DigitalVinyl > wrote in
:

> I made cheesecake (specificcally Pumpkin Cheesecake) for the first
> time. It came out pretty good but I wanted to improve on it.
>
> The crust came out great, half graham crackers, half ground almonds,
> 1/4 butter and some cinnamon. I used parchment paper on the bottom of
> the springform and all around the sides. Besides somecrinkling the
> cheese cake looked great. Two cracks on the top, but very nice
> otherwise. (I didn't do the sour cream topping).
>
> The first problem was the very center was not set right. It was too
> creamy and not firm enough. It was wetter and stuck to the spatula.
> The top, bottom and sides were more solid and firm. Does that just
> sound like too little cooking time? I cooked it for 60 minutes at
> 325, then turned off the oven and left it in for another hour. The
> center jiggled like it was solid, but under a 1/4"-1/2" of solid was a
> more mushy consistency.
>
> The second thing and most important thing was the cake was dense,
> rich, heavy. I've tasted ones that were much lighter on the tongue and
> I wonder if that is from more eggs? Longer beating time in the mixer?
>
> The cake was also fairly tall in the 9.5" springform. Next time I will
> use 3 8oz cream cheese instead of 4.
>
> Lastly, what have been peoples' experience with using a mix of regular
> and fat-free cream cheeses to bring the calorie and fat count down
> some. I used 3 regular and one fat-free in this experiment.
> DiGiTAL_ViNYL (no email)
>

Longer beating time adds more air...making it lighter and more solid in
the middle, as it cooks more evenly. Beat the living cheese outa it!
Well, longer anyways...

--
Starchless in Manitoba.