Souffle cheesecake

Growing up in the St Louis, Mo area in the 60s and 70s, there were many neighborhood bakeries that made 2 types of cheesecake. One was called souffle cheesecake and usually was baked in a very large sheet pan, and would be sliced up into small squares. These cheesecakes were so light, and not overly rich or sweet. It was almost like eating a very stable souffle. They usually had a very thin cakelike base or crust. Does anyone have a recipe for this type of cheesecake? Thanks

Lehnhoca
  • Posted by: Lehnhoca
  • February 27, 2013
  • 5498 views
  • 7 Comments

7 Comments

ChefJune
ChefJune March 1, 2013
Lehnhoca; I beat it for about 8 minutes. Top speed on the kitchenaid. be sure to use the shield!
 
ChefJune
ChefJune March 1, 2013
A few years ago, a pastry chef friend made cheesecake with the traditional recipe (cream cheese, et al) and after all the ingredients were mixed, he changed from the paddle to the whisk and beat the bejeezus out of the batter. Then he baked it in the traditional manner. That cheesecake was so light, I swear it floated! Could hardly wait to get home and try it myself. it's so light it could fool you into thinking it's low-cal!
 
Lehnhoca
Lehnhoca March 1, 2013
I'll give this a try. Should I beat it on high for 15 minutes or even longer? Thanks for the suggestion
 
Shuna L.
Shuna L. March 1, 2013
Without more specifics it's difficult to know exactly what you're looking for. Most cheesecakes now are made with Philadephia cream cheese, which is less like cheese and more like glue. In order to make them "light" one would have to add a lot of eggs and air, which is the opposite of what you want to do with an "East Coast" cheesecake.

I made a ricotta tart yesterday that came out quite light because ricotta is a "lighter cheese" because of its curd. No souffle technique necessary. My ratios: 1 part ricotta, 10% sugar, 10% egg yolks, 15% eggs, a dash of: salt, nutmeg & lemon zest. I baked the custard in a pre-baked crust at 275F for about 25 minutes. I hope this helps...
 
Lehnhoca
Lehnhoca March 1, 2013
I like the idea of using a lighter cheese. Here in the midwest, they don't have the wonderful ricotta like they do on the coast, The ricotta here is more like smashed up cottage cheese with no flavor. I am going to try to see if I can mail order some of the ricotta from Cowgirl Creamery or Old Chatham. Unless you think that once it is baked that it is not as critical to have artisan cheese. Maybe the grocery store brand will do. This sounds like a great recipe for Easter brunch. I'll let you know how it turns out. thanks for the advice
 
Lindsay-Jean H.
Lindsay-Jean H. March 1, 2013
Lehnhoca, I don't have a specific recipe to recommend, but Japanese cheesecake is light and airy, or souffle-like, as you've described. You might try searching for that, to see if it looks like what you're aiming for for. Here's just one example: http://www.thelittleteochew.com/2011/03/japanese-cheesecake-tips-tricks.html
 
Lehnhoca
Lehnhoca March 1, 2013
The photo looks a lot like the one I remember. I will try this recipe this weekend and let you know how it turns out. thanks for the tip
 
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