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 For some reason the easy cheesecake is something that every aspiring home chef seems to have troubles with at one point or another. There are many secret restaurant recipes that are so hard to locate and a few common problems baking these super easy lemon cheesecake recipes, include large slits , darkened top, lumpy filling, collapsed middles and the amazing shrinking cheesecake (cake shrinks around the outside).

Alot of of these problems tend to leave when the cheesecake is constructd and baked properly.

Before we get baking , a little science if you please. Some of the issues mentioned above all stem from an improper cooking process . That normally is because everyone treat the recipe as if it was for a cake. But the truth is, cheese cake is a lot more similar to a custard pie than it is to a basic cake recipe. So, that means you need to work and cook the ingredients not the same .

Leading off with  is the pan. Alot people recommend using a spring form dish but I do not choose them. The reason will you will see when we get into the cooking process. For now locate a 9 inch circular cake pan with very high sides (at least 2 inches). We first need to treat the dish so we can get the cooked cheese cake out later . For that, melt a bit of butter and using a brush, coat the whole inside of the dish . Now , using parchment paper, cut out a circle for the backside of the pan and a long rectangle for the side. Once the parchment paper  has been added to the pan, we can focus on the crust.

Many people like a cookie crumble crust but I prefer good old graham crackers. I take about 2 dozen and put them in a moldable ziptop bag. Using my fingers only, I crush them for atleast thirty seconds to a min. . Don’t worry,some big chunks are ok. Next , melt 1/4 cup of unseasoned butter and add the cracker crumbs to it along with 1 table spoon of sugar. Combine with a spatula briefly and put into the bottom of the dish . Next grab a heavy glass with a flat bottom or other tamping tool (the ones used to flatten meat works great ). You want to tamp down all the crumbs in the pan so they stick to each other and help the crust form. Cook the crust blind for Ten mins at 300 degrees.

Now comes the filling. Before you started working on the pan preparation , you should have taken the cream cheese out of the refridgerator and set it on the counter to soften (at least thirty minutes or so). We are also going to need 1.25 cups of sourcream , 1 cup of sugar, one third cup of cream (whipping or heavy), 1 table spoon of vanilla extract, 5 large eggs, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, the zest of one lemon, and 1 table spoon of cornstarch (optional).

Next , the mixing of the batter is very important. you want everything combined well but you do not want to add any air into the batter. Air is commonly the problem when a cheesecake falls or has a sunken center. So, the best tool in my opinion is the Kitchenaid stand mixer (or your favorite brand).

To start , put the sourcream in the mixing bowl and with the paddle attachment, beat on medium low for a minute. Now add the creamcheese , the sugar and the optional cornstarch. The cornstarch acts to help slow down the binding of the eggs in the custard which prevents cracking. Think of it as a little extra insurance. If you follow this recipe you should not need it but if this is your first time trying this recipe, you may want to consider adding it.

So, now we beat this premix on low speed for one minute. Then turn up the speed to medium for a few more minutes. Stop the machine and scrape the bowl. Next, in a container mix the 1/3 cup of cream, vanilla, two large eggs, 3 egg yolks, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix this up well with a fork.

Put the mixer on medium low speed and slowly drizzle in half of the cream and egg mixture. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl again. Start it again but this time on medium high speed and add the remaining egg mixture. Continue mixing for about 1 more minute. The batter should be uniform (no lumps) and not airy.

Next , the cooking . Preheat the oven to two hundred fifty degrees. recall when you cooked the crust blind. Well, you want to put the batter to the pan but first make sure the crust is completely cool (let it cool out of the oven for at least 15 minutes). Add the batter to the pan. Give the pan a few little twists left and right to help any air bubbles come to the top.

At the same time, boil at least two quarts of water (the amount will depend on your pan size). We need to create what’s named a “bain marie” (Marie’s bath). If you have another cake pan that is a few inches larger?  in diam use that. If not, a disposable aluminium baking dish works well too (the kind for lasagne or roasting). Add a clean towel to the bottom of the large pan and infix into the oven. Add the cheese cake pan into the bigger pan and gently push it to the side . Next , cautiously add the simmering water into the larger pan. Pour enough to come up 2 thirds the way up the cheese cake pan.

Now , carefully ,  center the cheesecake pan in the larger pan and close the oven. Bake at 250 for 1 hour. Here’s the hard part. After one hour the cake will not looked cooked. But the problem is you don’t want to over cook the cheese cake . So, open the oven door for about 30 secs. to let some heat escape. Next , close the door and leave the cake alone for one hour. After that, carefully take the cake pan out of the water pan and place into a refridgerator for 6 hours.

Finally we have cheesecake. There are some minor tumbling necessary to get the cake out of the pan. First, fill your sink half way up with hot water directly from the tap (the hottest it will go). Now , let the pan float in the sink for 15 secs. . Next take it out and put it on a towel. Using a sharp thin knife gently trace around the outside of the pan and then gently take out the waxed paper from the side of the pan. Now , take some wax paper and cut a circle the same size as the cheese cake . Place the wax paper on top of the cheesecake. Place a round plate or the bottom from a spring form pan on top of the cheesecake and gently but quickly invert it. Now remove the pan.

Ok, but now you are looking at the under side of the cheesecake . Take the parchment from the bottom. Decide what plate you will use to serve the cheesecake (or prefer a nice size bakers cake round). Put that on the under side of the cheese cake and once again invert it carefully . Lastly, remove the wax paper from the top and slice the cheesecake .

If everything went well we should have a delicious and beautiful lemony cheesecake that your friends and family will thought you purchased . And you know what, if the top does crack, who cares. That’s why they invented whipped cream! Right?

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