Basic Cheesecake Filling
Yield
1 cakePrep
20 minCook
20 minReady
40 minIngredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | pounds |
cream cheese
|
|
| ½ | cup |
powdered sugar
|
|
| 3 | large |
eggs
|
|
| ½ | cup |
sour cream
or yogurt |
|
| ¾ | cup |
liqueur
strawberry flavor |
*
|
| 1 | tablespoon |
vanilla extract
|
|
Ingredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 907.2 | g |
cream cheese
|
|
| 118 | ml |
powdered sugar
|
|
| 3 | large |
eggs
|
|
| 118 | ml |
sour cream
or yogurt |
|
| 177 | ml |
liqueur
strawberry flavor |
*
|
| 15 | ml |
vanilla extract
|
|
Directions
The more cream cheese you use, the denser the cheesecake will be (but not dry!) The more eggs you use, the fluffier it will be.
There's a delicate balance here - 1 lb cheese and 3 eggs will give you a fluffy cheesecake, but if you use 2 lbs cheese, 3 eggs is an absolute must if you don't want it to be flat.
More eggs than 3, and you'll taste the eggs.
1 lb cheese and 2 eggs is a nice balance, too, but going any lower than that you'll just end up with something flat.
The powdered sugar works best for two reasons - number one, powdered sugar contains corn starch, which acts as a thickener, and number two, you don't have to worry about the grittiness of undissolved sugar in your cake.
The yogurt or sour cream adds moistness and a little bit of tang to the cake.
It's not necessary, but it adds oomph to either a bland cake or a citrus-flavored cake.
For liqueur, add no more than ½ cup if you're using the yogurt or sour cream, and make sure you're using the three eggs.
If you eliminate the yogurt/sour cream, you can increase the liqueur to ¾ cup, and 2 eggs will work (but three is still better - two works best only if you're not using the yogurt/sour cream andgt;andandlt; your liqueur is only ½ cup.
) A fruit or vegetable purée should be relatively dry - drain off the liquid in a sieve, or put it in a saucepan, mix in some cornstarch, and heat it until it's thick.
You can use an entire cup of purée if you eliminate the yogurt/sour cream.
Either mix in the purée with the batter, or reserve a cup or so of batter, mix it with the purée, then swirl it into the cheesecake.
The vanilla is a must, in my opinion.
Lots of times, I'll throw in an extra teaspoon for good measure.
Other extracts can enhance the flavor - banana extract in a strawberry cheesecake, coconut extract or almond extract in an Amaretto cheesecake, etc.
Another addition would be cocoa or chocolate.
Cocoa mixes in nicely without making the cheesecake gooey - 4 to 6 tablespoon will do it.
Melted chocolate or white chocolate chips shouldn't really exceed 6 oz, even 4 oz will usually do enough for the flavor.
If you're doing the swirl thing, use only 2 to 3 oz melted chocolate for the batter that's being swirled in.
Make sure the melted stuff is cooled before you mix it in.
