cheesecake - Cheesecake In the Pressure Cooker

By tinathorn

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon soft butter (for greasing the pan)
• 1/2 cup finely crushed ginger cookies (regular or gluten-free)
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 16 ounces regular cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1-2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon zest
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh orange zest
• teaspoon good quality vanilla (almond is good too)

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from afoodcentriclife.com

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare a foil strip for lifting the cake out of the pressure cooker by taking an 18” strip of foil and double folding it twice lengthwise. Set trivet inside the pressure cook and ad 2 cups of water. Place the foil strip on the bottom of the pan and up the sides.
Grease the bottom and sides of the springform pan with soft butter.
Pour the crumbs into the springform pan. Pat most of the crumbs on the bottom with a little up the sides, pressing to adhere and create a smooth base. You can use your fingers or a flat bottom glass to assist with the coverage and evenness.
With a food processor or electric hand mixer, puree the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Blend in the eggs, lemon juice, both zests and vanilla. Do not overwork the batter. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Carefully lower the pan into the pressure cooker, keeping it level. Fold the foil strips down so that they do not interfere with closing the lid.
Lock the lid in place. Over high heat bring to high pressure, then lower the heat to maintain pressure and time for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally. It takes mine 7-10 minutes.
Carefully unlock and remove the lid tilting away from you so the hot steam can escape. When steam subsides, remove the pan to a wire rack to cool. If there is a little water on top blot with a paper towel. The cheesecake will look a little puffy almost like a dense soufflé. As it cools it condenses.
My Notes – Some recipes direct you to cover the pan top in foil before placing it in the pressure cooker. I’ve tried it both ways and prefer the result without the foil cover. Yes, there is a small pool of water on the top but its easily blotted up with a paper towel.

Sass notes that you can serve it warm or cool. If you like traditional cheesecake texture, refrigerate covered with plastic wrap for at least 4 hours or overnight. I put a folded paper towel on top to catch any condensation from the plastic wrap, which should not happen if your cake is totally cool before putting it in the fridge.

To remove from the pan, run a thin knife around the inside of the pan, release the spring and remove the round pan rim. To serve, garnish as desired.