National Cheesecake Day: Hacks to make the perfect cheesecake at home

When you scour for the dessert menu in a restaurant or café, one permanent dish that you notice is the Cheesecake, no matter the flavour. With time, this delicious cake has won the hearts of the people, so much so that there exists a National Cheesecake Day and moreover, people have started experimenting with the kind of flavours, toppings, size, shapes and decorations of the cheesecake.

It is not very difficult to bake, or not-bake, but make your own cheesecake at home. And while you are at it, keep these tricks handy, so that the final result is perfect to the T.

Cheesecake Hacks you should keep up your sleeves

Whenever you crave for cheesecake and get down to making it at home, here are some tips and tricks that you can apply to make it look good on the outside and taste the best in terms of flavour and texture.

Pan woes

Usually, while you bake any kind of cake, the springform is the go–to tool. This usually circular baking tray closes on the sides with tight locks. It then needs to be lined with butter or butter paper, and the batter poured into it for baking.

Once the baking process is complete, all you need to so is open the locks and remove the baking pan sideways. This helps in maintaining the shape and results to a no-mess outcome. In case, you do not have a springform, you can still bake a good cheesecake with a deep cake pan, which you need to grease all the way with butter or put in butter/ parchment paper. You can overhang the paper to that it becomes easy to life the final cake from the pan.

No Cracks allowed

A water bath becomes mandatory while baking since it gives off steam which helps in binding the cake, preventing any cracks. Mostly, what happens is you take a bowl of hot water and submerge the baking tray / utensil inside the water bath. But if you do not have the technical abilities for this, all you need to do is place the baking tray on the top rung of the oven and a tray filled with hot water in the rung below. Though not directly submerged, this process will also act as a water bath and give off the same effect.

Temperature is Key

Baking is a technical process. Not only is it mandatory to measure the ingredients well and as per the recipe instructions, but also important to note their temperature for better results. Oftentimes, one tends to take out the ingredients straight from the fridge and use them for baking. That is a mistake that should be avoided. Once you take out cold ingredients, let it rest on the tabletop for at least one to two hours before using it.

Cornstarch – the magic ingredient

This hack always works! Whether it is written in the recipe note or not, you can always add one to two tablespoon of cornstarch while preparing the batter. This ensures a smooth consistency, perfect thickness, and no lumps. It also prevents the cake from cracking up while baking.

“Let it sit!”

Often times you may have heard bakers saying that once the cake is done in the oven, you need to ‘let it sit’. Take this part very seriously. Once you turn off the oven, do not take out the cake immediately. Doing so exposes the cake to temperature differences and it might lead to the cake falling apart. Instead, slightly open the oven door and leave it there for an hour or so to cool off before taking it out.

Gelatin does the trick!

When you are making no-bake Cheesecake, add a little gelatin. This will help the cake to set properly and the cuts will come out clean.

Want some tang?

Both Greek Yogurt and Sour Cream have the tangy flavour in them which one can taste off a cheesecake. You can use either of the two while making a no-bake cheesecake that adds more flavour and compactness to the texture.

Just Chill!

Even though it might seem that no-bake cheesecakes are ready in a jiffy, it still needs adequate time to set. The best option is to let it chill in the fridge overnight so that it firms up and sets properly.

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