Baking Soda or Powder in my Cheesecake?

[rdcast]

well, u should get back to your photo instead of that "Chinese food bucket" thingy. I have just 15 minutes baking time left. This Cheesecake takes 1hr 30min. I pre-baked the gram bottom(never call it a crust cuz pies have crusts , not cakes). So far so good. It looks great. I hope it doesn't turn out pithy. I love that word "pithy"

 

[Chef_Jen]

well, u should get back to your photo instead of that "Chinese food bucket" thingy. I have just 15 minutes baking time left. This Cheesecake takes 1hr 30min. I pre-baked the gram bottom(never call it a crust cuz pies have crusts , not cakes). So far so good. It looks great. I hope it doesn't turn out pithy. I love that word "pithy"

ACTUALLY the term crust in baking is the outer hard shell or skin like in bread or pies...

and a cheesecake is actually not a cake at all but a custard pie

 

[rdcast]

not a pie, custard cake maybe, not a pie. So I stay clear of pie crusts. Oh yea, this time I used your plastic wrap idea. My "cake" has predictably sunken tho my boy thinks it's a jewel.

 

[rdcast]

I remember my grandmother's cookies having a slight baking soda flavor. Any good cookie has this and suffers in flavor if it doesn't. I wont know about my cheesecake until it spends all night in the fridge. I topped it with a thick lemon glaze.

Thank you all for your help.

All the best,
Robert
P.S. to Jen, I realize that most cheesecakes may resemble a pie and merit a pie curst. My cheesecakes are formulated to be true cakes with a decidedly bready texture so I treat them as such.

 

[Andy M.]

not a pie, custard cake maybe, not a pie...

Sorry to burst you bubble, but a cheesecake is a pie. It's got a crust and a filling and that makes it a pie.

Check this out. After reading the definition of pie, scroll down a see that cheesecake is given as an example of a sweet pie.

Cheesecakes are pies, tomatos are fruits, KMart owns Sears and Sears own Lands End. Who cares!? Cheesecakes are still the best!

 

[rdcast]

Nah, only cheeseCAKE want-to-bes have crusts. The real thing doesn't need it or may have just a dusting of cracker crumbs to help keep them from sticking. No pie, so help me.

 

[Chef_Jen]

LOL even with graham crumbs its STILL a pie.. its a well known fact. Cheesecake is just called that.. but really its a pie

one of the reasons its not called cheesepie as in england and many other places cheese pie refers to a savoury pasty!

 

[ChefJune]

hmmmmm the Italian version is called Ricotta PIE!

 

[Chef_Jen]

exactly June

 

[rdcast]

YAY, then I'm the first and so the originator of the true cheesecake !!!

I feel sooooo honored to be the father of the modern cheesecake. Now, all I need to do is convince eveyone else who have been calling there products "cheesecake" to call it like it is, " cheesepie ".

Yall may now line up for mah autograph

 

[Michael in FtW]

The reason baking powder or baking soda are NOT ingredients in a cheese cake/pie (you guys argue about what you want to call it - it's still cake in my book) is because they (chemical leveners) will not provide enough "lift" to lighten a batter as thick and dense as cheesecake. The purpose of a levening agent is to intoduce "air" into a mass of something ... to lighten it ... and cheesecake has it's own method which does not require acidifiers, reactants, or yeast .... it just requires a little time .... the method is called "creaming" - which whips air into the batter. As the batter heats up (during baking) the little trapped bubbles of air expand - they make the final product lighter!

 

[urmaniac13]

The truth is, "Cheesecake" is a very vague terminology, there are many different versions of "cheesecakes" around the world, and each people have different impressions when they hear the word "cheesecake". Those who are accustomed to those with graham cracker base or similar shell, it is true that the style looks more like a pie rather than a cake. But there are many other versions of cheesecake which are not accompanied by shells, and look and taste definetely like cake.

 

[urmaniac13]

hmmmmm the Italian version is called Ricotta PIE!

Actually I use about 1/2-1/2 ricotta and mascarpone, though it could be made solely with ricotta, too, mascarpone gives the extra richness and sinfulness!!

 

[Chef_Jen]

Yes in Italy they have a very beautiful soft cheese when i went to the markets the owner of the cheese stall gave me a scoop of it to eat off my hand.. it was gorgeous.. as the only cream cheese i could find was LIGHT.. which isnt as nice..

so i made my cheesecake with full fat soft cheese, ricotta, and mascarpone let me tell you it was HEAVEN

 

[rdcast]

Actually I use about 1/2-1/2 ricotta and mascarpone, though it could be made solely with ricotta, too, mascarpone gives the extra richness and sinfulness!!

I used 24 ounces of cream cheese, 1 1/2 cup of ricotta, 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1 tsp baking soda, 5 whole eggs(no extra yolks), 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 tbsp vanilla, 2 1/2 cups sugar, graham bottom mixed with 2 tbsp brown sugar, completed cake topped with a thick lemon glaze that drools down the sides when cut. I pre-cut and wrap individual slices with wax paper. Makes 20 slices.

The baking soda didn't really help with anything other than the quality in flavor I'm used to from my grandma's wonderful pastries. Also, the bubbles left the most beautiful appearance and texture I've ever seen for a cheeseCAKE.

Your mentioning of mascarpone excites my sense of exploration. I've got to try it !!!!

All the best
Robert

 

[Chef_Jen]

Woah.. You use a 1/4c of Lemon juice?? your making lemon cheesecake right?

 

[Chef_Jen]

Side note why so much cornstarch as well?

 

[rdcast]

so i made my cheesecake with full fat soft cheese, ricotta, and mascarpone let me tell you it was HEAVEN

I haven't been so terribly bad, well, I've repented for most of it. Will I make it to your cheeseCAKE heaven Jen ?

 

[Andy M.]

...and 4 times the flour I use in my recipe.

 

[rdcast]

Side note why so much cornstarch as well?

Not sure, other than you had mentioned it as a worthy ingredient