Marbled Cheesecake, also known as…
… not everything I make turns out as expected. Or looking good for that matter…
A lot of people ask if I ever make things that don’t turn out right. This is a prime example of the fact that it does happen to everyone. I decided to make cheesecake for our monthly cooking club. The theme this month was indulgent foods and I immediately thought of the cheesecake pictures in Baking from My home to Yours. Dorie’s cheesecake looks absolutely perfect. I’ve never made a cheesecake before. I made the Daring Baker’s Cheesecake pops last year, but it didn’t have a crust… When I was getting everything together, I realized I don’t have a pan big enough to make a water bath for my 9″ springform pan. After some research online, I decided to put a pan with hot water on the bottom rack below the cheesecake.
I opted to make the marbled variation of the cheesecake with a chocolate graham cracker crust. I think I used more than 1/3 of the batter in the chocolate because it didn’t look very marbled. I should have taken a picture of it before I baked it to show the marbled top…
After the hour and a half, I pulled the cheesecake out a tad just to stick a knife in it to see if it was done. It had risen up but didn’t look done so I put it back in for 15 more minutes. When I checked it at that point, some of the edge had fallen over the pan. I turned the oven off and propped the oven open with a wooden spoon for an hour. When that timer went off, I found my hideous looking cheesecake. Not only had a good amount flowed overboard, the cheesecake was cracked, and sunken in. Not my best showing… BUT, it does taste like a delicious cheesecake, so I guess that’s all that matters.
If anyone has any advice on how to prevent this next time, I’d greatly appreciate it.
To see the entire recipe, check out the Tuesday’s with Dorie member who chose the recipe for the group, Anne of AnneStrawberry. Be sure to see how all the TWD members did (also check out what Dorie herself says about the cheesecake). The recipe says you can use 1 1/3 cup sour cream or heavy cream or a combination of the two. I used 2/3 cup sour cream and 2/3 cup heavy cream.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Give me a moment to compose myself… ok. This is the cake that my dreams are made of! Carrot cake and cheesecake are my two favorite cakes, so combine them into one amazing dessert, and I’m in total bliss. It looks phenomenal, and I would dominate a big slice ;).
This cake was phenomenal!!!!! I have now made 3 versions and I think the carrot was the best. Everyone raved over it and we all thought it was better the 2nd day! YUM is an understatement!
I’m confused, how did the become a red velvet cake during the assembly?
beantownbaker — January 27th, 2013 @ 4:07 pm
That was a typo in the recipe since this was based on the red velvet cheesecake cake that I had made. I fixed it. Hope that helps.
Do i have to put the cheesecake pan in a roaster with water? I dont have a roaster? Before I purchase one I thought Id ask. Ive made many cheesecakes in the past and never did this
Thanks
beantownbaker — April 1st, 2013 @ 8:35 am
Yes, you are using a water bath to bake the cheesecake. So the water should come up about half way on the side of the pan that the cheesecake is in. I usually use a disposable roasting pan since I don’t have a roaster either. Hope that helps.
Just made this for Easter and everyone loved it.. Thank you
beantownbaker — April 1st, 2013 @ 8:36 am
Glad it was a success for you. This is a great Easter cake.
I made this for Easter today as well, and it was great, everyone said so. I couldn’t eat much, it’s SO thick and rich. I don’t think it would have been half as great without the cheesecake. LOVE that and what a super easy recipe for the cheesecake.
The cake was quite a bit more work than I am used to, and I had to change a few things up based on what I had, in cae this helps anyone else…
I didn’t have brown sugar, subbed coconut palm sugar.
I used toasted almonds instead of pecans and was pleasantly surprised that I actually like them when toasted, as I don’t normally like them at all, they were so light and crispy.
I do not have a stand mixer, I used my Ninja blender with the whipping cream attachement (I didn’t know that it would work but it worked just fine!)
My food processor is broke and couldn’t find my grater, so I used my blender for the carrots, worked just fine.
I skipped the parchment paper bc I was out and that was no biggie.
The cake looked picture perfect and tasted amazing, no complaints here. Thank you!!!
beantownbaker — April 1st, 2013 @ 8:37 am
So glad this worked out for you. Thanks for coming back and posting the changes you made. I am sure they will be helpful for other readers.
Toasted almonds are one of my favorite nuts! What a great substitution.
How many people will this feed? It is a combo of my two favorite things so I want to make it for a Bunco group.
beantownbaker — July 21st, 2013 @ 3:51 pm
It will easily serve 12-16
I made this for my mom’s 60th birthday and everyone loved it. My dad announced that it was his favorite cake ever, so…I’m about to go buy the ingredients to make it again for HIS 60th next week 🙂 Thanks!
beantownbaker — October 15th, 2013 @ 5:02 pm
Wow! Now that’s a compliment! So glad everyone enjoyed it 🙂
Hey there!
Wonderful recipe 🙂 just curious, when you assembled the cake, is the top layer bottom side up, or right side up? Did you trim the rounded top off?
Thanks!
beantownbaker — December 10th, 2013 @ 4:56 pm
If I remember correctly, my layers came out pretty flat. If they were round, I would trim the top off. I always put the top layer upside down when I’m stacking a layer cake.
Made this for Easter, for my husband’s side of the family. Perfect cake recipe! Takes time to make, but nothing difficult. Turned out beautifully and tasted wonderful. I didn’t tell anyone about the cheesecake layer, so when I cut the first piece everyone was just thrilled to see that middle layer. The cake is a feast for both the eyes and the palate. It also travels well, which is a bonus for a 3-layer cake. I will make this cake again, and again, and again. Thanks!!!
beantownbaker — April 27th, 2014 @ 2:46 pm
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Just tried to make this… and I am curious if other people who had success used the volume or weight measures??
I used the weight and was quite precise BUT the cake is now seemingly exploding in my oven.. I am thinking some of the ounces are wrong but am not sure. (I have checked the recipe about 5 times to make sure i measured correctly too…)
Quite disappointed but hopefully I can still salvage something from it.
hi! I wanted to make this for Easter tmrw..but I only have 10″ pans..both for the cheesecake & cake..can u PLEASE help me w/ the adjustments? I tried googling it, but it’s just not happening & I WANT to make this recipe..it has 5 stars! THANK U, THANK U!
what I left out, was, I don’t want my cakes to be thin..I LOVE/prefer a high cake 🙂
Hello! Will the cheesecake tend to soften and tilt or sink in if it’s in a slightly warm environment or if I make it into a 5-6″ layer cake? I’m thinking of having one cake layer at the bottom, then the cheesecake, then the rest of the 2-4 layers cake layers. I am wondering if the cake will hold (with the cheesecake layer) if I put a center dowel?