This classic baked cheesecake is rich and creamy yet light, sweet without being overly sweet. A couple of little but important tips makes this an easy Cheesecake recipe – I think you’ll be surprised!
Also, don’t miss the new Strawberry Cheesecake!
BAKED CHEESECAKE – MADE EASY!
This is an easy Cheesecake recipe. Well, I should say, this is a baked cheesecake recipe that’s made easy with a few key tips that make all the difference.
I think some people find the idea of making cheesecakes daunting, especially ones where the biscuit crust comes up the side like this one. But you know what? In my humble opinion, cheesecake is easier to make than cakes.
You don’t need to worry about the cake rising, or even sadder is when it sinks in the middle while it cools (such a let down after thinking you’ve nailed it!). And it’s definitely easier than making pastry.
The risk of failure with baked cheesecakes is lower. There’s no rising agent, no gelatine to set it. If the surface cracks (but it shouldn’t, with my tips! 🙂 ), just hide it under icing sugar and/or a pile of berries – or the biscuit crust cracks a bit.
See? How would anyone know if the surface is cracked?? 😉
Easy Cheesecake recipe tips
Here are my tips to make this classic baked Cheesecake stress free and easy for you to make:
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The biscuit crust is stronger than you think. I always stress that the crust is going to crack (especially the walls) but it always surprises me how well it holds together when I’m handling the finished cheesecake. It’s firm but has a little give so it doesn’t crack with the slightest bend.
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Invert the base of the springform pan. Though the ridge around the base of the pan is small, it can be a real pain to transfer the cheesecake out of the base onto the serving platter. We can’t flip cheesecake upside down like with cakes!! So make your life easier by inverting the base so it’s perfectly flat so the cheesecake will slide right off onto the platter.
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Paper overhang – this also helps remove the cheesecake. Just slide it right off the cake pan base!
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Press biscuit crumbs firmly using something flat. The key to a sturdy crust is pressing the biscuit crumbs firmly into the base and up the wall of the cheesecake. Use something with straight walls and a flat base – I use a measuring cup. I use the side of the cup to press the crumbs into the walls and the base to press down.
Easy Cheesecake recipe tips (cont’d)
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Don’t over-beat the batter. Unlike cake batters, we don’t want to aerate cheesecake batter to make it rise too much. If you over-beat the batter causing bubbles in the batter, the cheesecake will rise more when baking then when it collapses as it cools, it will crack.
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Room temp ingredients – make sure the cream cheese is softened and the eggs are at room temp. This will ensure your cheesecake filling is beautifully smooth as it should be!
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Bake on a low temp – helps ensure the surface doesn’t crack.
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No water bath – it’s tedious and makes no difference. See this Strawberry Cheesecake for notes and a side by side comparison.
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Cheesecake surface shouldn’t crack…. but if it does, don’t worry! Just hide them under berries or cream!!
What this Baked Cheesecake tastes like
The Cheesecake Spectrum is very broad and this version is a classic one that sits in the middle. On one hand, you have cheesecakes that are very dense and creamy which weigh a ton – like a New York cheesecake that uses twice as much cream cheese for the same size cheesecake. Many no-bake cheesecakes have a tendency to be too heavy – unless you use gelatine like in this No Bake Mango Cheesecake.
On the other side of the Cheesecake Spectrum, you have cheesecakes that are so light and airy, it is almost like a mousse. Like this famous Japanese Cotton Cheesecake on my mother’s website, RecipeTin Japan.
This one is in between. It is creamy and definitely indulgent, but not dense. The texture is light when you cut into it but the mouthfeel is creamy. It’s sweet but not overly so. I have more of a savoury than sweet tooth so I don’t enjoy extremely sweet desserts too much.
And lastly, a little touch of lemon zest just gives it that perfect finishing tough.
All those words to describe the cheesecake. I should have just said – THIS IS DARN DELICIOUS!!! – Nagi x
More Cheesecake recipes
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Strawberry Cheesecake – a magical combination!
Classic Baked Cheesecake recipe – made easy!
Watch how to make it
This is the Strawberry Cheesecake recipe video. The cheesecake is made exactly the same way as in this recipe, but is topped with a Strawberry Sauce.
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Classic Baked Cheesecake
Ingredients
CHEESECAKE BISCUIT BASE:
- 200 g / 7 oz Arnott's Marie crackers or other plain biscuit (Aus) or 28 Graham Cracker squares (Note 1)
- 120 g / 8 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
CHEESECAKE FILLING:
- 1 lb / 500g cream cheese , softened (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup / 125g sour cream (full fat)
- 1 1/2 cups (330g) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 eggs , at room temperature
TOPPINGS:
- Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
- Icing sugar / powdered sugar , for dusting
Instructions
PREPARATION:
- Preheat oven to 160C/320F (standard) or 140C/295F (fan/convection).
- Get a 20cm/8" springform cake tin. Turn the base UPSIDE DOWN (Note 4), butter lightly and place a square piece of parchment/baking paper on the base. Then clip into the springform pan - excess paper will stick out, see photos in post and video.
- Butter and line the side of the pan.
CHEESECAKE BISCUIT BASE:
- Break up biscuits roughly by hand and place in a food processor.
- Blitz until fine crumbs (Note 5). Add butter, briefly blitz until dispersed and it resembles wet sand.
- Pour into the prepared cake tin. Use a spatula to roughly spread it out over the base and up the walls.
- Use something with a flat base and vertical edges (I used a measuring cup) to press the crumbs up the wall almost to the top of the sides, and flatten the base.
FILLING:
- Use a mixer or beater to beat the cream cheese until smooth - about 30 seconds on medium high,.
- Add flour, beat until just combined (10 sec).
- Add vanilla, sour cream, sugar and lemon zest. Beat until just combined (10 - 15 sec).
- Add eggs one at a time, beat in between until just combined (10 sec each). Don't over beat, do not want to aerate the batter.
- Pour into prepared crust.
- Bake for 55 minutes. The top should be a very light golden brown, not cracked, and near perfectly flat. It should jiggle slightly when you gently shake the pan.
- Cool the cake in the oven with the door open 20 cm / 8" (Note 6), then refrigerate for 4 hours+ in the pan.
- Remove sides. Use overhang paper to slide cheesecake off the cake pan. Then slide the cheesecake off the paper.
- Top with berries and dust with icing sugar!
Recipe Notes:
US: Use 28 squares / 14 full sheets, yes I measured it with my last Graham Cracker packet I brought back from my last trip.
UK: Digestives are ideal, I LOVE digestives! The crumb should be like wet sand so when pressed, it stays packed firmly, especially up the wall. Adjust if necessary with more butter. It's delicate when uncooked but once the filling is cooked, it becomes much more stable. 2. Cream Cheese - In the UK and some parts of Europe, block cream cheese isn't available. If you can only get spreadable cream cheese in tubs (softer than block), skip the sour cream. 3. Lemon Juice or Water - Depends on sweetness of strawberries. If they aren't that sweet, use water instead. 4. Inverted cake pan with overhang paper: The base of springform pans have a slight ridge. By inverting it, there is no ridge which makes it easier to slide the cheesecake on a serving platter without ruining the crust. There is no risk of batter leakage as the crust is thick enough to hold it all in. 5. Crumbs: OR crush in a ziplock bag using a rolling pin or large can. 6. Cool in oven: This helps stop the surface from cracking. 7. Different measures: Cups and spoons vary slightly between countries (US and CAN are different to most of the rest of the world). I have made this recipe using both US and Australian measures, using Australia Marie crackers and US Graham Crackers. The Graham Cracker crust is slightly crunchier because the biscuit doesn't crush to a fine sand like Marie Crackers do. Both are delicious!
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
The recipe video I shot was a fail because a certain very large-furry-rascal with Giant Paws bumped the tripod while filming so I ended up with 10 minutes of footage of my dirty bench top.
I was extremely cranky with him. Yet look at him, eyeing the cheesecake! He still thinks he’s going to get some!!! Not a chance Dozer, not a chance!!!
Beautiful Cheesecake! Suggestion to invert the bottom of the tin & line with baking paper was game-changing. Replaced the sugar with stevia/monkfruit blend to lower sugar. Tested the sweetness before adding eggs. So happy with the outcome! You are very talented, Nagi 👏🏼
Sorry Nagi’s, not Navi’s!
I get that all the time! Auto correct! 🤣 N x
Just wondering why my comment wasn’t approved? I didn’t say anything untoward, just that in my opinion just too sweet. A bit disappointed as I really enjoy your site.
I meant to rate it in my previous comment 🙂
My daughters and I made this last week. And it was the best cheesecake we have ever tasted! We plan on making it again this weekend 🙂
Hi Nagi, anyway to make a chocolate version of this? Asking for a friend 😂
Hi Jill..I haven’t made a chocolate version yet..there is a yummy Nutella one on my website or a few other fruit versions like Strawberry Cheesecake if you want to try something different!
Hi I’m going to made this cheesecake for my sons birthday in a couple of weeks and would like to make it ahead of time. Will it freeze before the fruit is added?
Making this for my sons Birthday today. Had mixture and base left over so am making a smaller one and will top with jelly. Love these recipes have mad a few never had one fail.
I have made cheesecakes before and I can say that this was the most straight forward and best turned out cheesecake I have ever made. It was delicious and will be the most go to cheesecake recipe in my house. Thanks Nagi for such a wonderful recipe!
Hi Nagi, my son wants a marbled cheesecake for his birthday party. Could I use your classic baked cheesecake recipe and add melted chocolate to swirl through the cream cheese, thanks Claire
I haven’t tried sorry Claire! N x
Hi Nagi,
This is currently baking in my oven and wanted to flag an issue to see if others have had it – I followed your advice on flipping the bottom of my springform pan, but I think that allowed for some liquid (probably some of the butter from the crus?) to leak out and burn on the bottom of the oven, which has now filled my kitchen and entire apartment with smoke. I have a standard kitchen springform pan but it seems that your method doesn’t result in a complete seal on the bottom. hopefully the cheesecake still turns out ok but wanted to flag
Did you line the tin with baking paper too? What a shame that happened! My old tin used to do the same, but I never tried lining it
I baked for 55 minutes but my cheesecake is still wet in the middle after being in the fridge for 4 hours. There’s not cracks on top, surface looks good. Can I re-bake it?
First time baking this so I’m clueless. Appreciate any help. Thanks.
Hi Joshua, is there a slight jiggle? Does it look set? You can’t retake it – but if you’ve cooked as per the recipe and your oven thermostat is correct you should be ok. N x
The top was set but the interior was still wet. It was jiggly on top. I re-baked it at a higher temperature and it turned out perfect. I realised the tray in the oven was too low, it wasn’t cooking. Thanks for the reply!
I made this tonight for my daughter’s bday tomorrow. Unfortunately, it looked perfect until I left if to cool in the oven off with the door open 8″ as instructed – at which point the dreaded cracks formed, deep, large cracks. No idea where I went wrong here!? Sometimes the baking stars just aren’t aligned. Crossing my fingers that I can hide the cracks with fruit and that it doesn’t taste over baked. Any idea Nagi? I used my stand mixer (a Kenwood) and mixed minimally as instructed and baked for 55 min.
Hi Holly, I’m so sorry you’re having issues, cracks can be caused from a number of reasons. It may of been slightly too hot in the oven or cooled slightly too quickly! Try covering it with the strawberries here: https://www.recipetineats.com/strawberry-cheesecake/ N x
First ever cheesecake and it turned out perfect! So easy and absolutely heavenly *drooling*
Thank you!!
This was so easy. I followed the directions and used all the tips. It was beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
This cheesecake was SO easy to make and turned out perfectly! I cooked it in individual Weck jars with a gluten free base (and only 1 cup sugar sub) – the filling still cooked beautifully. Thanks Nagi!
What an awesome idea – sounds great Jess! N x
Perfect recipe. This is definitely the recipe I’d recommend to others thank you Nagi!
Hi! I’m planning to serve the cheesecake with caramel sauce on top. Do you think I should reduce the sugar so that it won’t be too sweet?
This is sensational. Made it for the first time and already getting asked to make it again.
I made a couple of substitutions due to what I had on hand at the time and it still came out beautifully.
Definitely one for my tin!
Thanks Nagi 🙂