Who among you doesn't get excited at the thought of a rich, creamy, silky smooth Caramel Macchiato cheesecake? Not only does it strike a chord of luxurious culinary opulence, but you can also freeze it with ease, making it something that you can prepare at home for any occasion or celebration.

This delicious cheesecake is assembled using a filling of natural soft cheese, ricotta, or cream cheese - to which you add sugar to flavor and sweeten before layering it onto a base made from either biscuit, cookies, Graham crackers, crumbs, pastry, or sponge. To finish it off, top with fruit and nuts, a light, fruity drizzle, and little chocolate. It's the ultimate indulgence.

Jump to:

can cheesecake be frozen
Making the perfect cheesecake
Ingredients you'll need
Step by step instructions
Extra tips on baking cheesecake
Cracks in Cheesecake
Cutting a cheesecake
Adding gelatin to your cheesecake
Cheesecake tips
Preparation tips
Baking tips
Cooling tips
Tips for garnish and serving
Interesting dessert recipes
Full Recipe

To get that lovely, silky, creamy texture, the mixture must be soft and smooth without a lump in sight. This can only be achieved if all of the ingredients are at room temperature before baking.

Take your food mixer and install the paddle attachment. Work the cream cheese gently in the mixing bowl until it becomes beautifully smooth. If using a hand-held mixer, put it on a low-speed setting to ensure that you don't over-aerate the batter as this will cause the cheesecake to crack.

Some people prefer to put all the ingredients into a blender or food processor, then process it for 60 seconds or so before pouring and baking.

The only problem with this method is that it can result in too much air getting into the batter. So if you do go down this route, take the blender off its motorized base, and gently tap it against your worktop several times to encourage any air bubbles up to the surface so that the air can escape.

Whichever method you prefer for making the batter, you should stop several times during the whisking process to scrape all inner surfaces of the mixing bowl, making sure that the batter has no lumps in it and that no ingredients have stuck to the inside of the bowl.

can cheesecake be frozen

Here are the refrigeration and freezing storage cheesecake tips. You can store your cheesecake in the fridge for up to 2 days. It should be loosely covered. You can freeze the cheesecake for up to 2 months.

If you are freezing a cheesecake, it's best to do so without any toppings. You can add the toppings after the cheesecake has defrosted before you serve it.
Allow your cheesecake to cool completely. Take the side of the springform pan away and put the cheesecake into your freezer for one hour. After the hour is up, you can remove the bottom of the springform pan and gently slide the cake onto a coated cake-board to keep its shape.
Double wrap the cheesecake, first using plastic film and then again using a heavy-duty foil, which will help stop the cheesecake from drying up in the freezer.
The best way to defrost frozen cheesecake is to place the still-wrapped cake into your fridge overnight.
Once it has defrosted, remove the wrapping to stop water droplets forming on the cheesecake's surface. Gently slide the cheesecake off the cake-board and onto a serving platter.

Making the perfect cheesecake

The great thing about cheesecake is not just that it is scrumptious; it is also simple to make. I listed below some easy tips to ensure that your cheesecake making turns out exactly as it should.

1 It is crucial that all your ingredients, including the cream cheese and the eggs, are at room temperature. If your cheese has come straight out of the fridge, place it still in its wrapping into a microwave-safe bowl and pulse it for spells of between 15 and 20 seconds until it becomes slightly softened.

2 Make sure that the cream cheese doesn't get too warm or melt. Should this happen, put it back in the fridge for between five and 10 minutes to get it back to that just-softened consistency. If you were to work with cold ingredients, you might well end up with a lumpy batter. For the perfect creamy cheesecake, that will not do at all. Your batter has to be perfectly smooth and creamy.

3 As you mix the ingredients, do so on a medium-to-low-speed setting until the mixture becomes smooth. Add the eggs singly on the lowest speed setting and scrape the bowl's edges and the beater.

4 Don't over-aerate the mixture. If it becomes air rich, the cheesecake will fall. Also, bear in mind that over-beating the mixture can result in the cheesecake cracking as it bakes.

5 Cheesecakes must be baked at a low temperature. 325°F is preferable, but make sure the temperature doesn't get any higher than 350°F, bearing in mind that cheesecakes are egg-based dishes.

6 Put the baking rack middle of the oven and placed the cheesecake in the center of the rack. Then, put a pan just shallowly filled with water on to the rack beneath the cheesecake. The water will help to prevent the top of the cheesecake from developing cracks.

7 Using Pan-Release, butter, margarine, or shortening, apply a little to all the springform pan's inner surfaces. This works to stop the batter from rising the side and then falling back. The last thing you want is the cheesecake to stick to the pan's sides as it cools.

8 Try and keep the temperature of the oven constant during the baking process. Whatever you do, don't open it for a sneak preview during the first 30 minutes. If you do, the draft created by opening the door will make the cheesecake fall back or crack as it bakes or cools.

9 The cheesecake should be allowed to rest once it has been baked. Unless the recipe you are following states otherwise when the cooking time is finished, turn the oven off and open the oven door just a little.

10 Try not to knock the cheesecake either during the cooking or cooling process. However, you can tap the pan's side or give it a little shake to test it for readiness. Ideally, the center of the cheesecake will wobble a little when it has finished baking.

11 Your cheesecake is ready when its edges are puffed. Also, when given a little shake, the center 1-inch diameter of the cake ought to wobble.

12 When the cooking time is over, allow the cheesecake to rest for approximately 10 minutes. Insert a small knife blade between the edge of the cheesecake and the sides of the pan. This is to ensure that it hasn't stuck during cooking. Doing this also helps to prevent cracks appearing while the cheesecake cools.

13 As it cools, your cheesecake will shrink a little. If it shrinks a lot, it means that you have cooked it at too high a temperature. Keep your cheesecake away from drafts as it cools.

14 Allow the cheesecake to thoroughly cool before putting it in the fridge. If you chill cheesecake while it is still warm, condensation will be trapped inside, becoming soggy.

15 Cheesecakes should be appropriately chilled before serving. Ideally, allow 12 to 24 hours before you cut and serve. This will help to make sure that the cheesecake achieves the right consistency when served.

16 After removing from the oven, and once the cheesecake has thoroughly chilled, take away the springform pan's sides, transfer the cheesecake onto a cake-plate, then cut and serve as needed.

17 The easiest way of transferring the cheesecake onto a serving plate is to use two spatulas. It is best to garnish your cheesecake between one and three hours before serving.

18 The flavor of cheesecake is best when it reaches room temperature, which will take about 30 minutes.

Caramel Macchiato variations

So far, I have talked about cheesecake in general, but I need to explain the variations needed when making one of my all-time favorite variations - the caramel macchiato cheesecake.

Suppose you are a coffee lover (who isn't?). In that case, you will know that a macchiato is a particular, delicious coffee drink which is an in-betweener of espresso and cappuccino - a perfect, mid-afternoon coffee - not as strong as espresso but with more oomph than a cappuccino.

Crust Variations

If you want a different flavor, you can add or substitute one of the following ingredients to your basic crust recipe:

Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon or ginger
Substitute ½ cup ground pecans, almonds, walnuts, peanuts or macadamia nuts for ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
Substitute 1 ½ cups vanilla, chocolate or ginger wafer crumbs for graham cracker crumbs

Batter Variations

The following ingredients can be added to the batter for a variation:

Semi-sweet, milk and/or white chocolate chips
Chopped candy bars
Chopped chocolate sandwich cookies
Chopped chocolate-covered English Toffee

Topping Variations

Enhance your cheesecake by using one or more of the following ingredients as your topping:

Nuts
Crushed candy bars
Canned pie filling
Crushed cookies
Chocolate curls
Whipping Topping
Fresh fruit slices
Ice cream topping
Lemon or orange twists
Chopped dried fruit
Toasted coconut
Chopped chocolate
Drizzled, melted chocolate
Fruit preserves

Ingredients you'll need

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoon sugar

Mixture:

3 pack cream cheese (8 oz each pack)
1 cup of sugar
3 eggs
8 oz sour cream (1 pack)
¼ cup espresso (or strong coffee)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish:

whipped cream
caramel ice cream (for topping)

Step by step instructions

Prep the Crust:

Mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons of sugar until well combined.
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with pan release or cooking spray.
Mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons of sugar until well combined. Press into the bottom of the prepared springform pan and 1 inch up the sides.
Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, then remove to cool on a wire cooling rack.

Prep the Filling:

Reduce oven temperature to 325°F (163°C).
Beat the softened cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy.
Gradually add 1 cup of sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in sour cream, espresso, and vanilla. Pour batter into the baked and cooled crust.

Start Baking

Bake cheesecake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 5 minutes; then turn the oven off, partially open the door, and allow the cheesecake to rest for 15 minutes or more.
Remove from the oven, and run a knife around the edges. Cool cheesecake on a wire cooling rack to room temperature, then cover the springform pan with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
To serve, cut the cheesecake into wedges and garnish each slice with whipped cream and caramel sauce.

Making the base

For this cheesecake, the best base is one made with Graham crackers. While you preheat your oven to the temperature range mentioned earlier, take two sleeves-worth of Grahams, and in your food processor, pulse them into a fine crumb.

Melt enough butter (I prefer to use salted butter as a for me, a hint of salted-caramel flavor is divine), so you end up with half a cup of yellow-golden loveliness), add it to the cracker crumb and mix well. Then, firmly press the base mixture into a pre-greased springform pan, covering the pan's bottom and coming halfway up the sides. Pop into the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. The smell will be amazing.

Added extras

We already discussed the generic cheesecake filling, but for this caramel macchiato version, you also need to add a quarter of a cup of heavy cream, half a cup of cooled espresso, and one tablespoon of vanilla extract. Work it in the same way as described earlier.

When the mixture is beautifully smooth, gently pour it into the cracker base you baked in the springform pan. Put back into the oven to bake and cool any other cheesecake. Before serving, spread your favorite caramel sauce over the top, and dollop with whipped cream.

Now, back to cheesecakes in general

Extra tips on baking cheesecake

1 A cheesecake should be baked in a springform pan. However, springform pans sometimes leak, despite your best endeavors, to ensure they are properly secured. By placing the pan on a baking sheet that has a lipped edge, it will stop a leaky pan from creating a mess inside your oven.

2 Another advantage of using a lipped baking sheet is that it will stop nasty surprises should the springform pan spring open. If you don't have a lipped baking sheet to hand, you can always cover the bottom of the springform pan with aluminum foil, which will also work to prevent any potential leaks.

3 Observe the top of your cheesecake to gauge if it is properly cooked. With most cheesecakes, the edges puff up a little and sometimes turn a light golden brown, making it look even more delicious.

4 A cheesecake's top should not be shiny. It ought to be dull, and when you gently tap the sides of the cake, they should move a little - you're looking for a bit of wobble. The center of the cheesecake should be softer than its edges.

5 As the cheesecake cooks, it will rise slightly, but it will settle back down and become more solid during cooling. If cracks should appear, they will become smaller as the cheesecake cools down.

6 When you take the cake out of the oven, insert a thin knife between the cheesecake's edges and the tin. Run it around the rim to ensure that the cheesecake hasn't stuck to the pan's sides.

7 Once cooked, turning off the oven and opening the door, a fraction will be enough to cool your cheesecake. Of course, it will cool faster if you take it out of the oven; but do so carefully. Make sure the cake has cooled down to room temperature before putting it in your fridge. Ideally, leave it for between three and four hours (or overnight if you can) before serving.

Cracks in Cheesecake

Cracks sometimes appear in cheesecakes, either during the cooking or the cooling process. Several things can cause them.

Significant changes in temperature, your oven being too hot, allowing too much air to form in the mixture, cooking it for longer than you should, or letting drafts get to it as it cools - any of these could be the cause.

Sometimes it seems that cracks appear just for the hell of it. The good news is that they will not affect the cheesecake's flavor.

Here are a few simple tips to help prevent cracks appearing, or to disguise them if they do.

Ways of preventing your cheesecake from cracking:

1 If the internal temperature of cheesecake goes above 160°F during baking, cracks will inevitably appear.

2 You can keep an eye on this by using an instant-read thermometer. When the temperature inside the middle of the cheesecake gets to 150°, it's ready. Take the cheesecake out of the oven, turn it off, and leave the oven door slightly.

3 A perfect looking cheesecake (one without any cracks in it) can develop cracks as it cools because it shrinks while cooking, but it stuck to the springform pan's sides.

To prevent this, allow the cheesecake to cool for a few minutes and then take a paring knife and run it around the pan's inside rim to unstick the cheesecake. Let it sit there until it has cooled down completely.

4 Another way of preventing the cake from sticking is to liberally grease the pan's inside surfaces, ideally with Pan-Release, before you pour in the cheesecake mixture.

5 If a cheesecake dries out too much as it bakes, this also can cause cracking. To negate this, place a pan of water on another rack directly below the cheesecake.

6 Bake your cheesecake as per the recipe. When it's finished baking, the filling should have set, but the cake's center should still be moist and ought to wobble a little when you jiggle it.

7 The safest way of cooling your cheesecake is to turn the oven off, leave the cheesecake in there, but with the oven door a little ajar. You will need to leave it there for at least an hour, or as long as it takes until it is properly cool.

Alternatively, bake your cheesecake using a "bain-marie" or water bath.

- Begin by lining the outside of your springform pan with aluminum foil. This is to stop any water from leaking in. Then, put the springform pan into a bigger pan or roasting tray.
- Place the pan into a preheated oven and fill with almost boiling water to reach halfway up the springform pan's sides. You have created a bain-marie or water bath.
- When the cheesecake is cooked, take the bain-marie out of the oven, remove the cheesecake, still in its springform pan, and return it to the oven. Turn the oven off immediately and leaving the door slightly open to allow the cheesecake to cool.
- If you overwork the mixture, you increase the chances of the cheesecake cracking. Work the batter slowly and gently. It's not like making a butter cake. You have to avoid getting too much air into the mixture, so work it slowly and gently until it is silky smooth.
- Keep the temperature of the oven constant. You can use Bake Even or Magic Baking Strips to help to keep the batter at the same temperature while it is banking. The strips need to be soaked in extremely cold water and then wrapped around the pan outside. You can get them in the cake decoration section of stores such as Walmart, JoAnn Fabrics, Michael's, or Meijers.
- Cheesecakes made with flour or cornstarch don't crack so readily when they are overbaked. The starch molecules mixed in with the egg proteins prevent them from over coagulating. Where a cheesecake recipe does not have flour or cornstarch as one of its ingredients, you can mix one or two tablespoons with the sugar, and add to the cheesecake mixture.
- Cheesecakes need to be baked at a lower temperature. When you cook at too high a temperature, it makes the egg proteins over coagulate, and this will then shrink as the cheesecake cools, creating cracking, generally in the middle, or a network of very small cracks all over the cheesecake's top surface. You should bake the cheesecake at a temperature between 300°F and 325°F. But note that if you heat the cheesecake too quickly, or cool it too rapidly, it will cause cracks to appear.
- Another thing that causes cracking are bubbles of air. So, it's important to work the cheesecake batter well, but not too vigorously, to ensure that you get rid of any lumps before you add the eggs. Add the eggs last, mixing them as little as you can because it is these that retain the air in the mixture.

When serving

When serving cheesecake to guests, presentation is all-important, so here are a few tips to help you to smooth over any cracks.

- - Add sliced fruit to the top of the cheesecake. Any fresh fruit is good, but remember that if you are adding bananas or peaches, you need to pre-soak them in a little lemon juice to stop them from turning brown.
  - You can add a thin layer of sour cream to the top of the cheesecake. It not only adds a richness to the flavor, but it also helps to hide any cracks. Take half a cup of sour cream and add half a teaspoon of gelatin that has been dissolved in a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice.
  - Spoon in 2 tablespoons of sugar, mix it together well, and then spread nice and smoothly over the cheesecake's top, filling in any cracks as you go. Finish off by putting the layered cheesecake into an oven at 250°F for a few minutes, allow to cool, and serve.
  - You can also drizzle a fruit sauce, melted chocolate, or add a topping of ice cream to the cheesecake. Other topping options include sauces made from blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, caramel, or hot fudge. If you dip a fork into the sauce mixture and then drizzle it over your cheesecake, it will perk up the presentation.
  - If you wish, you can finish the cheesecake off by adding chocolate curls, grated chocolate, chopped nuts, or crushed cookies.

Cutting a cheesecake

Cutting into a cheesecake can be a messy business. Because the cake is moist, it tends to cling to the knife, and it builds up with each stroke, making cutting it into neat slices quite a challenge.

Because cheesecake is soft inside, it's all about keeping the blade clean of build-up as you continue to slice. There are various ways of getting around this.

Slicing cheesecake is a lot easier when it's cold rather than warm. The knife you use should be long, sharp, and thin and needs to be kept warm and clean.
After each slice you cut, try running the knife blade under the hot water faucet. It cleans the blade and makes cutting the next piece of cake that much easier. Do this between every cut, not forgetting to check the blade is free of water before making the next cut.

When cutting the cheesecake at a table, cleaning the knife under hot water between each slice you cut is not practical. You can use two knives to get around this, which you use to cut the cheesecake, the other for scraping the cutting knife clean after you cut each slice.

Find a tall glass or vase - tall enough so that you can completely immerse the blade of your life in it. Fill it with hot water.
Immerse the water blade between each cut, and wipe the blade with kitchen paper each time. Cleaning the knife in this way will prevent pieces of cake from the slice you just cut from being deposited onto the next one. Rather than using a sawing action, press the knife cleanly down through the cheesecake in one smooth motion.

A nice little trick for cutting cheesecake cleanly is to use non-flavored, waxed, dental floss or thick thread.

Here's how:

Cut a length of floss that measures the cake's diameter, plus a little bit extra - enough to wrap around your fingers. If, for example, you are cutting cheesecake with a diameter of 10 inches, the length of floss needs to be about 18 inches.
Wind one end of the floss to a finger of each hand. Part your hands, pulling the floss so that it is taut between your fingers, lower the taught floss down through the cheesecake until you reach the bottom.
Unwind the thread from one finger and pull the floss clear.
Carry on repeating the process, changing the angle each time, so you are cutting it like wheel spokes. If the floss becomes sticky, replace it with a new piece.
Many cooks and chefs add a small amount of unflavoured gelatin into the cheesecake mix to give their cake more body. It also makes it easier to cut.

Adding gelatin to your cheesecake

Take a small saucepan, pour a tablespoon of water into it, and sprinkle in half a teaspoon or a whole teaspoon of gelatin.

Give it five minutes to soften. Place the pan over low heat and stir the gelatin until it is completely dissolved. Take it off the heat and let it cool. Once it is sufficiently cool, you can add it to the cheesecake mixture as you approach the end of the mixing stage.

When cutting a cheesecake, the first cut should be such that it dissects the cheesecake in half. You can then cut it again into quarters, and again, into thirds. This will give you a total of 12 same-size slices.

To get 16 same-size slices, start off the same by cutting the cake in half and then in quarters. Next, cut each quarter in half, giving you eight pieces in total. Then cut each piece in half again and voilà - you have 16, hopefully even pieces.

Before you take the first slice out, run a thin blade or spatula between the cake's crust and the pan. Gently lift the first piece, outwards, and onto a serving plate.

Cheesecake tips

Here in the United States, cheesecake is now one of the most crowd-pleasing deserts there is. There are many variations where the textures can differ significantly, from light and airy to silky smooth and creamy ones, and some that have a denser constituency.

They all share one thing in common - the cheese. Typically, it can be cream-cheese, cottage-cheese, ricotta, or even Swiss or Cheddar cheese. It may or may not have a base made from brownies, breadcrumbs, cake layers, graham crackers, or a pastry crust.

The fillings are made from a combination of cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and other flavorings. Once mixed, the batter is poured into a spring form-type pan and baked, although not all cheesecakes are necessarily baked depending on the style.

Once cheesecake is baked, it must be completely chilled and typically topped with fruit, sour cream, whipped cream, or another topping of your choice.

Whatever type of baked cheesecake it is you intend to make, here are a few secrets that will have you making it like a true professional.

Preparation tips

- - To end up with a smooth batter, ensure that the cream cheese and the eggs are all at room temperature.
  - To hasten to soften and make the mixture easier to work, cut the cream cheese into small cubes.
  - If you need to soften the cream cheese before adding it to the mixing bowl, unwrap it, put it into a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on a high setting for approximately 15 seconds.
  - Refrain from using low or fat-free cream cheese when making a cheesecake. Both tend to make the consistency of the cake somewhat crumbly or rubbery.
  - Where a recipe calls up eggs, go for fresh, grade AA large eggs, not forgetting they need to be at room temperature before breaking them.
  - Using a water bath or "bain-marie" to make a baked cheesecake will produce a creamier texture, rather like a moist, rich custard.
  - It is best to use a springform pan that has a removable bottom and sides. Using a bain-marie will help to prevent any leaks from making a mess in your oven
  - If you wish to add a swirled chocolate or strawberry sauce to your cheesecake filling, make sure it is cool and thick enough to swirl.
  - Don't overwork the cheesecake batter. If you whisk it too vigorously, you will get too much air into the mixture, which will cause the surface of the cheesecake to crack.
  - Using Press-Release, liberally grease the inside surfaces of the springform pan to prevent the cheesecake from sticking and make it easier to remove once it has cooled.
  - Before you place the springform pan into the oven, gently rap it against your kitchen work surface to remove air bubbles, which could otherwise lead to the cheesecake cracking during cooking or cooling.
  - Because air bubbles make cheesecakes crack, and they can be trapped in the mixture by the eggs you add, so work them into the mixture slowly, and with care.
  - Cheesecakes will lose their tendency to crack if you include cornstarch or flour in the mixture. If the recipe you're making doesn't call for it, you can still add one or two tablespoons when you add the sugar. It won't do any harm.
  - Whatever flavoring you may be adding to your cheesecake, add it to the batter near the end of the whisking process.

Baking tips

- - Preheat your oven to a temperature of 325°F. This is the perfect temperature for baking cheesecakes.
  - Put your cheesecake onto the middle rack in the center of your oven.
  - Ensure that the oven door stays firmly closed for the first 30 minutes of cooking time. This is to prevent any drafts from getting into the oven and causing cracks in the cheesecake. It will also stop the cheesecake from falling back.
  - Do not over bake. If you do, it can cause the cheesecake to crack. All ovens are slightly different, so that the exact baking time may vary. Once the cooking time has expired, you should check to ensure it has cooked through evenly (see Item 6 below)
  - To prevent the cheesecake from cracking, it needs to be baked in a moist oven. Place a baking pan or tray half-filled with hot tap water onto the rack immediately below the cheesecake will do the trick.
  - Signs that your cheesecake is done include the edges going puffy, and a small portion of the center of the cheesecake (approximately 1 inch in diameter) being soft and slightly wobbly. If the whole cheesecake wobbles, it needs to be baked for a little longer.
  - The bigger the cheesecake, the more important it is to bake it in a water bath or bain-marie because the edges tend to over bake before the middle of the cheesecake has got hot enough to set the eggs. The use of a bain-marie is to negate the possibility of the cheesecake cracking.
  - To ensure that the cheesecake does not overbake, you can give it a gentle shake when the minimum baking time is up. If it is ready, the edges will have puffed a little, and the entire cheesecake should be soft and firm apart from a small portion right at the center, which should still have a slight wobble factor.
  - Don't insert a knife blade into the cheesecake's center to check and see if it's ready. If you do, this can result in the cheesecake cracking while it cools.
  - When you take your cheesecake out of the oven, it may be a little soft in the middle, but it should firm up as it cools.

Cooling tips

Unless the recipe tells you otherwise, turn the oven off but leave the cheesecake in there with the door slightly ajar for about 30-60 minutes, or until the center has set.

Once the baking time has finished, insert a narrow knife blade between the sides of the pan and the cheesecake's edge to ensure it is not stuck as it begins to cool.

Don't disengage the springform pan fastener or remove the cheesecake from the pan when you take it out of the oven. You must wait until the cake has cooled down completely.

The best way of cooling your cheesecake is on a wire rack. You should also place a plate or a cookie sheet over the top of the pan.

If possible, leave the cheesecake overnight to chill through. Only when it is properly chilled, should you run a knife blade around the inside rim of the pan again, to ensure the cake is not sticking, then carefully release the springform pan fastener and gently release the cake.

The best way of releasing the cheesecake from the pan once you have unclipped the fastener is to carefully lift the pan straight up, leaving the cake behind.

Let the cheesecake sit on a wire rack, safe from any drafts for at least one hour. You can then put it in the fridge.

Tips for garnish and serving

The best time to garnish your cheesecake is just before you serve it. You could stretch that to one or two hours before serving if necessary.

To ensure that you get nice clean cuts and leave the cheesecake structure intact, wipe the blade of the knife you are using to cut the cake with a damp clean towel or kitchen paper between each cut. It will prevent a build-up of filling on the knife blade, which would otherwise make the presentation a little messy.

To enjoy your cheesecake flavor at its best, let it sit out at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes before serving.