Okay—repeat Prototype 6 again, but reduce the batter's rum extract from 2
to 1 + 1/2 teaspoons (in other words, to put it simply, 1/2 tablespoon). For
this prototype, skip the crust.
This time, I embarked on a new baking
approach. Beforehand, I would simply pour the batter into the
"springform" pan, then put this straight into the
oven. Typically, the cake would rise to nearly double its height
during baking, only to fall back shortly after I removed the pan
from the oven for the cooldown, and the outer edge of the
cheesecake would end up with some kind of inferior taste and/or
texture. So with Prototype 8, I took a piece of heavy-duty
aluminum foil and wrapped the bottom and sides of the pan, in
order to resist water leakage. What water leakage?!
What's water got to do with this?? It's because after I poured
the batter into the foil-lined pan, I placed this into a larger
pan, filled with boiling water. Then I put the whole thing into
the oven. The result: no high-climbing cheesecake during
baking—and the outer edge came out so much better.
However, I felt that my eggnog cheesecake needed more firmness.