Easy Cheesecake Recipe - A Simple Baked Cheesecake

If you are new to cheesecake baking or would like a simple and easy cheesecake recipe, this 5-ingredients baked cheesecake recipe is for you.

The ingredients used in the recipe are as basic as they can get for a cheesecake, and once you get it right, you can customize it to any flavor you like.

Add some lemon zest for a citrus cheesecake recipe or top it with any fruit fillings for a delicious strawberry cheesecake or blueberry cheesecake recipe. You can even give it a simple drizzle of salted caramel or melted chocolate for an even more delicious cheesecake! 

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How to Make

Ingredients

There are only 5 main ingredients required in this easy cheesecake recipe and they are:

Crust

• Digestive cookies (or Graham Crackers)
• Castor sugar
• Butter (melted)

Filling

• Cream cheese (softened)
• Sugar
• Vanilla essence
• Eggs

Preparing the cheesecake crust

The process of making this easy homemade cheesecake starts with the crust. But before that, get the tin ready. This is a small batch cheesecake recipe, and I use a 7 inch round springform tin.

Easy Cheesecake Recipe - Preparing the Crust

1. Springform tins are the best as trying to flip a cheesecake out of a normal tin can be quite disastrous. For easy transferring of the cheesecake into a serving plate, line the bottom of the tin with parchment paper. 
2. Next, get the crust ready. Crush your cookies to a fine crumb. You can do this in a food processor or place your cookies in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush them. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl and add the sugar to it. Give it a quick mix.
3. Add the melted butter (cooled). 
4. Mix well.
5. Press the moistened crumbs evenly into your prepared pan. You can use the back of your spoon to do this or use the back of a glass or measuring cup to help with the even distribution of the crust.
6. Once the crust is done, set it aside. 

Making the cheesecake filling

1. In a deep bowl, add the cream cheese. Beat until it is creamy. In creaming the cheese, the time taken would depend on the temperature of the cheese. If the cheese is cold, you would need a longer time, if warmer, a short time would be sufficient. The rule of thumb is to not overbeat the cream cheese, approximately 30 seconds will do. If the cheese looks creamy with tiny specks of cheese in it, that is good enough.
2. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the sugar and beat for approximately 20 seconds. 
3. Scrape the bowl again. Add both eggs and vanilla essence and beat for another 10 seconds until the eggs are incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl and give the batter a final round of 10 seconds of mixing. If you overbeat the batter, you will start seeing lots of air bubbles in the batter. If this happens, your cheesecake will still be good but with lots of bubbles on the surface which can be unsightly. 
4. Pour batter into the prepared crust. Level the top.

Baking the cheesecake

1. This cheesecake needs to be baked in a water bath. To make the water bath, fill a large baking dish with water.
2. Place another tin in it.
3. Place the springform pan in the second tin.
4. This way, the water will not seep into the springform pan. If you don’t have the right sized baking tin to put your springform pan into, you can always wrap the sides of your springform pan securely with foil and then place it directly into the water-filled baking dish. 

• Bake the cheesecake (place it on the lowest rack) until the sides are firm and the middle is still wobbly. Let it rest in the oven for about 10 minutes before removing it from the oven. Loosen and remove the sides of the pan but not the bottom.
• Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours (or overnight). If you wish to remove the bottom of the pan, do it after chilling the cake. That way, the crust will be firm and not break as you slide the cake (with the parchment intact) onto a serving plate or board.
• Garnish your classic homemade cheesecake with whipped cream and sprinkles if you wish. 

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Notes

Baking cheesecakes can be a daunting task for some people. The most common complaints I hear are of cracked cheesecakes and rubbery textures.

Follow my tips below and you will learn how easy baking cheesecakes can be:

Make sure the oven temperature is not too hot

• Cheesecakes are best baked in slightly lower temperatures. A general rule of thumb is to lower the temperature by 10 degrees Celsius than the temperature you use for normal cakes.

Do not overmix the cheesecake batter

• If you notice in the recipe below, I have specifically mentioned the amount of time for each beating step.
• Over beating the batter can cause too much air to be trapped in the batter and when you bake, these air bubbles will cause your cheesecake to have unsightly bubbles on the surface. 

Place your cheesecake on the lowest rack in your oven

• This placement will ensure the top of the cake does not get too browned and does not crack.

Make sure the interior of your own is moist when baking the cheesecake

• Bake the cheesecake in a water bath. Also known as bain-marie, a water bath means baking with a dish of water placed in the oven. The main intention is to help keep the oven moist while baking and this helps cheesecakes from drying out and cracking.
• If you are using a springform pan, simply wrap the bottom of the pan with foil and place the tin in a larger pan filled with water, making sure the water level is lower than the foil you wrapped around your cake tin.
• The other way, which I have explained (with images) in the ‘how to make a cheesecake’ section above, is to place your springform pan (unwrapped) into a slightly larger pan and placing both into another larger dish filled with water.

Disable the 'fan' function in your oven

• If you oven comes with a fan function, disable the fan function. This helps in avoiding cracks as well.

Avoid over baking the cheesecake

• To avoid over baking, check that the cake is done by pressing the sides lightly. It should be firm to the touch but the center should still be wobbly.
• Switch the oven off and let the cake rest in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. The cake will continue to cook as it cools down. Cooking the cake too long can turn its texture rubbery.
• Also, letting it cool down slowly in the oven helps avoid sudden temperature change that could also cause your cheesecake to crack. 

How to make a larger cheesecake with this recipe

• If you wish to make a larger cake, double the recipe above and bake it in a 9 inch round tin and add 10 minutes to the indicated baking time. 

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Like this recipe? Here are my other recipes you might want to check out:

• Mini Christmas Cheesecake
• True and Tried Cake Recipes
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• Banana Butter Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Oreo Crust
• Mini Salted Caramel Cheesecake
• Oreo Strawberry Cheesecake - Creamy Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberries
• Pineapple Cheesecake with Coconut - Easy Homemade Recipe
• Pandan Cheesecake - Perfectly Baked & the Creamiest Ever!

Recipe (Printable)

Here is the full printable version of my easy cheesecake recipe. And while you are at it, don’t forget to read up my cheesecake recipe notes right above. With the right recipe and techniques, you can make the best cheesecake every single time!

And that is pretty much all I have for you on my easy cheesecake recipe. Try it and let me know how it goes!

Happy baking 🙂