I recently made a pumpkin cheesecake in a springform pan. The instructions say to run a knife around the outside immediately after removing the cake from the oven, and then allow it to cool to room temperature before placing it in the fridge to prevent cracking. Following these instructions produced a cake that had a rough outer edge, and there was still a crack in the middle of the cake.
What I'm wondering is if it would be wise to cut a strip of parchment paper to go all around the inside of my springform pan before baking the cake next time. My thinking being that as the cake cooled the parchment paper would be pulled inwards with it, thereby preventing any cracks, and I'd be able to pull the strip off the outside once the cake was fully cooled thereby keeping a smooth outer edge.
Has anyone tried this before? Is there a reason that cookbooks don't recommend doing it?
Best Answer
With a properly non-stick springform pan, the cake should shrink and pull slightly away from the edges as it cools. Don't do anything to it until it's fully cooled (to refrigerator temperature). At that point a spatula might help release, but probably wouldn't be necessary.
I would expect parchment paper to be counterproductive. It would absorb some liquid during cooking and become more adhesive than your non-stick pan. Also, it would make forming the crust against the sides trickier.