Secrets to Marble Cheesecake

Silky smooth cheesecake is a showstopper on its own. But incorporating an artistic, chocolaty swirl is an easy way to dress it up even more.

There’s just one problem: When you add a new component to a traditional cheesecake recipe, you run the risk of disturbing the carefully calculated velvety texture. And when it comes to cheesecake, grainy is no good. That’s why it’s important to use a mixture of melted chocolate and cream, which keeps the swirl smooth and alleviates any potential grittiness. Once you have the right swirl combination, it’s time to get artistic by dropping spoonfuls of the chocolate onto the batter and dragging it into a random but attractive design. (And you thought regular old cheesecake was good!)

MARBLING CHEESECAKE

1. Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate randomly over the top of the batter.

2. Using a butter knife or small offset spatula, swirl the chocolate into the cheesecake batter.

ENSURING A CLEAN SLICE

Once your cheesecake is baked and cooled, you definitely don’t want to risk messing up the gorgeous swirls you’ve painstakingly created. For neat slices, it’s helpful to clean the knife with hot water before slicing each piece—you can do this at the sink or in a pitcher of hot water if you’re cutting the cheesecake at the table—and wipe the knife dry before slicing. This prevents the cheesecake filling from sticking to the knife, which can make for quite a mess as you try to slice your third or fourth piece of cake.

Find this and other great recipes in The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book.