This is indeed the easier cheesecake I have ever made! No finicky oil and cheese separating, fallen or over-beaten meringue, temperature control, worry about cracks, water bath temp, cooling down gradually, shrinkage, etc. In fact, the uglier it is, the more rustic!
Recipe taken from Just One Cookbook. Although there isn't a video, she goes into extreme detail so it would be worthwhile to read it before proceeding. She also suggests measurements for 7" and 8" pans but since I just happened to have a new 7" pan, what a nice way to break it out! Although her recipe states a pan with a removable base, I lined with foil to help make it easy to lift out. The outside of the cake won't be as pretty as there will be creases but no matter. Ironically, I bought the pan with the intention of baking cheesecake in a water bath, so my pan doesn't have a removable base. But no matter.
The hardest parts about making this cheese cake are the planning ahead (to bring everything to room temp and letting the cake totally cool down before de-panning), and making sure to carefully remove lumps at every stage of mixing. Lumps become harder to remove once more and more liquid is introduced. Also make sure to use an offset spatula or another smaller spatula and scrape down the big spatula and bowl often. This prevents lumps from gathering on the big spatula which become harder to remove later on. The mixer can't be used as it beats up too much air which causes it to deflate and crack.
Ingredients
454g cream cheese (aka 2 packets of Philly cream cheese), room temp
100g sugar
3 large eggs (50 g each without shell), room temp and whisked thoroughly
15g cake flour
6g corn starch
Pinch of salt
240ml whipping/double cream (36 - 38% fat), room temp
1 tbsp vanilla extract (or her recipe uses 15ml lemon juice)
Method
1. Take the eggs and cream cheese out of the fridge and let them come to room temp. If required, gently warm the cream cheese in the microwave to soften. Avoid melting so use gentle microwave power e.g. 15s increments at 50% power.
2. Preheat oven to 230 deg C, fan forced. Turn on the grilling elements! Middle rack. Make sure there is enough clearance so the parchment doesn't touch the top grilling element and burns. It will be useful to preheat to your oven's maximum when you start preparing.
3. Prepare the pan. As my pan doesn't have a removable base, I lined it with aluminium foil to make removal later easier as I can lift it out. On top of that, overlay 2 pieces of parchment. The parchment needs to overlap in order to full cover the pan. See JOC for instructions and pictures to see the final product regarding should look like.
4. Gather the rest of the ingredients. In a large bowl, mash the cream cheese. Try to remove as many lumps as possible.
5. Add the sugar in 3 batches. Mix well and remove lumps but really flattening the cream cheese into the bottom of the bowl. The mixture is ready when there are no noticeable granules of sugar.
6. Add the beaten egg in 3 batches. After each addition, the mixture appears to curdle but just mix it in. Again, remove any lumps.
7. Sift in the two flours and salt. Do this in batches and very carefully remove lumps after each addition. This will be the hardest stage as there will be so many lumps. Very carefully take your time and remove as many as possible.
8. Add in the double cream incrementally and stir in. At this point, remove any more lumps but it becomes very hard to remove lumps at this stage because there is so much liquid.
9. Pour into sieve overlaid on top of the prepared pan. Sieve the mixture to remove any final lumps. Gentle tap on the counter top to remove big bubbles. Run a skewer in a jigjag manner around the pan to burst smaller bubbles.
10. Put in a bigger cookie pan to catch any drips and make removal from the oven easier. Bake at 230 deg C for 60 to 65 minutes. I needed the full 65 minutes so that the cake emerges with a mild wobble in the centre. However, I couldn't get the full brown top. Do not be tempted to over-bake just to achieve the colour as the cake will become hard and dry.
11. Allow cake to cool in the pan on a wirerack. The airflow under the pan will facilitate cooling. If you want a firmer cake, at this point, chill in the fridge in the pan for 4 hours. Do not cover with cling film as condensation will drip on the cake's face and ruin it. Instead, cover with a cloth. If you want a less firm cake, serve at room temperature. Similarly, after you remove the cake from the fridge (e.g. chilled leftovers), allow to sit out for at least 30 minutes to lose some of the chill. The cake tastes better at room temp or slightly chilled rather than cold.
Recipe feedback: The amount of sugar is correct. This cake is so tiny but so rich. Imagine the 2 packets of cheese and double cream inside! Baking it for 65 minutes although didn't produce the full burnt colour yields the correct wobbliness.
Second attempt
Used small oven. Only needed 61 mins and fully browned! But it cracked :(
