Good evening, Kibitzers. I’ve had cheesecake on the brain lately, which has led to a decidedly unhealthy cheesecake baking binge, so that’s what you’re going to read about today.
As you probably know, I recently got an Instant Pot. I bought it so I could make savory things, but multiple people have told me that I should try making cheesecake in it. As with most things Instant Pot, I was skeptical at first—and, as always, my skepticism was proven wrong in the end.
For a couple of weeks, I sat around thinking about Instant Pot cheesecake. I looked up recipes, watched YouTube videos, you name it—obsessing about making cheesecake in the Instant Pot. And once I get an idea in my head, it doesn’t usually leave my head until I carry it out. Originally, I was going to wait until some kind of event or family gathering so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat the whole cheesecake by myself. As my obsession grew, a sense of “fuck it” gradually took over. So I went to Amazon and ordered a 6-inch Fat Daddio’s cheesecake pan with removable bottom (the pan that several sources recommended) and planned to make the cheesecake Thursday evening, let it chill overnight, and then enjoy a slice (or two...) for my Friday evening treat.
But then, a terrible thing happened when I went to checkout: I realized that the earliest I could get it was by Friday. By this time, I was quite set on eating cheesecake on Friday evening. That’s when the idea of making two cheesecakes formed. (Living alone is dangerous, because nobody is around to talk me out of these things, and like I said, once I get an idea in my head...) I’d recently watched a Chef John video on YouTube about “basque” cheesecake and thought the idea was interesting enough to try. If you’re unfamiliar (as I was) with the “basque” cheesecake, the idea is to bake the cheesecake at a very high temperature for almost an hour, which will sort of “burn” the exterior of the cake while leaving the inside rich and creamy. Yes, I was skeptical, too—but I trust Chef John. That was going to be my first cheesecake of the week. Here’s the video, in case you’re interested:
I made it exactly how Chef John made it, and it was super easy. You just mix up the batter, whisk in some eggs, and pour it into a 9-inch buttered and parchment paper-lined cake pan. Into a 400-degree oven it goes for 45 minutes, and then you turn the temperature up to 425 and let it bake another 10 minutes. Here are the ingredients, by the way:
24 ounces soft cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt (or 3/4 to 1 teaspoon Kosher salt)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 extra large eggs (you can use 5 large eggs)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
At the end of baking, it looked pretty terrifying, but this is apparently how it’s supposed to look:
After a while, it collapses and forms a depression in the middle (kind of like the depression I’m about to feel after I eat a couple of slices of this thing). It’s kind of beautiful in its own way, even though it wasn’t quite as darkened as the Chef John cake above:
It was actually very good. It’s not really “burnt” so much as it is darkened, and the exterior forms a kind of “crust” that provides a very slight bitter flavor. And I mean very slight—there’s barely any bitterness, but the bitter flavor that is there works well with the sweet, creamy cheesecake on the inside. It’s quite dense, though, and I sliced off more than I could chew, which is a rare thing for me. I thought some fresh raspberries would go well with it (and they did, spoiler alert):
So yeah, long story short, I recommend burning your cheesecake.
Yesterday afternoon, my Fat Daddio’s cheesecake pan finally arrived! The Instant Pot cheesecake was really the main event of the week, as far as I was concerned. So last night, I got to work so that I would be able to let it chill overnight. I looked at a number of recipes, and I ended up using the New York cheesecake recipe from this video (worth watching especially for the cute kid helper, and then Harry Potter at the end):
Again, it’s quite easy—cheesecake in general isn’t difficult, but it’s even easier in an Instant Pot. I’ll sum up the video, in case you have an Instant Pot and want to try it: You just wrap the removable bottom in parchment paper and place it back in the pan, then spray the pan with cooking spray. To make the crust, crumble a pack of graham crackers and mix the crumbs with 4 tablespoons of melted butter, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar. Put the mixture in the bottom of the pan and press it until it is tightly packed (a drinking glass works). Then put the pan in the freezer while you mix the batter, which consists of the following:
16 oz cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
Take the pan out of the freezer and pour in the batter. Then, pour a cup of water inside the Instant Pot pan, put the cheesecake pan on the trivet and place it inside the Instant Pot. The Fat Daddio’s pan is perfect for this:
It will need to pressure cook for exactly 28 minutes, and then it will need to naturally depressurize for 10 minutes. Release any remaining pressure and remove the pan, making sure to dab any water (and there will be water on the cheesecake) with a paper towel. Then, you can add a topping that just consists of ½ cup of sour cream and 2 tablespoons of sugar, whisked together. Into the fridge it goes—for at least four hours, but preferably overnight.
Let me tell you, it’s torture for me to have to wait for cheesecake to chill. But it was so worth it when I got to eat cheesecake for breakfast. As much as I liked the “basque” cheesecake, if it’s a contest, this one wins. I’m not going to say it was the best cheesecake I’ve ever had (I’ve eaten a lot of cheesecake...), but it’s up there. If you have an Instant Pot, definitely try it!
So that was my cheesecake adventure this week. Now that my curiosity has been satisfied, I won’t be making another one until I have people to make it for (I swear). I am going to enjoy one more slice of the Instant Pot cheesecake this evening, and then I’m going to seal it up and maybe take it in to the campus office staff on Monday morning so it’s out of my sight. Then, I have all week to repent—but tonight, cheesecake.
What do you want to kibitz about tonight?