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I am trying to make a good American-style baked cheesecake.

I tried one recipe and it did not rise as much as I would have expected and it was not as sweet as I would have hoped.

Hope that someone can solve this problem for me!

thanks :)

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    Maybe it would help if you gave the recipe (or a link to it) to know what you've tried and suggest improvements or different recipes.
    – Rox
    Jul 26, 2010 at 11:09
  • isn't all cheese cake "American Style" ?
    – dassouki
    Jul 26, 2010 at 11:55
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    @dassouki No, it isn't
    – Rowland Shaw
    Jul 26, 2010 at 11:57
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    Cheesecakes are made in UK, Australia, Italy, Greece, Bulgary, Latin America, Franche, Sweden, etc.
    – apaderno
    Jul 26, 2010 at 13:42
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    There are different styles of American cheesecakes: New York-style, Pennsylvania Dutch-style, Pennsylvania-style, etc. You should report which one you tried, and what you exactly did.
    – apaderno
    Jul 26, 2010 at 13:45

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New-York style cheesecake shouldn't have much rise to it. The mixture is basically a custard and the only rise would come from steam created in bubbles that are incorporated during the beating process.

While a REALLY smooth texture is the goal, you don't want to aerate the batter as in other cakes or you'll end up with cracking on the surface from the expansion of the air bubbles. Pull the cream cheese out a couple hours in advance to ensure that it is at room temperature throughout. Eggs must also be at room temperature and can easily be warmed by putting the whole egg in a bowl of hot water from the tap for 5-10 minutes. Having these ingredients at room temperature will create a really smooth texture without beating in too much air.

In regard to sweetness, you might be able to increase the sugar slightly (compare the ratio of sugar to cream cheese in your recipe vs. others), but be careful not to add too much. Excessive sugar will make the custard too watery from the formation of sugar syrup and will make it difficult for it to set up.

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    New York-style cheesecake normally isn't overly sweet, either. The tang of the cream cheese should come through.
    – GalacticCowboy
    Jul 26, 2010 at 14:00
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    And it provides an excellent flavor base for other ingredients (fruits, for example) without distrcting from them.
    – Michael Todd
    Jul 26, 2010 at 14:15
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    I actually tried raising the temperature on an NY style cheesecake that didn't seem to be setting. It rose like crazy (about 1/2 inch above the side of the pan). It immediately fell when we realized that it didn't need to set any more than it had and took it out of the oven.
    – justkt
    Aug 10, 2010 at 15:28

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