Guava Swirl Cheesecake: What in the Swirl?

Sept. 15 marks the start of National  Hispanic Heritage Month, a celebration of Hispanic culture that goes till Oct. 15. I always thought it was pure genius that the observation cut across two months since Hispanic Heritage Month is officially 30 days long. Having the celebration straddle both September and October means that events get scheduled over a two month period. And why not? The spirit of the Latino people is so grand, why not take two months to celebrate?

What I am hoping will not take two months to perfect is the Guava Swirl Cheesecake recipe. I made the modifications I listed in my previous entry along with a few additional ones, most notably, I drained the excess liquid from the defrosted guava pulp, making the pulp that was added to the batter thicker than the pulp used in the first version. I added two egg yolks to the five whole eggs that were part of first version of the recipe.

When I was done incorporating all the ingredients and modifications to the batter, the consistency was thicker than the first version. However, as I was dropping spoonfuls of the guava batter on top of the plain batter, I realized I probably should have mixed only 1/2 cup of the plain cheesecake batter with the guava pulp. I baked the cheesecake for an additional five minutes instead of the 10 I thought I needed to add.

The results, were not any better, maybe worse in terms of the cake’s integrity. The crust was still perfect and it tasted great, but the cheesecake portion was even creamier, making it appear undercooked. And even sadder—there was no swirl to be found. It looked more like an impressionistic mess.

So what happened?

Among the lessons to be applied to my Guava-Swirl Cheesecake, version 3.0:

1. Remember to butter the pan. I don’t think it made a difference—the cheesecake popped out the springform pan with ease. But I do need to maintain the same technique from cake to cake.
2. Use the same oven. The first cheesecake was made in Wendy’s oven. Version 2.0 was cooked in my oven. Could it be that my oven runs cooler than Wendy’s? Can’t say. All I know is that I should use my oven for 3.0.
3. Cut back to just the five eggs.
4. Mix 1/2 cup of the cheesecake mixture (as opposed to 1 1/3 cup) with the guava.
5. Definitely drain the excess liquid from the guava pulp.
6. Do not set the cheesecake on top of a cookie sheet.
7. Consider using a warm bath and set the springform pan in the bath.
8. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes longer.

So it’s back into the kitchen to tweak the recipe to make the ideal Guava Swirl Cheesecake. Now I am worried that two months won’t be long enough.