Classic Cheesecake

Classic Baked Cheesecake is my favorite, and here’s why

Classic Cheesecake is utterly delicious. There is simply nothing else like it. The flavor that develops as the cheese is slow cooked in the oven, with steam wafting out of the water bath to keep it moist. It’s perfection. A no bake cheesecake may give you a part of the flavor, but a baked cheesecake is one recipe everyone should master. It’s not as difficult as everyone thinks it is. I have simplified classic cheesecake to a simple formula. If you follow these steps you’ll get a delicious cheesecake every time.

It’s not as scary as it sounds

Bakes cheesecakes have a reputation for being difficult. Let me clear that up right away. They are not difficult to make at all. I have simplified the recipe down so even if you’re new to baking you can get this right. You just have to follow a few key steps and you’ll get a perfectly smooth cheesecake, creamy and luscious, every time. The main things to look out for are a smooth filling, a solid crust and your oven temperature. The hardest part of all of this, I’n my opinion, is to be patient. You have to chill this for at least 5 hours, overnight preferred, before you cut into it.

Getting the ingredients right make a smooth cheesecake

There are very few ingredients involved in a classic cheesecake. Their temperatures and the order you mix them together makes a creamy cheesecake. Room temperature eggs and cream cheese make a huge difference. Always use the paddle attachment of your stand mixer so too much air isn’t added to the filling. I always bake the crust a little before adding the filling because that helps it set. There are lots of tips in the recipe notes, so have a look through and you’ll get the perfect cheesecake! I use my stand mixer, but you can make this with a hand mixer as well.

Don’t let cooking techniques scare you

Phrases like “Ban Marie” and “don’t over mix!” may sound daunting, but they’re just techniques that help get a good result. You bake the cheesecake in a water bath(Ban Marie) so the cheese filling doesn’t dry out and crack. Over mixing the batter in this particular recipes results in a bubbly and airy mixture, and you want the cheesecake to be smooth and without any air bubbles. In the right image above you can see that the center is not as high as the edges, and remains slightly jiggly. That is when you turn the oven off, shut the door and let the cheesecake slow bake with the remaining heat. That makes sure the center doesn’t crack.

Classic Cheesecake

Sconce&Scone

This classic baked cheesecake is lighter than most, super creamy and just outright delicious! I have simplified the steps into easy to follow instructions that will get you th eperfect result every time!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Refrigeration Time 5 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Equipment

• Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
• Oven
• 9" Cheesecake Pan
• Deep baking pan

Ingredients

  

For the filling

• 16 oz cream cheese room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 3/4 cups sour cream
• 3 eggs room temperature
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the crust

• 2 cups graham crackers finely crushed
• 4 tbsp butter melted

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 350 F.
• Mix the butter and cookie crumbs until completely combined. Line your cheesecake tin with one parchment circle placed on the bottom, and two rectangular parchments sheets on the sides. Press the cookie crumbs into the cheesecake pan evenly. Push the crumbs up one inch around the edges to create a crust. Press lightly but firmly to set into place. Bake for ten minutes, then cool.
• Add your creamcheese and sugar to the mixing bowl with a paddle attachment. MIx until smooth. Scrape down the sides and add the sour cream. Mix until just combined.
• Scrape down the bowl to loosen any mixture that is stuck to the bowl, then add your eggs in, one at at time after the previous egg is mixed in, while the mixer is running on low.
• Scrape down the sides, add the corn starch and vanilla, and mix one more time on low just until all the ingredients are mixed and the mixture is smooth. Pour into the cooled crust. lightly tap on coutner to release any air bubbles.
• Pour water one inch deep into your deep baking dish. Carefully place the cheesecake in the center of your deep baking dish and plavce in the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the center is almost set and has slight jiggle when lightly shaken. After this stage, turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for one hour.
• After one hour take out the cheesecake and let it come to room temperature before covering with foil and chilling in the fridge for 5 hours minimum. For best results chill overnight.
• To serve, carefully release the side of the cheesecake pan. Transfer the cheesecake to your serving plate and remove the parchment paper from the sides. Cut with a sharp knife. Refridgerate leftovers.

Notes

The ingredients. Using room temperature ingredients creates a smooth filling.

Prevent spilling. A lot of people complain that their cheesecake spills out of the pan while baking. Line your pan with parchment paper. Foil works too. And make sure your crust is thick enough and it is solid after the ten minute bake. 

Getting the bubbles out. Using a paddle attachment helps prevent too much air from getting into the filling, but there are still bubbles. The best way to get them out is to gently tap the cheesecake pan before putting it in the ban Marie. You will see bubbles coming to the top. If they don’t pop on their own use a toothpick to pop them. 

Ban Marie. You may have to refill the water if you didn’t pour enough in. If this happens do it as quickly and safely as possible without letting too much heat out of the oven. 

This needs to chill. The one most important step you need to follow is to chill this cheesecake for at least 5 hours. It will break into small pieces if you try to takeout out before. The best way, and my way, is to bake it a day before you want to serve it. Chilling it overnight makes the flavor better and it’s very easy to handle. 

Cracks. Cheesecakes crack sometimes. Mine has cracked when my oven was giving me trouble with consistent temperatures. It happens, it’s ok. The taste will still be great, and you can cover it up with sliced strawberries or serve it proudly.  

Leftovers. This is a full sized cheesecake, so if you have any leftovers refrigerate them in an airtight container. Eat within 3-4 days. You can freeze this as well. Just wrap it in plastic wrap then place in in your container and freeze. Use within one month of freezing. 

Keyword Baked Cheesecake, Classic Cheesecake, New York Cheesecake

Have you tried this classic cheesecake recipe?

I love hearing your feedback! If you tried this recipe eu’d love to hear how it turned out in the comments below.

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