Cheesecake

This formula makes enough to fill a hotel pan and also to fill, roughly six individual molds. Although we usually associate baking cheesecakes in spring form pans it is harder to stock this in a bakery because there are two different components to the pan which get lost easily. You can un pan a cheesecake or any custard or souffle from a regular pan with hot water and just a little patience. Making a cheesecake in a hotel pan allows you to make a large amount that is consistent and which you can then cut out from. Its the same idea as making brownies on a sheet pan instead of an individual mold, or making a sheet cake and cutting it out rather then baking a lot of 8" molds.

This formula is from the Michel Suas Book Advanced Bread and Pastry, A Professional Approach, Pg. 631

Yields: one hotel pan and six molds

Crust: this gives you just shy of twice the amount that you need

100% Graham cracker crumbs, 827 g

33% Granulated sugar, 273 g

48.4% Butter, 400 g

Total: 181.4% 

Batter:

100% Cream cheese, 2.580 kg

30% Sugar, 774 g

4.8% Butter, softened, 124 g

1.9% Lemon juice, 49 g

0.9% Vanilla extract, 23 g

26.2% Eggs, 676 g

8.7% Heavy cream, 224 g

8.7% Sour cream, 224 g

Total: 181.20%

MOP:

• Hold all the ingredients at room temperature. You especially want all the batter ingredients to be at room temperature so that they cream easier. Prepare your crust first as you will want to par bake this and let it cool before filling and baking the cheesecake.
• Mix the cracker crumbs and sugar together. Stir in the melted butter until crumbs are coated. Press mixture in to the bottom of the hotel pan so it is about 1/4" thick.
• Place a sheet of parchment over the crust and then place a clean hotel pan on top to weight the parchment down. Blind bake: place the pans in a 325° until the crust has browned and it is firm to the touch. 
• Remove the hotel pan you were using as a weight, also remove parchment. Let it cool.

Batter: Quick production creaming method

• Put all ingredients into a 5 gallon bucket.
• Use an emersion blender to break down the cream cheese and blend all the ingredients together. Do not move the stick around too much or you will incorporate too much air into the batter. Blend until the mixture is liquid and smooth, without cream cheese chunks floating about.
• Pour batter into six small molds, we used silicone molds but you could use whatever small shape you want. Silicone molds do not need to be treated, but place it on a sheet pan for more stability.
• Pour the rest of the batter into a slightly cooled hotel pan with your graham cracker crust. Place the hotel pan on top of a sheet pan.
• At the oven fill both pans half way up with a water bath.
• Bake at 325°F for 1 hour and 15 minutes in a deck oven. Bake until the middle is barely set, should be some wiggle in the pan.
• Let the cake cool slightly before covering and putting in the refrigerator to let it set up.