A Little Guide to Baking 6″ Cheesecakes

We love cheesecake! This 6″ Oreo cheesecake tastes amazing. The recipe uses the New York style cheesecake and has bite sized Oreos folded in so you get a bite of cookie with every forkful. This recipe utilizes a water bath to ensure that velvety smooth center and lightly baked exterior. But we will also include directions on how to bake this lovely dessert without the water bath.

In addition to showing you how to make this Oreo cheesecake without a waterbath, we will show you how to make it without a springform pan. We want to make our cheesecake recipes accessible for all. We discovered this after getting a lot of positive reviews on not using a springform pan for our classic cheesecake recipe. As a result, we decided to stick with this method for all of our future cheesecake recipes.

Whereas many people adore springform pans, we always found them prone to leaking, finicky to clean, close and open. Over time, they get even more faulty. In addition to mechanical issues, we just don’t have the room to store all these speciality pans that are only used once or twice a year at best. However, traditional cake pans are great for many recipes from cakes to cinnamon rolls.

We also soon realized 6″ cheesecakes are the perfect compromise when baking this decadent dessert. You get to indulge in the silky texture of cheesecake without all the guilt as it’s not an excessive amount. Plus, it’s cheaper to make!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Below, we will teach you how to make this 6″ Oreo cheesecake recipe in detail. It’s not a difficult dessert to make, but it is time consuming and there are some tedious parts. The hardest part is waiting the hours it sits around chilling in the refrigerator.

Step 1: Prepare the Pan

Obviously, you will need a 6″ (15cm) cake pan for this cheesecake. If you can find one that is 3″ (7.6cm) tall, that would be ideal, but a 2″ (5cm) tall pan will work just fine with a little parchment paper. The cheesecake will rise a bit as it is baking and you need the parchment paper to prevent it from spilling over. It also helps you release the cake when it is ready to serve.

Cut two rectangular strips 1″ x 12″ (2.5 x 30 cm) of parchment paper. Cut one rectangular strip 3.5″ x 19″ (9 x 48 cm) of parchment paper. You may choose to cut two 3.5″ x 9.5″(9×24 cm) strips instead for easier placement. Trace the bottom of a 6″ (15 cm) cake pan and cut out a circle of parchment.

Melt the butter for the crust in a small bowl. With a pastry brush or your fingertips, coat one side of the strips of parchment and the inside of the cake pan. Lay one strip of the 1″ x 12″ (2.5 x 30 cm) parchment paper across the bottom of the pan and up the sides. About 1″ (2.5cm) of paper should extend from the top of the cake pan.

Lay the second strip of the 1″ x 12″ (2.5 x 30 cm) parchment paper across the bottom of the pan and up the sides in the opposite direction, forming a cross. Again, about 1″ (2.5cm) of paper should extend from the top of the cake pan. If desired, you can do more than two strips to ensure the cake will release, but two is enough.

With the remaining 3.5″ x 19″ (9 x 48 cm) strip of parchment paper, wrap the greased side around the inside walls or sides of the cake pan, overlapping to form a circle. Place the 6″ (15cm) circle of parchment paper greased side down on the inside of the pan. Set aside. Place your oven rack on the lowest position in your oven and preheat your oven to 325F (160C.)

Step 2: Prepare the Crust

Place 9 Oreos in a ziplock bag and tap with a rolling pin until they are a fine powder. You can also do this in a blender or food processor using the pulse function which will make quick work of this process. If desired, reserve one to two tablespoons of the crushed Oreos in an airtight container for decoration. This step is entirely optional.

Using the same bag or a bowl, add the remaining melted butter. You only need a very small amount of butter as the filling inside the Oreos is what ultimately sets the crust. The melted butter is only there for a little bit of flavoring.

Mix until the crumbs are well coated with the butter. A bag can come in handy here as you won’t make a mess.

Pour your crumb mixture into the bottom of your pan and spread them out as evenly as possible. Using your hands, press down firmly until the crumbs are well compacted. You can also use the bottom of a jar or glass to help with this step.

Finally, you want to bake the crust 5 – 10 minutes on the bottom rack or until you just start to smell the cookies toasting. Let the pan cool on a wire rack as you prepare your filling. The crust will puff up slightly as it bakes and flatten as it cools.

Step 3: Prepare the Filling

Did you bring your ingredients to room temperature or a softened stage? Room temperature can be subjective and can vary region to region and whether or not you use artificial means to heat and cool your home. For the industry standard, room temperature means the items are cool to the touch and the center of the ingredient reads 65 – 68 F (18 – 20 C.) It’s on the cooler side of rooms. We like to refer to ingredients as softened rather than room temperature. You need this softened stage for the cream cheese to whip smoothly. Otherwise, you will end up with chunks of unincorporated cream cheese throughout your final cheesecake, ruining the taste and flavor. So don’t skip this step. It’s perhaps the most crucial step to having a silky smooth Oreo cheesecake!

Once you have softened your cream cheese, blend it by hand or mixer until its nice and smooth like you see below. You don’t want to create air in the batter. You are just looking for a velvety smooth consistency. So mix with a low, steady speed and scrape down the sides as needed.

At this point, add in the yogurt or sour cream, vanilla and salt. We mix this in on a low speed as well until it’s smooth. The yogurt will save you fat and calories whereas sour cream is traditional. Both will have similar texture and taste in the end. You can chose which one you prefer.

The mix will still be quite thick at this point. Take the time to see if there are any lumps in the batter. Scrape down the sides and make sure everything is well blended. If you see any lumps, allow the batter to sit for 5 minutes and beat on low for 30 seconds. Once the batter is smooth, you can move onto the next step.

Now is the time to add the sugar. If you want to have a more tangy cream cheese, you can reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup (100g.) If you want a really sweet cheesecake where you can’t even really taste the sharpness of the cream cheese, you can up the sugar to 3/4 cup (150g.) We recommend trying 2/3 (134g) to start out with and adjust as you make more. Most people seem to prefer the recipe as it as written. However, there are those of us who either aren’t fans of sugar or who totally love sugar. And we wanted to mention that this recipe can be customized to your liking.

Before you add in the eggs, look at your batter. It should look like this. You can give it a little taste at this point and see how you are liking the flavor. Want more sugar? Add it before you go further! Want more vanilla? Splash some in! Otherwise, let’s move on.

In a separate bowl, you’ll want to crack two large eggs. I hope you listened to me and brought them to room temperature. If not, before you crack them, sit the eggs in the shell in a bowl and cover them with hot tap water. Let them sit for 10 minutes and you will be good to go. Dry off the eggs and proceed.

Beat the eggs slightly until they are scrambled like this. Don’t beat them too long as this can lead to sunken middles, soufflé tops and cracks. You don’t want to create too much air as it will create havoc in cheesecakes.

Now we add the eggs to the cream cheese batter and mix either by hand or using a mixture until just combined. Really take care not to over mix at this stage for the creamiest, silkiest Oreo cheesecake. Over mixing will often lead to cracked or sunken cheesecakes in addition to a uneven texture.

Scrap down the sides as needed to make sure it is well combined. The batter should look like the picture below. Smooth and fluid. If you see any lumps at this stage, you can salvage the recipe. Simply run the mixture through a sieve.

Now you want to break or chop up 3 oreos into bite sized pieces and add it to the batter. You can do this step when making the crust like we did or do it now.

Now add all the crushed oreo bits into the batter. We won’t tell anyone if you decide to munch on a few pieces instead.

Gently fold in the Oreos for an even distrubution.

Pour and level the Oreo cheesecake batter into the prepared cake pan.

Tap the cake pan against the counter a few times to get rid of any large air bubbles. Level the batter and briefly set aside.

Step 4: Create a Water Bath

Now you will need a separate cake pan that is at least 2 inches (5cm) larger than your 6″ (15cm) pan. This will ensure a nice even baking. Here we are using a 9″ (23cm) cake pan. Place your cheesecake in the center and carefully pour hot tap water around into the larger pan. Do not pour it into the cheesecake pan and take your time so water doesn’t splash into the rim of the center pan. You need water to come up halfway of the sides of the cheesecake pan. This will take around 1 – 1 1/2 cups of water (240 -300mL.)

Step 5: Bake

Now, you want to carefully transfer the pans to your oven’s bottom rack. Do not slosh it around. Walk slowly so the water doesn’t spill into the cake or oven. You want to bake any 6″ cheesecake recipe low and slow to avoid over-baking or excessive browning. You will bake the cheesecake until the center just wobbles when shaken. The center temperature will reach 160 (71C) when it’s ready. Expect this to take at least an hour.

Step 6: Cool

Once the cheesecake is cooked, turn off your oven and prop open the door. Let it cool in the oven for 45 minutes. If you cannot do this step, then just bring it to the counter. The slow cooling down helps prevent cracks and sunken middles. This slow cooling is mainly for cosmetic purposes.

Now that you have cooled the cheesecake, remove it from the oven.

Carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place the cheesecake on a wire rack to finish cooling. You can now discard the water.

Loosely place a piece of plastic wrap on the top of the cooled cheesecake and leave it in the pan. Now you must chill down the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. Yes, at least 4 hours. It is not negotiable as the cheesecake needs this time to fully set.

After it has cooled for several hours or overnight, gently run a knife around the inside of the pan and lift up on the tabs of parchment paper to release it. Carefully lift out the cheesecake and place on a serving platter. Remove the parchment paper. Top with your favorite toppings or enjoy it plain.

Today, we are going to spread a tablespoon of homemade chocolate sauce and cover it with a fine layer of crumbs to really show this is an Oreo cheesecake.

Next, we are going to cut a few Oreos in half with a sharp knife and arrange them on top in a decorative fashion.

When you slice into this Oreo cheesecake, if you did everything just right, it will be chockfull of bite-sized cookies! Doesn’t it look fantastic?

Alternative Baking Method

Are water baths necessary to bake this 6″ cheesecake recipe? Well, no.  Baking without a water bath will change the texture slightly (think pumpkin pie may cause cracks and may shrink noticeably, especially as it cools. But it will taste lovely. The top will also be more prone to browning and splitting as it cooks much faster, so you have to watch it carefully. To use this method, raise the temperature slightly and bake for a shorter duration. You may need to tent the top if you choose this method. We highly recommend using the water bath method whenever possible.

Substitutions and Tips

Here are some common substitutions and tips for this Oreo cheesecake recipe.

• Substitute graham crackers for your favorite shortbread type cookie or biscuit. Shortbread, vanilla wafers, digestive biscuits and oreo cookies without the filling are a few good examples. You need enough to end up with 1/2 cup (76g) of crumbs.
• Add some spice to your crumb base. Try 1/2 tsp of ground ginger or cinnamon.
• Using a water bath can sometimes etch or mar some pans or leave behind a chalky residue if you live in an area with hard water. This is to be expected. It is best to use an older or cheap pan with this realization.
• Instead of plain yogurt, you can try vanilla yogurt for a more intense vanilla flavor. This will also make the cheesecake sweeter so you may want to hold back some of the sugar and taste the batter prior to using.
• Parchment paper is vital for this recipe. If you don’t have it, wait until you do. Without the parchment, the filling may spill out into the oven while baking and will not remove from the pan without falling apart.
• If using a springform pan, wrap the outside of the pan with two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil to prevent water seepage. Make sure to still use parchment paper for the walls of the pan so that excess doesn’t spill over as it bakes.
• Sometimes, the top can get a light browning like shown above. This can happen if you leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven a little too long, have placed it on an upper rack or bake it a tad too long. I forgot I was cooling my cheesecake and went on a long walk. This is only cosmetic and doesn’t affect the flavor. It is easily hidden with some whipped cream, fresh berries or compote.

Storage

Cheesecakes must stay chilled in the refrigerator until ready to eat and leftovers must be returned to the fridge promptly within 1 – 2 hours depending on the temperature for safety. Bring out the yjatcheesecake 20 – 30 minutes before serving.

For longer storage, wrap the cheesecake well with plastic wrap or use an airtight container and store cheesecake up to 5 days in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer. Do not store around foods with strong odors such as onions or garlic as cheesecakes tend to absorb smells and flavors of items around them. To bring cheesecake to room temperature from frozen, place frozen cheesecake in the fridge overnight for at least 8 – 12 hours.

The hardest part of this recipe apart from the waiting around for the Oreo cheesecake to chill is explaining to Macaron Maggie and Maître D’ Raymond that chocolate isn’t safe for dogs. Look at those faces! So pitiful.

How will you decorate your Oreo cheesecake?