much, sorry, doing some math. So If there is 8 tbsp in a 1/2 cup, 1/4 of that would be 2 tbsp. … So, for a 4" I would probably go with 2 tbsp. Plus, since Erythritol is supposed to only be only 70% as sweet as sugar. (And you do want some sweetness to the meringue.) I would start there. As for the Cream of Tartar, I would add an 1/8, or basically a pinch. Just helps peaks stay better. But you don’t have to use any, if you like. Helps with larger cakes.

I usually whip up the egg whites until peaks begin to form, then add the sugar slowly. Adding too quick will take air out of the mix, flattening it. Make sure you getting it mixed in well, and then you could taste-test and add to your liking? (Unless it will break your fasting? Which I find sucks on Keto. When a simple taste-test creates unwanted spikes. So I’ve been trying to experiment around meal times, so I can. :slight_smile: )

I actually searched for any old recipes on my computer, just to make sure I was giving the right info. But as I’ve mentioned, I don’t always write down things, which is a bad habit. :slight_smile:

(Terence Dean) #106

Haha She forgot the Cream of Tartar!!! Will that make any difference? And its my bloody fault!! :rofl:

Some cooks… :rofl:

#107

You’re very welcome. :slight_smile: More than glad to share any info I can. … Cheesecakes for everyone! :smile:

#108

It shouldn’t make too much difference. I was using that to replace flour. So it may not rise as much, just watch for light cracking to form around the rim of the cake, since all ovens are different. (But you also don’t want to keep opening the oven door. Cheesecakes are a bit picky about changes in heat, so try to do so quickly, but also don’t bump too hard. :slight_smile:

(Terence Dean) #109

So does the Cream of Tartar go in the filling or the crust? I’m sure you had it in the filling.

#110

Yep, in the filling. It serves to replace flour in the original recipe. … But it’s also used in meringue to help form stiffer peaks and holds those peaks better.

(Terence Dean) #111

Echo that Susan, Dave’s been super generous with his knowledge about making cheese cakes.

#112

Ok, so I just had to share this little guy. Though the crust was a little bit of a pain, since my hands are not small! So It took a little finesse to get it formed. … Placed a Strawberry & my apple mouse to show it’s size in relation.

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#113

I Bet that tasted amazing!! Nice job.

#114

Cheers for your detailed post Dave, I will definitely be giving this a go next weekend.

(Jane) #115

My 4” lemon meringue keto cheesecake.

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Meringue was 1 egg white, a pinch of cream of tartar and 2 Tbl erythritol. Baked @ 400 for 5 min.

I realized I should have taken a pic with the ring off:

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(Terence Dean) #116

Very nice!

(Terence Dean) #117

Great job Janie!

(Terence Dean) #118

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Refrigerated overnight, I trimmed the crust edges they looked terrible. :wink:

The filling didn’t rise at all but it also didn’t shrink much either, so perhaps we don’t need the Cream of Tartar?

#119

That looks good! Came out nice and the peaks have a nice browning to them! … I bet it’s going to be good too!

Good thing you made two. :smile: The one I made we split 3 ways, which was quite enough, after eating the tacos I made tonight. :slight_smile:

#120

Cool, cheesecakes are coming in! :slight_smile: … Looks nice and yeah, if you had the crust up high, knocking off the extra on the rim does help with appearances.

You say it didn’t rise? Did you by chance check for cracking along the rim? The outer rim is what rises, especially on the full size cakes, and the middle doesn’t rise much, if any. That’s why you hear a lot of folks say cook until the center is almost set. But you will notice the center is always a tad softer the outer edge of the cake. Because it sits next to the pan, it cooks up more. … Damn good looking for you first too!

If you over cook, or even over mix (After adding eggs) you will sometimes get cracking of the cake. Still edible of course, but for appearances, you try not to crack them.