I don’t understand the unmoldonh direction she for the cheesecake pan. Is there a video or can you explain it more clearly? Also, in the comments,...

I think the pan Alice Medrich refers to is a latch-less one with a removable, drop-in bottom like this: https://www.gourmetsleuth.com/articles/detail/how-to-select-a-cheesecake-pan. In order to release the cake from the pan after chilling, you need some kind of temporary platform that is narrower in diameter than the cake so that you can push the cake, with the detachable base, up from below (or, rather, pull down the ring completely). It also has to be taller than the cake (at 3" high) because you need to be able to lower the cake ring part down to a level at which it can be separated from the cake vertically, dropped down to the counter, and removed. The cake pan is 8 x 3, so it appears that say a 28 oz can of tomatoes should work and temporarily provide stability so your cake won't topple off. Also, she mentions surrounding it with a warm towel briefly to aid in releasing the sides. I haven't made the cake so I can't address the softening issue, though someone did mention beating the cream a little stiffer.