This classic baked cheesecake is rich and creamy yet light, sweet without being overly sweet. This is an easy Cheesecake recipe that anyone can make, thanks to a couple of little-but-important tips I’m sharing!
For your next cheesecake, try the stunning Strawberry Cheesecake or famous Basque 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:
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.
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.
Paper overhang – this also helps remove the cheesecake. Just slide it right off the cake pan base!
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)
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.
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!
Bake on a low temp – helps ensure the surface doesn’t crack.
No water bath – it’s tedious and makes no difference. See this Strawberry Cheesecake for notes and a side by side comparison.
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 souffle. Like this famous Japanese Cotton Cheesecake on my mother’s website, RecipeTin Japan. Then there’s the beautiful Basque Cheesecake with its signature caramelised surface which is also very light.
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
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:
- 200g / 7 oz Arnott’s Marie crackers or other plain biscuit (Aus) or 28 Graham Cracker squares (Note 1)
- 120g / 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 sour cream (full fat)
- 1 1/2 cups caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 large eggs , at room temperature
TOPPINGS:
- Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
- Icing sugar / powdered sugar , for dusting
Instructions
PREPARATION:
- Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F (140°C fan).
- Prepare pan – 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:
- Blitz – 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.
- Press into pan – 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:
- Beat cream cheese – Use a mixer or beater to beat the cream cheese until smooth – about 30 seconds on medium high,.
- Finish batter – 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, we don't want to aerate the batter.
- Bake – 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 in the oven with the door open 20 cm / 8" (Note 6), then refrigerate for 4 hours+ in the pan.
- Remove springform pan sides. Use overhang paper to slide cheesecake off the cake pan. Then slide the cheesecake off the paper.
- Serve – Top with berries and dust with icing sugar!
Recipe Notes:
- Australia: Arnott’s Marie Crackers, Arrowroot and Nice are ideal, I’ve made it with all these.
- 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!
Nutrition Information:
More cheesecake recipes
I love a good cheesecake. Proof!
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!!!
Ailie says
Hi Nagi, I absolutely love a baked cheesecake, but I’m also very drawn to the jelly in your No Bake Mango Cheesecake!
Could the mango jelly work here as an alternative topping? Would it stick, do you reckon?
Nagi says
I think it would be fine for this Allie! Enjoy!! N x
Rhiannon says
How long does it keep for?
Anne says
Yikes! I missed the sour cream! Will it be okay?
Nagi says
I don’t know Anne! I haven’t cooked it without it – let me know how it goes!! N x
Jacqueline says
Hi!!! I’m looking to make this for my partners birthday, if I wanted to make this into 12 mini cheese cakes, how long would I bake them for? Thank you!
Jo says
Made this yesterday for a dinner party. Really easy to make, turned out perfectly and everyone loved it!
Peter Rae says
This is now the family favourite. I have made the crust with Oats whizzed into a rough flour and 2 tablespoons of sugar as biscuits tend to have strange ingredients. It is a superb recipe and I’ve made it many times.
ella says
I LOVED this. Any chance of a baked chocolate cheesecake recipe in the future?
Nagi says
Great idea Ella!! N x
Jami says
Miss 9 requested a baked cheesecake for her birthday. Queue quivers as I’ve never made one before but thankfully you’re always my go-to and it was a huge success.
I swapped out all dairy for lactose free options with no consequence to the flavour, texture or look. Best cheesecake ever!
Fredalyn Subia says
This is really good,its my first time to cook bake cheesecake and it turns out nicely..wow.
Nagi says
Yea! Success! Well done Fredalyn! N x
Colleen KING says
Baked this yesterday for a barbeque with friends. Was looking for a cheesecake with less ingredients than the usual 900 g of cream cheese, plus sour cream, and sometimes cream and I found yours which was the perfect size. I find that the 900 g recipe makes enough to feed an army and costs a fortune to make in New Zealand. I used digestive biscuits for the base, first time ever and both the taste and texture were excellent. The biscuit to butter ratio was perfect: no butter leaks when baking, it fitted nicely over the base and up the sides, and the base just crumbled as you cut it, not too hard. The finished cheesecake was creamy and light. I added a squeeze of lemon juice as I like the lemon flavour. I took the advice of one reviewer and cut the sugar back to 260 g but I think I could have reduced it to 230 g without noticing. The only thing I did differently was bake it in a water bath. I had never done that before but thought I’d try it. I used a large oven bag and had no leakage problems. Everyone commented on how lovely the cheesecake was and how nice the texture of the biscuit base was. I made the mixed berry topping in a berry coulis. I used frozen berries and it was perfect. I certainly recommend this recipe to anyone that wants a cheesecake that is light, a good size and still indulgent.
Nagi says
I am so glad you enjoyed it Colleen! Just FYI I have tested with and without water bath (see my notes on that here:https://www.recipetineats.com/strawberry-cheesecake/) and have found it really does not make any difference! N x
Colleen KING says
Forgot to say that I baked it for 1 hour and 20 minutes in the water bath at 140 C and left it to cool in the oven for 30 minutes with the door closed.
Ms Lalani Hyatt says
I generally use a BBC Food guide New York cheesecake recipe, it’s quite good. But your recipe is easier and makes a much nicer cake. Light and creamy and the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. I topped it woth boysenberries and poured berry coulis over. A big thank you for another great recipe. From a big fan in Tasmania P.S. love to Dozer 🙂
Nagi says
We LOVE Tasmania!! N x
Lin-Lee says
Many thanks Nagi for this recipe. It worked perfectly. I’m in the UK and I used soft cream cheese and sour cream too. I love lemon so I added a couple of teaspoons of lemon extract to the mix.
For the biscuit base, I used 100g of Rich Tea Biscuits and 100g of Digestive Biscuits.
Really yummy.
I took it to a friends house for desert. Four of us ate 2/3’s of it and I had to leave the rest for our hosts to enjoy.
A big thank you for this and all your other recipes. Very much appreciated.
Rachael says
Just made this and is cooling in the oven now. Smells so good. A couple of issues for me…the biscuits weren’t enough to go up the sides of the tin completely. I used digestives. My cheesecake rose and there is a tiny crack on one side which is easy covered. The other thing is butter dripped from the bottom of the tin. With all of that I hope it comes out of the tin ok and tastes as good as it smells
Carly says
Oh my Nagi! I’ve made this recipe a few times now and it not failed to impress. Pretty easy to make, not overly sweet and delicious! Thanks Nagi! Have definitely shared the link to this page several times!!
L Stewart says
This recipe is absolute PERFECTION. Thank you for sharing!! I use digestive biscuits for the base (South Africa) – they work perfectly.
Jessica says
I love this recipe, I make it for every special occasion, birthdays, Christmas and it’s always a hit. Thank you Nagi for making me look like an excellent cook every time I make one of your recipes
Kim Lonergan says
Baked this yesterday for my mother-in-law’s birthday. Topped it today with berries. The only change made was to cut back the sugar to about 260gms. It was a hit! My sister-in-law asked for the recipe. Thank you Nagi for another brilliant recipe. Your tips were great too.
Fatima says
Hi
I wanted to know what can we substitute sour cream with and what what would the quantity be
Greg says
I want to make this using a 9in springform as I don’t have 8in at home. Will this create any issues? Do I need to make any adjustments?
Mel says
Hi Greg,
I made this today in a 9in springform tin. I used 250g of Marie biscuits (which happens to be one packet) and increased the butter to 150g. I made no changes to the quantities for the filling and cooked for 55 mins as per the recipe. I’ve not eaten it yet, it is cooling in the fridge still, but looks yummy!
SA says
Thank you for posting this! I was looking through the comments trying to see if anyone made it in a 9 in springform
Geoff says
Blown away with this recipe, and not only was it delicious, but uncracked, perfectly flat and looked amazing covered in berries. I’m making it today for the second time – thank you for the recipe!
Nagi says
You are very welcome Geoff!! N x
Lorna says
I cook this one all the time for special treats! It’s an amazing recipe & everyone loves it.
This time I am making it gluten free. I have gluten free scotch fingers for the base, what’s the best flour substitute for texture & flavour?
Nagi says
Hi Lorna – I’m sorry but I haven’t tested a g/f version of this yet! N x
Lorna says
Was really great with Gluten Free flour! I made it for two christmas parties this week and both times it was great.