i’ve just made CRCC banana variation and it wasn’t as smooth and seamed a little grainy or curdled.  i made it a couple weeks ago and it was much creamier and smooth.

the changes i made now vs a couple weeks ago are:

1- using individual silicone pans (2/3 cup each) vs a springform (6”, using only half recipe).
2- i used my bamix inversion blender instead of my kitchen aid stand mixer.
3- i changed the order of mixing ingredients.

my question is, what happens when you bake a cheesecake too long?  does it puff up (the air bubbles burst causing the cheesecake to rise) and then when cooling in the oven it drops back to the original batter level.  as far as i know, cheesecake does not rise, and the finished height is the same as the batter height.

i used the same oven, at the same temperature, and my oven heat is EVEN LIKE HEAVEN.  i suspect i baked it too long because the 6” springform took exactly 35 mins, yet for the individual cheesecakes i also used 35 mins!!!!!!!!  i really think the individual cheesecakes will take LESS TIME, but i guided by the time it says on the recipe on RHC for the individual baby lemon cheesecakes which is 25-35 mins.  to play safe, since i like my cheesecakes firmer, i used 35 mins.  perhaps 25 is the answer?

the tops of the cheesecake WAS NOT browned nor dry.  perhaps a little darker than the 6”, but not crusty at all.  i have no idea how you get a browned cheesecake without curdling it?  perhaps it is a recipe containing some flour.

forum scientists, come to my rescue.  lmk if you notice your CRCC puff up when baked as the recipe direct.  it was really noticeable on my individual silicone pans.  i filled the batter to the rim, and then toward the end of the 35 mins, the CC rose like it was a butter cake with perfectly straight corners.

here is a photo and i notice bubbles too!!!!  these bubbles are typical when i bake my “perfect” flan in a too hot oven.  hey, maybe it has to do with insulating the pans?  i didn’t need to wrap the cupcake pans with foil to prevent water to sip in!  the foil leaves some air insulation between the hot water in the water bath and the cake pan!

My vote would be too much acidity combined with too much heat.  Dairy with acid will curdle when heated, always.  And the sour cream already brings some acid, my thinking is that the banana may have pushed it over the edge.  And even though your oven is even, the smaller cavities will heat to the center more quickly than a larger one.  Not sure if the curdling is from egg protein or milk protein, but acidity will also cause the egg protein to set/scramble at a lower temp.

The bubbles could be an indicator of increased acidity, as eggs set earlier in the cooking process and could have trapped the bubbles, instead of allowing them to work their way to the surface.  Not sure, though, if bubbles do work their way to the surface in cheesecake, perhaps others will chime in with more ideas. 

Puffing comes from the eggs, I think, and could be a sign that the custards need to come out of the oven.  The extra fiber in the banana would support more rise.

thx Julie!!!!

gosh, i forgot to disclose that first i mixed the cream cheese with:  eggs, salt, vanilla, banana, and lemon.  split the batter in half (needed the other half to make another variation).  then added the sugar and the sourcream.

hmmm, maybe the sugar is needed from the beginning prior adding the acid lemon!!!!!!!!!

I once baked a cheesecake (back in the day before I knew better) to some ridiculous temperature like 170F (remember, I knew nothing at the time) but I did have a thermometer and it was curdled—lots of liquid oozing from the cake and a horrible texture.  It looked like cottage cheese!  I think the sugar would be beneficial when you consider how lemon curd or other custards are made—probably won’t hurt it anyway. 

As far as how some get the browned cheesecake, I think I recall reading that they are baked in a really low oven (200-250F) for a long time with no water bath.  They tend to be the denser/drier type.  I am also looking at a Cooks Illustrated Lemon Cheesecake recipe—they add sugar to cream cheese, then add eggs gradually and the lemon juice is added at the end.  Your cakes look pretty, though