How To Make Cheesecake

To cut a cheesecake into clean slices, use a nonserrated knife with a thin blade. Before cutting each slice, dip the knife in hot water and wipe it dry with a towel. Tip: If the top of your cheesecake has cracked, you can always cover it up by spreading a thin layer of sweetened whipped cream over the entire chilled cake before you present it to your guests. Embellish with berries or chocolate curls, if you like. Tip: Cheesecake needs to be refrigerated for storage. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To freeze cheesecake, wrap (without garnishes) in plastic wrap and seal in a freezer bag, an airtight container, or overwrapped in heavy foil. Freeze a whole cheesecake for up to 1 month; freeze pieces for up to 2 weeks. To thaw frozen cheesecake, loosen the covering slightly. Thaw in the refrigerator (a whole cheesecake should thaw within 24 hours).

I am so thrilled about the guest post that I will be sharing with you today. Not only does the author take amazingly beautiful photos, she also makes gorgeous Cakes, Cupcakes and Macarons. Her name is Linda Lomelino, she’s from Sweden and she writes on her blog Call me Cupcake. I asked Linda if she would like to guest blog on CakeJournal and I am so happy that she accepted! Linda will be sharing her tips and recipe on how to make macarons and I hope that you will enjoy her post as much as I do. Thank you Linda for guest blogging on CakeJournal today. You might know that macarons are highly unreliable cookies, even if you have made them several times. The results can vary from time to time, and sometimes you have no idea what went wrong. It takes some time to figure out what works for you, in your kitchen and oven.

But don’t give up! They are definitely not impossible to make and once you get the hang of it you’ll be able to make them without even thinking. But remember, macarons are highly addictive and once you’ve tried them, there’s no turning back! All your friends will probably want to taste them too. How could they not, They are both delicious and pretty to look at! Ok, let’s get started. Grind the almonds in a food processor. Sift to get rid of any large pieces or lumps. Mix the powdered sugar together with the ground almonds in a food processor. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with a hand- or stand mixer. As the egg whites start foaming, add the sugar one tablespoon at a time and continue whipping until the mixture is glossy and stiff. You should be able to hold the bowl upside down without the meringue sliding out! Fold the dry mixture into the meringue using a spatula. Add food coloring if desired and fold until fully mixed.

The mixture should flow like a ribbon when you hold up the spatula. If you want to test if the batter has good consistency, just dollop some batter on a piece of parchment paper. If the dollop slowly “flattens”, you’re good to go! If not, just keep folding. I usually find that a slightly under-mixed batter is better than an over-mixed. If you want to color your macarons, it’s generally better to use powdered food coloring, or pastes that are low in liquid. If you, like me, find it difficult to fill a pastry bag with only two hands, put your piping bag in a tall glass or jar. Fill your piping bag and pipe the macarons onto baking sheets, I usually end up with two sheets. Remember that the shells will “flatten” once you’ve piped, so don’t make them too big. About 2,5-3 cm (1 inch) is enough. Let them set for 60 minutes to form a dry skin. Heat the oven to 150° C (300 degrees F).

Bake for 10-12 minutes in the middle of the oven. Keep a close eye on them the last couple of minutes as they brown easily. You can test if they are done by touching the tip of a macaron, if it “wobbles” they are not done. Let the shells cool completely before removing them from the baking sheets. If you have trouble removing them from the paper, put them back in the oven for a couple of minutes. Pipe your filling of choice on a shell and sandwich together with another shell. There is an endless list of flavors you can use for macarons. The best way to flavor the shells is to use dry flavorings, such as dried, ground zest from lime, lemon or orange. You can replace half of the ground almonds with ground pistachios or any other type of nut. Chocolate macarons usually need to be baked for a few minutes more, about 14-15 minutes.