The Disastrous Mixing Mistake That Will Ruin Cheesecake

Cheesecake is a crowd-pleasing dessert that stands out with its smooth and creamy texture coupled with a sweet-tart flavor. Although it's generally simple to make, many home bakers find preparing this treat a bit intimidating. And one of the reasons is that you can go from silky smooth to a crumbly disaster with just one small mistake: overmixing the batter. It's easy to fall for this mistake because mixing is, after all, necessary for bringing all the ingredients together. However, too much of it, and you'll end up with an unappealing dessert texture.

The biggest issue with overmixing is that it doesn't just combine the ingredients but also adds air to the mixture. Once you place this airy batter in the oven to bake, the air bubbles expand, and your batter rises. No problem there. However, on cooling, the cheesecake collapses into a dense block with a heavy mouthfeel instead of the soft, creamy texture you expect.

Moreover, during the collapse, your cheesecake will also likely end up with an ugly crack on top. You can use this chocolate trick to fix the crack or conceal it with other toppings like fruit, frosting, or caramel, but you'll still have that unpleasant texture inside. So, how do you avoid this disastrous mixing mistake in the first place?

No matter the type of cheesecake you're making, to set yourself up for success, you first need to pay attention to the ingredients. Avoid using cold ingredients because they're much harder to combine, which means you're likely to stir the mixture too much while trying to ensure the batter comes together nicely. So, make sure your cream cheese, eggs, butter, and all other ingredients are at room temperature before you start mixing.

Now, it's easy to think mixing the batter by hand would be a good strategy to avoid overmixing. However, while it's technically possible to hand mix, we wouldn't recommend it. It's much harder to achieve a smooth mixture by hand, so you may end up with a lumpy batter, leading to a subpar cheesecake.

The best solution is to use a hand mixer but keep it at medium speed. Start by beating a softened block of cream cheese so it's broken down and easier to combine with the rest of the ingredients. Then, as you add your butter and eggs, mix until just combined, and then stop. With these tips in mind, you'll be on your way to a cheesecake that looks and tastes just as good as you'd hoped.