There is something about cheesecake that intimidates many bakers. Maybe it’s that water bath or a fancy pan they call for or how many critics claim if you crack the top you ruined the dessert. When a beginner baker looks at cheesecake recipes, they often sigh and stick to the no bake varieties or those box mixes. Let me tell you, there is a way to make classic cheesecake for beginners and without a lot of fancy equipment or so many packages of cream cheese that you need a small business loan to afford to make it.
Do you adore cheesecake but don’t own a springform pan or know what one even looks like? Don’t go out and buy a special pan that you will only use a few times a year, if that. Use an ordinary cake pan and a little parchment paper. Something they fail to mention with springform pans: they leak. Often. And that leaking can ruin your dessert or make you miserable cleaning up a mess in your stove. I’m personally just not a fan of them for cheesecakes or for other deserts. Most of the time despite wrapping them in rolls of aluminum paper, which I find wasteful, water still finds the weak point and you get a ruined or at the best a damp cake.
So now I just use a deep cake pan instead. They are cheap, great for all kinds of desserts and much easier to clean. You never have to worry about soggy, ruined custards or leaking angel food cakes again. Below, I’ll walk you through how to prepare an ordinary cake pan to bake a cheesecake.
What’s more is whereas cheesecakes do love humidity and the water-bath method is preferred, it’s not necessary. You can forego this step and bake it straight in the oven. You’ll get a New York Style cheesecake with a firm texture that still tastes divine. I’ll give you the baking times for both and go through how to bake a cheesecake using the water bath style since it is the more complex one. It is my goal to show how truly easy it is to make classic cheesecake, especially for beginners.
Trace out the bottom of your pan. 8-9″ is preferred and 2-3″ deep. (20 – 23 x 8 cm) 
Then you’ll want 4 strips that are 3.5″ x 15″ long (9 x 38 cm) 
Melt the butter. Grease the pan and lay one strip across the bottom. 
Do this again, forming an “X” at the bottom. 
Grease the two remaining strips and press against the sides. Finally, place the circle at the bottom. 
Get a packet of graham crackers or 1 1/2 cups (140g) of any kind of shortbread cookie. 
Smash them into bits. Use a cheap bag and watch the crumbs go everywhere. A blender works nicely. 
Pour the remaining butter into the graham crackers. 
Pour into the bottom of the pan. 
Press into the bottom into an even layer. 
Beat the cream cheese, sugar and sour cream until smooth. 
Add in the eggs, one at a time until just combined. 
It will be a thick batter. 
Pour into the prepped pan. 
If desired, use a spatula and smooth out the tops. 
Place into a larger pan. Pour in water until half up the sides. 
Try to put the cake in the center. Bake 325F (160C) for 80 – 90 minutes or until center just barely wobbles. 
Chill overnight before removing from pan. 
Doesn’t it look delicious? 
Happy baking!
Easy and Delicious Classic Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 3 pkg (678g) cream cheese
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 3 large (150g) eggs
- â…“ cup (80g) sour cream
- 2 tbs (19g) flour
- 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla
- ¼ tsp (1.5g) salt
For the Crust
- 1 ½ cups (140g) graham cracker crumbs
- â…“ cup (75g) melted butter
Instructions
- About 1/2 – 1 hour before starting, remove cream cheese, sour cream and eggs from the fridge. Bring to room temperature.
- Position the oven rack on the lowest position available. Preheat Oven to 325F (160C.)
- Cut 4 rectangular strips 3.5" x 15" (9 x 38 cm) of parchment paper. Trace the bottom of an 8 or 9" (20 or 23 cm) cake pan and cut a circle of parchment.
- Melt butter in microwave or on stove top. Grease the strips of paper with some of the butter and lay out two in a criss cross pattern on the bottom and up the sides, the others around the sides of the pan and finally the circle on the bottom. Set aside.
- Crush up 9 full sheets of graham crackers in a baggie or blender until you have 1 1/2 cups of fine crumbs. In a small bowl, mix together the crumbs and the remaining melted butter until moistened. Press the crumbs firmly into the bottom of the pan. If desired, you can press some up the sides as well.
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in the sour cream and mix until smooth. Mix in the flour, sugar, vanilla and salt.
- Add in eggs, one at a time and beat on low until just mixed. Over-mixing the batter will lead to cracks and collapsed centers.
- Pour mixture into the pan. Tap a few times to release any air bubbles.
- Place this pan in a larger pan and pour water into the larger pan until it comes about 1/2 way up the sides.
- Bake 70 – 80 minutes or until center just wobbles and temperature reaches 160F (71C.) Turn off oven, prop open the door and allow it to cool slowly for 1 hour. Remove from oven and water bath and finish cooling at room temperature.
- Chill cheesecake in pan 4 hours in the refrigerator. For best results, leave it overnight or 8 hours. Carefully remove from pan and slice. Cheesecake must stay chilled. Store any leftovers in fridge within one hour.
Great cheesecake recipe! Love that a springform pan is not required! My first time using a water bath with success, no cracks and so smooth and creamy!
So glad you like the cheesecake, Mike! This is one of my favorite recipes.
Amazing Article And Your Information About easy and delicious classic cheesecake It’s Very Amazing And So Much Helpful For Me. Keep It Up And Thank You Very Much.:)
Good evening, Ronak! I am so glad it was helpful for you. Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts. 🙂
I made this cheesecake and the 6 inch version a few months ago. It was delicious and the first time I’ve had success using a water bath and no cracks! I made a chocolate ganache in case it cracked, i still used it to top the cheesecake, so good!
Getting ready to make it again tomorrow.. making a pumpkin cheesecake for work. Have you tried this recipe for pumpkin? Curious if you have any suggestions.
Hi Mike,
This is a pumpkin spice cheesecake recipe a viewer named Helenachase5627 put on my 6″ version. You could likely modify it to make it into a 9″ cheesecake. I haven’t personally tried the recipe, but the ingredient suggestions/swaps sound solid. I’ll quote her recipe below. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
“I only use 1 block of cream cheese. Today I added 1/3 cup pumpkin, only 1 egg not two and only 2 tbsp cream 1 tbsp molasses. Pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar instead of white. It always turns out very creamy but must be refrigerated overnight.”