A friend recommended me to this site, I need some cheesecake help!
I'm making this cake for my wedding: http://www.wilton.com/idea/3-Tier-Wedding-Cheesecake
I'm not new to cakes, but I am new to cheesecakes. I halved the recipe because I dont need 130 some slices hanging around my house, I only wanted to test the recipe to make sure I liked it, and our wedding will only be around 60 people total. I used a 6 inch pan and a 10 inch pan.
Halving the recipe turned out exactly perfect to fit in both of those pans, however I followed the directions per the recipe, just took the cakes out of the fridge and unmolded them, however while they are solid, they are very pudding like.
My question is, is that caused by not enough fridge (firming) time, or a problem with them being undercooked? I plan on trying again in a couple days to try to fix this problem so that when it comes wedding time (October), I wont have this problem.
Any help would be lovely! Thank you in advance.
I'm not an expert, but I have made quite a few cheesecakes. (Two just last week.) It sounds like they are undercooked. My oven does not heat evenly. I have never been able to follow the cook time on my recipes. The cheesecake should move as one solid piece when it is done. If you shake the pan and it seems to move more in the middle, it is not ready to come out of the oven. If you go to the Wilton website and look at the receipe for their orange cheesecake, I followed those baking directions and they turned out great! Hope this helps! 
All I can say is I have never had any cheesecake turn out good using the water bath method. I just cook mine like a normal cake, with a pan of water on the bottom shelf for moisture (helps to keep the cheesecake from cracking). However, it does sound like it is not cooked enough. If you are making it 3" deep, you might want to add at least 20 minutes to the cooking time. My cheesecakes are 2" deep and cook for 55 minutes. And it is as laurie48 says, if you shake the pan and it moves it is not ready. You can have a very slight jiggle in the very center and I consider that done.
Decorating cheesecakes was my first love long before caking.
Tip:
-Always always check your oven with an oven thermometer.
-Start from a high temperature, bake for 15 minutes and then lower it.
-Avoid opening the oven door.
-Leave the cheesecake for 1 hour in the oven after you have turned the oven off.
-Let it cool completely before putting in the fridge.
-Unmold when firm.
You might want to try the philly cream cheese recipe, I looked at the Wiltons recipe the ration of cream cheese :sugar : sour cream ,seems to be off. I've never found the need to add lemon juice, it always taste lemony without it. I also use cake pans lined in parchment paper inside a larger oan with water & a little vinger in it as a bain marie, works great.
Actually, I tried the cake even though it wasnt fully cooked, and the taste was really good. When I pulled out the cake, it was very liquid-y in the center, so I think next time I'll just continue to cook it until it doesnt move 
Thank you all for your help.
Yes, per the instructions, I baked it for 50 minutes, then left it in the oven for an hour.
sandradee84 A properly cooked cheesecake should have a little wiggle to the center. Not liquidy, not solid. If you cook till the center does not move, it is overcooked and will be dry and probably crack when it cools. I have done two wedding cheesecakes I did one in a water bath and they came out perfect! (even the 12" cakes). The other I did without the water bath and I was not thrilled with the results.
Did you check the oven with an over thermometer? Sometimes it takes longer to preheat the oven EVEN if it says it is ready. Maybe you can also add some extra time to bake your cheesecake since we all have different ovens or you can leave it in the oven longer.
I've never used a water bath and my cheesecakes come out perfectly nice.
No, Unfortunately I do not have an oven thermometer, but it was preheating for about a half hour before I actually put it in. I will try cooking it longer next time and just keep checking it until it doesnt wiggle as much, it was nearly liquid in the center last time and after being in the fridge for two days, it was still like pudding. thank you all for the help
I bake cheesecakes constantly for my son's restaurant and trial and error have led me to:
Use Junior's cheesecake recipes for a start and add what I need flavor wise; they just seem to be the best
Make sure you spray the pan with butter spray
Cook them at 325* for at least 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 min
Wrap them in Wilton or another brand baking strips soaked for 5 min in cold water instead of a water bath; I use at least 2 and wrap the entire pan with them
Cheesecakes are done when they look solid about 2 inches in and the middle is a little wiggly- they finish cooking on their own
Turn your oven off when they look done, run a knife quickly around the edges so they release properly (another reason for cracking) don't open the door
If you have to put them somewhere, do it carefully and don't let a draft on them= an open window or the air conditioner vent (floor)= craters
Let them cool completely before you stick them in the fridge and put them on a rack for the bottom to cool; they need at least 6 hours to set and 24 hours is better
When you are taking them off of the bottom, slide a Wilton cake lifter under it and transfer; if they are sticking a little, put it on the burner of your stove, turn it on for about 15 seconds and then lift it off (the butter hardens up and if you soften it a little its will work better
Cut them with a thin hot knife (mark them first with a cake marker
Not to sell a certain pan but I have found Magic Line pans to be far superior to any springform pan I have ever used. They are straight up sides and you push the cake up from the bottom.
Hope this helps; any other questions feel free to email me
healingforce1@yahoo.com
Colleen
I had better luck today, i cooked it slightly too long, i kept checking it every 20 minutes. I was up to an hour 45 minutes when i turned off the oven. I probably should have stopped at 1.5 hours - the smaller cake got slighly burned and the bigger cake got a crack in it. I'm ok with that though, I know for the real cake to only go 1.5 hours then
Actually, I tried the cake even though it wasnt fully cooked, and the taste was really good. When I pulled out the cake, it was very liquid-y in the center, so I think next time I'll just continue to cook it until it doesnt move
Thank you all for your help.
You should still have some "jiggle". If you bake until it doesn't move you wiill dry it out & that taste terrible.
I had better luck today, i cooked it slightly too long, i kept checking it every 20 minutes. I was up to an hour 45 minutes when i turned off the oven. I probably should have stopped at 1.5 hours - the smaller cake got slighly burned and the bigger cake got a crack in it. I'm ok with that though, I know for the real cake to only go 1.5 hours then
Just to let you know every time you open you oven door, the temperature drops drastically. If you opened that dood that many times, it was going to take longer to bake the cheescake.
I opened it twice, once to switch the cakes around (the heater is on the bottom, I wanted to make sure they both got equal time there. The other was to check on it at the 1.25 hour mark.
I think I should be fine at 1.5 hours next time.
Thank you all for your help.
what size pan are you using? 1 hour 15 min is maximum time for a 9 or 10 in pan and how full are you filling it? It isn't supposed to look done like a cake. Remember, jiggle in the middle, and it will finish cooking on its own. Trust me, it will cook fine by itself. Just turn the oven off for an hour. Never open the door the first 20 min; it needs to set up and that could cause a crack. An oven looses heat every time you open up.
Colleen
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