Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does adding an extra egg to cheesecake do? ›

Eggs: Three whole eggs hold the cheesecake together. I also add an extra yolk, which enhances the cake's velvety texture. (Whites tend to lighten the cake, which is actually fine — if you don't feel like separating that fourth egg and don't mind some extra airiness in the texture, just add in the whole egg.)

Prepared cheesecake can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, per USDA food safety recommendations. We suggest storage in an airtight container, so it doesnt absorb any fridge odors.

You want to work rather gently (or you'll deflate the whipped cream) but still make sure the cream cheese and whipped cream are completely incorporated and hom*ogenous. Otherwise, you'll have bites of cheesecake that are not fluffy.

Sour cream supports the underlying tang of the cream cheese, but, if overdone, it takes over as the dominant flavor. You need a little of each -- cream for texture and sour cream for flavor. With our ingredients settled, we focused in on how to keep the cheesecake from baking up grainy and cracked.

Eggs and milk have high protein and moisture content, and they're the primary ingredients in cheesecake, so when cheesecake is left at room temperature, conditions are ripe for bacteria to multiply. According to the USDA's Food Keeper App, cheesecake should be consumed within 5 to 7 days of refrigeration.

At room temperature, cheesecake can sit out for up to 4 hours. This is because the room temperature is usually around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the ideal temperature for cheesecake. However, if the room temperature exceeds 90 degrees Fahrenheit, it's best to refrigerate the cheesecake after 2 hours.

Ingredients - Pumpkin puree made from scratch contains only pumpkin, but canned puree may contain a preservative like salt. Pumpkin pie filling contains additional ingredients like sugar, spices, and thickeners. Flavor - Pure pumpkin puree has a slightly sweet, earthy taste.

Cheesecake is clearly a different animal from bundts or cupcakes, but sour cream has a place here too! Combined with even more densely rich cream cheese, sour cream actually tempers the star ingredient a touch, softening its texture. It also adds another layer of tangy flavor and moisture to a cheesecake.

Avoid Overmixing: Unlike other cakes, where beating air into the batter is key, overmixed cheesecake can rise, fall and then crack from that excess air. Keeping ingredients (cheese, eggs, liquids and flavorings) at room temperature can help.

What does adding flour to cheesecake do? ›

Flour or cornstarch is sometimes included in cheesecake recipes to preventing cracks. If you find that you always have problems with cracking and your cheesecake recipe does not call for any flour or cornstarch, it's ok to experiment and add some cornstarch (one to two tablespoons) to the batter when you add the sugar.

Cheesecake is a custard, and custards can overcook easily. Overbaked cheesecake will crack and the texture will be dry and gritty. Egg proteins become quite firm and tightly coiled when cooked quickly at a high temperature, but can be silky-smooth and creamy when cooked gently at a low temperature.

Place on oven rack then carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake at 325°F for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the top looks slightly dry, especially at the edges. If the middle is slightly wobbly like jello, that's fine.

Doneness Test

Unlike with a standard cake, it is not recommended that you poke a cheesecake with a toothpick to see if it is done. In fact, a cheesecake is done before it looks done. The edges should be set, but the center will still be soft. Give the pan a little jiggle; the center few inches should still move a bit.

Eggs are responsible for giving baked goods structure, which means the amount you use directly affects the resulting texture. Using too few eggs will make your desserts dense, but using too many will make them rubbery. The explanation for this lies in the fact that eggs are made up of protein.

The reason for that is the fat in the yolk that inhibits gluten formation just as any other fat would. This results in a looser dough that can expand and puff up more.

Baked cheesecakes need to contain some egg as the egg thickens the cheesecake mixture as it bakes, in a similar way to a baked custard, so it is possible that you are more sensitive to the egg flavours within the cheesecake or maybe did not add quite enough flavouring (such as vanilla).