My 1st cheesecake...

[college_cook]

So I'm following the recipe for sunburst cheesecake, a,d everything was going well until the initial bake at 500 for 12 minutes. I opened the oven to discover this (see below pic)
Any chance it's supposed to look like that? LOL

I knew I should have just bought a cheesecake, b/c for me, baking is like banging my head into a brick wall.

I'm just going to follow the rest of the recipe I guess, and hope for the best.

 

[IcyMist]

are you sure it said 500? You may be able to salvage the top by covering it with alunimum foil, not really sure though as I have only made a few cheesecakes.

 

[college_cook]

yeah, it definitely says 500 degrees for 12 minutes, and then 200 degrees for another hour. i can help if the name "sunburst" comes from the coloring perhaps? After I turned down the heat, it didn't brown any further, and it just finished it's hour on 200, and is the same color. The texture in the dark spots seems to be the same as everywhere else, so I'm beginning to think maybe it's supposed to look like this?

i suppose as long as it tastes ok, that's all that matters, b/c I've got some plans for decorating the top of it. I'm just concerned about the taste.

 

[IcyMist]

It really doesn't look bad. You will have to let us know how it tastes and then mail me a very small piece please. I absolutely adore cheesecake plain. NOTHING on it.

 

[college_cook]

well it's done! here's how it turned out... I think it looks good, but we'll have to see how it ends up tasting

 

[middie]

i believe that was the recipe i posted and the directions did indeed say 500 degrees. i thought that to be a little high but that's what it said.

 

[Raine]

Recipes are not always right. Sometimes you have to fix them. Oven temps vary as well.

 

[masteraznchefjr]

yea oven temps vary and so does moisture.

 

[middie]

here's the link for the recipe

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10719&highlight=cheesecake

i don't know it said 500 but i think that's a bit high

 

[masteraznchefjr]

i think we should change that to like 450 or maybe 400

 

[middie]

yeah i'll edit that and change it right now

 

[college_cook]

i think we should change that to like 450 or maybe 400

That's actually what i was thinking.... I ended up having a lot of leftover "batter" and I was going to try making another cheesecake at a lower temperature. Only thing is, I don't know if my "batter" will still be good by the time I get to use it, probably 4 or 5 days, as my week is filling up fairly quickly. I have it stored in the fridge, sealed, it should keep well till the end of the week right? If I do get a chance to remake it, I'll keep track of the oven temps I use.

Btw, I took a little bite out of the edge, and besides being a little too firm, nothing was wrong with it. Flavor was good, IMO, and the texture seemed to improve about 1 1/2 cm away from the edge. All in all, I think I can chalk this up to my first baking victory!

 

[PA Baker]

It probably had to do with the type of pan you used, too. It looks from your pictures that you used a disposable foil pie pan. The recipe calls for a 10" springform pan. That would have thicker walls, plus it would fit all of the batter so the heat of the oven wouldn't penetrate the cake as quickly as it did on yours. I know it's hard when you don't have all the equipment a recipe requires, but it usually calls for it for a reason!

Also, if you want to do something with your leftover batter, I'd do it quickly. 4-5 days is probably too long to have it sitting around.

 

[Andy M.]

You can't cook half the batter for the same amount of time called for when cooking all the batter and expect it to cook properly. Half the batter will be overdone and dry and too firm as you discovered. That's not the fault of the recipe. I would try the recipe as written once before making changes to the temps.

On the other hand, cheesecakes frequently call for cooking at much lower temps and sometimes in a waterbath to moderate the temps for even cooking. I'm not saying the 500 F won't work, just that it's unusual.

 

[jkath]

PA Baker has a great point - the springform pan!

By the way, college - your presentation is really nice. It looks beautiful!

 

[middie]

so maybe i should leave it at 500 like it said originally?

 

[Andy M.]

so maybe i should leave it at 500 like it said originally?

middie:

Have you used this recipe with success? If so, I wouldn't change it.

 

[middie]

no i didn't try it. saw it thought it sounded really good. i did think about making it for my cousin's house warming party though. but that's not for another 3 weeks or so.

 

[Andy M.]

Because collegecook altered the recipe by using half the batter (no offense), his results are not a fair measure of the recipe.

If you got it from a reputable source, it might be worth a try as is.

 

[middie]

okay i'll change it back to 500. thanks andy