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Basic Cheesecake Filling
Author/Submitted by:
Servings: 1
Categories:
Cheesecakes
/
Desserts
Ingredients: 1
Lb
To 2 lb cream cheese 1/2
C
Powdered sugar 2
eggs,
(2 to 3)
1/2
C
Yogurt or sour cream 3/4
C
Liqueur or fruit/vegetable
- puree 1
Tb
Vanilla 1
T
Or more other flavored
- extracts
- if desired
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.
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.
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 1/2 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 3/4 cup, and 2 eggs will work (but three is still better - two
works best only if you're not using the yogurt/sour cream >and< your
liqueur is only 1/2 cup.) A fruit or vegetable puree 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 puree if you eliminate the yogurt/sour cream. Either
mix in the puree with the batter, or reserve a cup or so of batter, mix
it with the puree, then swirl it into the cheesecake.
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 - 4-6 Tbsp 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 2-3 oz melted chocolate for the batter that's being
swirled in. Make sure the melted stuff is cooled before you mix it in.
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