I am wanting to bake my go to cheesecake. It is baked in a 9" springform pan but I want to half the recipe. (Well, I don't really WANT to, but my waistline says I should!!!) Anyways, what type of vessel would work best for this? I am wondering if a large pie plate would work.
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2Do you want to be able to release it so that it's free from the pan the way a normal cheesecake is? That's why you use a springform. If you use a pie pan, you won't be able to remove it from the pan.... it also won't be as tall and won't have straight sides. What's your goal?– Catija ♦Feb 20, 2018 at 3:08
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1Doing a half-cheesecake is going to impact cooking times and stuff like that, isn't it? If you can find a recipe for a smaller volume, overall, then it will probably also have a recommended vessel to use. Might be easier (much, much easier, since cheesecake is involved) to recruit a couple friends to make the ultimate sacrifice (aka "eating most of your cheesecake") for the good of your waistline. Or make mini ones in muffin pans. I'm pretty sure I've seen it done that way. There must be recipes out there. I'm doing this as a comment since I don't have an actual recommendation that answers.– PoloHoleSetFeb 20, 2018 at 22:52
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Don't listen to your waistline. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.– Kevin FischerMar 8, 2018 at 16:29
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Best advice yet!!!– HutchetteMar 9, 2018 at 20:17
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3 Answers
A 9" pan has a surface area* of 81π/4 square inches. A 6" pan is 36π/4, or just under half, so the depth will be similar (~10% deeper). 6" springform pans are easy to get. If your existing pan is dead-on 9", you might like a 6 that comes up a little big, as many pans do. Or you could make a 2/3 quantity in a 7" pan, something I often do with 3-egg recipes.
*The factor of π/4 cancels, so you only need to consider the ratio of the square of the diameters. In fact, because π/4=0.79≈1, you can often ignore it when converting between rectangular and round pans, given that the limited range of sizes available.
After halving your recipe pour the custard into 4oz ramekin (about 2/3rd full each) until you are out of custard. This will allow you to scale your servings down (or up) to whatever recipe you are using. You might try baking them in a bain marie (water bath) as that would be more forgiving to over cooking as you experiment with times to match the new portion size.
(if you are doing the traditional graham cracker crust you can press that to the bottom of the ramekin then pour)
answered Feb 21, 2018 at 16:22
I suggest that you bake an entire cheesecake, then freeze 1/2 or even 3/4. I have frozen cheesecakes for years without any change in flavor or texture. Also, bakery supply houses supply smaller size springform pans. If your primary reason for making a smaller cheesecake is to reduce your caloric intake, try a reduced-fat or reduced-calorie cheesecake recipe. I have found this type of recipe in "The Joy of Cooking," the old "Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cooking," and America's Test Kitchen cookbooks. You can also reduce calories in any cheesecake by substituting Neufchatel cheese for the cream cheese. Because my husband has type 2 diabetes, I also substitute Splenda for 1/2 or all the sugar. Good luck!
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I will definitely be giving your suggestions a try, especially the Splenda. My husband also has Diabetes. Thank so much! Mar 4, 2018 at 23:17