Has anyone made a cheesecake before?

[Parrothead]

I made one today, and it was lumpy and runny in the middle after cooling. (runny like it didn't cook) What did I do wrong?

[RayvenQ]

Would help if you told us what you did so people could see what you did wrong Jus' sayin.

[Pony_Boy]

I've made several cheesecakes in my day not an expert by any means but maybe i can help or at least i can try.

the cake is lumpy? is it possible the ingredient weren't blended together enough? I usually use an electric hand mixer to blend the batter


as for the runny center, my first instinct is that the oven wasn't set to a proper temperature or the cake simply didn't bake long enough.

What did the rest of the cake look like? was it cooked around the edges?

[AnaKhouri]

Lumpiness is probably due to the cream cheese not being thawed enough. I ruined a couple cheesecakes this way. That stuff has to sit outside of the fridge for hours to be thawed enough.

As for the runniness, Pony Boy is probably right about your oven. My MIL has a killer cheesecake recipe and you have to cook it for a while, then turn off the oven and let it sit with the door slightly ajar for a while. The top usually cracks a little, which it how you know it's done.

Cheesecake is an inexact science. You really just have to practice.

[42_42_42]

Ingredients weren't blended properly = lumpiness.
Runny center = wasn't baked long enough.

[Der Cute]

I have made them before, and I've always had good luck. The cream cheese was almost room temp, the eggs were almost room temp, I kept an eye on the oven (since baking in it before I knew that the back would be hotter than front).

When you baked it, was it in a springform pan or a glass?

Cutenoob

[MaggieTheCat]

I think most cheesecakes benefit from being cooked in a hot water bath, too, which will help ensure even doneness throughout. Set the cheesecake pan in the middle of a jellyroll pan (basically a cookie sheet with sides) making sure the jellyroll pan is big enough for the cheesecake pan to fit inside it completely. Boil about 1-2 cups of water and pour the water inside the jellyroll pan so it surrounds the cheesecake pan and comes about half an inch or so up the side of the cheesecake pan. Bake it in the oven this way until the cheesecake jiggles slightly but is not completely set, then turn the oven off, crack the oven door open slightly (using a wooden spoon propped inside the door is a good way to do this) and let it sit in there to finish cooking out for about an hour.

ETA: If you bake a cheesecake in a springform pan and use a hot water bath, you may want to wrap the bottom and sides of the springform pan with a piece of foil to help prevent water from seeping into the bottom of the cheesecake. I've never had a leakage problem with my particular springform pan, but I've heard some people who have.

[tollbaby]

I'm the cheesecake lady I agree with the advice given already about the cream cheese needing to be room temp before you start your prep. If your cheesecake was brown around the outside but uncooked in the middle, it may have needed to bake longer at a lower temperature (my general rule is an hour at 350, reduce to 325 once the edges start browning).

Another possibility is it may not have finished setting. A cheesecake, after baking, requires a MINIMUM of four hours' refrigeration. You don't bake a cheesecake and serve it right away. Why? Because it's all runny and shit until you refrigerate it to set

Maggie, the water bath isn't to ensure even cooking, it prevents the surface from cracking due to dryness (which is also a common problem a lot of people run into - although if you have a fruit topping or a glaze, nobody cares cause you can't see the cracks!)

[lordlundar]

Good Eats Cheesecake Episode

Watch
Learn
Apply

[Parrothead]

Im using a springform pan, and I remade it last night, and it's good. I think i just needed to cook it longer.

[Solumina]

What is the recipe for the cheesecake? There are a couple of different common types and they all act a bit differently, there are also some that are a bit...different. The one that I make will not look or taste right until it sits in the fridge overnight, after about 10 hours it is the best cheesecake in the world (my grandmother came up with the recipe and so far I have yet to see another one like it, I'd post it but it is one of our very few family secrets, I will, however, make it if any of you ever come over).

[Parrothead]

Second recipe