Since we’re back in Rose Levy Berenbaum land again this week, it bears mentioning that ever since I first started making chocolate layer cakes out of the Cake Bible, I’ve wondered about the rationale for combining cocoa powder with boiling water. I mean, cocoa powder disperses just as easily in warm water. What’s the big […]
READ ONThis is a variation on Rose Levy Beranbaum’s a classic chocolate butter cake: 2.25 ounces (1/3 cup) unsweetened cocoa (Dutch process) 8 ounces (1 cup) boiling water 3 large eggs (at room temperature) 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract 8.25 ounces (1 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) sifted cake flour 10.5 ounces (1 1/2 cups) granulated […]
READ ONI’d been wondering why I’ve been receiving so many comments and questions from India recently (an unusually high number of people made a point to tell me you can’t get cream cheese there). Happily over the weekend a helpful reader by the name of Rishika cleared that up for me. It seems I recently received […]
READ ONSo OK, it’s not straight-up New York. I added a cookie crumb crust at the last minute. But it looks pretty good, n’est-ce pas? It tastes good too. And that’s coming from a guy who really isn’t wild about cheesecake. This is a very simple thing to prepare and it goes like this… Preheat your […]
READ ONReader Laura suggests that the original inspirations for New York cheesecakes weren’t Italian cheesecakes: Since Leo Linderman (Lindy’s) and Arnold Reuben were both German immigrants, and since Reuben claimed that Lindy’s stole his German chef with the cheesecake recipe, it is more likely that the inspiration was German kaesekuchen (or some Eastern European cheesecake) than […]
READ ONNew Yorkers have a habit of claiming credit for pretty much everything. However in the case of cheesecake, they’re pretty much right. For it was upstate New York dairymen who invented “Philadelphia” cream cheese in the 1880’s, and it was the Jewish deli owners of Manhattan who subsequently used that cheese to make the thing […]
READ ONI think that pun occurs in every article on cheesecake history ever written. And boy, have there ever been a lot of them. I think of cheesecake history as a sort of bottomless pit, one that will take you as deep into the history of food as you care to go, according to your definition […]
READ ONReader Theresa from Bangalore, India, offer this: I have been making New York style cheesecakes for a while. And been getting extremely good feedback on the lightness of my creations. Well, my method is to use a mix of yogurt and cream. The yogurt is hung till it has absolutely no water content. Mix this […]
READ ONA few members of the professional baking comunity sent in tips about pans yesterday. Here are some representative emails. This one from reader Laura: Here is another alternative to a springform pan: disposable foil pans. They come extra deep, although I use regular depth pans because I like to make a smaller cheesecake. I use […]
READ ONThe idea of making a cheesecake with more non-cheese dairy ingredients has clearly gotten a lot of readers thinking. What about using a Mexican crema or a homemade crème fraîche instead of the store-bought cream or sour cream? Would that add a more interesting taste? Would it work? The answers are yes and yes.
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