How to Make a Cheesecake

Cheesecakes are a cross between a pie and a cake, and it consists of a crumbly crust with a topping of whipped cream and fresh fruits. There are many varieties of cheesecakes that you can easily make at home. You can have different variations of this delectable dessert by using a variety of fillings and toppings. The crust of the cheesecake can be made either by using a biscuit base or a shortcrust pastry. For the filling, you have the option of using cream cheese, ricotta cheese or cottage cheese. Making the filling with ricotta cheese gives it a very wonderful and distinctive flavor. The topping can be anything from fresh fruits, fruit preserve, sour cream or even chocolates. There is no end to the list of items you can use to make a cheesecake.

Making Cheesecake from Scratch

The recipe given below uses fresh pumpkin, with cream cheese and graham crackers. This is a wonderful recipe that shows you how easy it is to make a cheesecake from scratch. The beauty of this recipe is that it calls for very few ingredients.

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients

• 2 cups of graham crackers
• 500 gm cream cheese
• 75 gm plain, unsalted butter
• 1 cup demerara sugar
• 6 eggs
• 400 gm pumpkin, cubed
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ tablespoon nutmeg
• 20 - 21 cm cake tin

Method

In a large pot of water, add cubed pumpkins and cook them until they are tender. Once cooked, remove the pot from the heat and make sure that you drain excess water. In a food processor, puree the pumpkin and keep it aside. Preheat the oven to 150 ºC. In a plastic bag, put the biscuits and bash them with a rolling pin, until its crumbly. Take this mixture out in a medium-sized bowl and then add the butter, combining it together. Press this crumbled mixture into the base of the cake tin with the back of a spoon. Now refrigerate this mixture until it is set properly.

In another bowl, whisk the cream cheese until stiff peaks are formed. Slowly add the demerara sugar, while continuously whisking the mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time taking care that no air bubbles are formed. Now pour in the pumpkin puree, orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour this batter into the chilled biscuit base. Bake in a hot oven for an hour at 180 ºC. After an hour, place the cheesecake in a refrigerator for 20 minutes. Serve it with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

Making a Cheesecake Filling

There are numerous types of cheesecake fillings that you can make at home. The basic rule is that you should not try to cut down on the amount of fat content in cheese filling. Always use full fat cream and cream cheese. This makes the cheesecake fluffier and more creamy in texture. When you are making cheesecake, make sure that the cream cheese is at room temperature. If the cream cheese is very cold or frozen, lumps will be formed in the cheesecake. Here is an easy recipe for cheesecake filling.

Blueberry Cheesecake Filling
Ingredients

• 275 gm fresh blueberry
• 250 gm cream cheese
• 175 gm sugar
• 2 tablespoons zest of lemon
• 100 gm heavy cream
• 6 eggs

Method

Blend together the cream fresh, sugar, lemon zest and eggs in a food processor. Now add heavy cream into this mixture. With the help of a fork, crush the blueberries and then add this into the mixture. You can use this filling to make a blueberry cheesecake.

Cheesecakes sometimes tend to sink and crack at the middle. To avoid this cool the cheesecake completely before refrigerating it. They require less heat, so bake the cheesecake at a moderately hot oven. Now that you know how to make a cheesecake, why not treat your family with this delicious dessert.