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    Decorated Treats » Recipes » Cheesecake Recipes

    Easy Cheesecake Recipe (A Simple Baked Cheesecake)

    Published: Dec 28, 2020 · Modified: Aug 9, 2023 by Priya Maha

    Jump to Recipe

    If you are new to cheesecake baking or would like a simple and easy cheesecake recipe, this 6-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 or lemon juice for a citrus cheesecake recipe or top it with any fruit fillings or fresh berries or fresh fruit for a delicious fruit cheesecake recipe. You can even give it a simple drizzle of salted caramel sauce, lemon curd or melted chocolate for an even more delicious cheesecake! 

    A round cheesecake on a white cake stand.
    Easy Cheesecake Recipe with only 6 main ingredients
    Jump to:
    • ❤️Why you will love this recipe
    • 📋Ingredients
    • 🧾Substitution and Variations
    • 👩‍🍳How to Make
    • 🍽️Serving & storage
    • 💡Expert Tips
    • 💭FAQs
    • ❤️More Recipes You Will Love
    • 📖Recipe

    ❤️Why you will love this recipe

    • This is a classic cheesecake recipe with only 6 simple ingredients.
    • It is an easy recipe with step by step instructions on how to make the cake.
    • The creamy texture of the cake and rich buttery graham cracker crust makes this homemade cheesecake a favorite dessert.
    • This creamy cheesecake can be made ahead making it a great make-ahead dessert for parties.
    • The recipe makes a small 7 inches round cheesecake, perfect when you need only a small portion.

    📋Ingredients

    There are only 6 simple ingredients required in this easy cheesecake recipe (no sour cream, heavy cream or even all purpose flour) and they are:

    Crust

    • Digestive biscuits / cookies (or Graham Crackers) - make the crunchy biscuit base for the cheesecake.
    • Granulated sugar (caster sugar) - sweetens the crust.
    • Melted butter - I use salted butter, but you can also use unsalted butter.

    Filling

    • Cream cheese - use full fat cream cheese for best results and soften it at room temperature. Spreadable cream cheese will not work for this recipe.
    • Granulated sugar (caster sugar)
    • Vanilla extract - add flavor to the cake.
    • Eggs - use large eggs.

    *Refer to the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and exact quantities. For best results, use a digital kitchen scale where applicable*

    🧾Substitution and Variations

    • Digestive biscuits and Graham cracker crumbs crust can be substituted with Oreo cookie crust for a chocolate crust. Use the cookies along with their cream fillings and omit the sugar in the crust.
    • Instead of whipped cream swirls and sprinkles on the baked cheesecake, you can spread a layer of lemon curd, salted caramel sauce or even chocolate ganache on the top similar to sour cream in this classic New York cheesecake. Other options include strawberry filling or blueberry pie filling and fresh fruit and fresh berries.
    • 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. 

    This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you do try, please let me know in the comments section below!

    👩‍🍳How to Make

    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 requires a 7 inch round springform tin.

    A poster of 6 images showing how to prepare cookie crust for cakes.

    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 into an even layer. 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

    A poster of 4 images showing how to mix easy cheesecake batter.
    Easy Cheesecake Recipe - Making the Filling
    1. In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese. Beat until it is creamy on medium speed with an electric mixer (hand mixer or stand mixer). Use a paddle attachment. 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. For best results, use room temperature ingredients.
    2. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, add the sugar and beat for approximately 20 seconds. 
    3. Scrape the bowl again. Add both eggs and vanilla extract 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

    A poster of 4 images showing how to do a water bath for cakes.
    Easy Water Bath Technique for Cheesecakes
    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 aluminum foil and then place it directly into the water-filled baking dish. 
    Close up of a round cheesecake with piped cream topping and sprinkles.
    Easy Cheesecake Recipe
    • Bake the cheesecake in a preheated oven (place it on the lowest rack) until the sides are firm and the middle is still wobbly. Let it rest in the oven (with the oven door closed) 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. 

    🍽️Serving & storage

    • Keep the cake chilled in the refrigerator in an airtight container to prevent it from becoming dry. The cake should last for a good 4 to 5 days. The whipped cream topping is best added before serving.
    A slice of cheesecake on a white plate.
    Easy Cheesecake Recipe with only 6 main ingredients

    💡Expert Tips

    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 temperature. 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 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. 

    💭FAQs

    Why does cheesecake need to rest after baking?

    Cheesecakes, unlike regular cakes are often not let to bake completely. The oven is typically turned off once the sides of the cake have firmed and the center still wobbly. You can test this by shaking the pan. The cheesecake will continue to cook after the heat is turned off and will set over the next few hours. Hence, it is the reason it needs to be rested before cutting and serving.

    Difference between a baked cheesecake and no bake cheesecake recipe

    Baked cheesecakes typically contain eggs and flour and are baked in an oven. No bake cheesecakes are typically set with gelatin and do not contain eggs or flour. They are also not baked. The texture of a baked cheesecake is more solid as compared to a no bake cheesecake that is much lighter.

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    Do you like this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐rating in the recipe card below and consider a review further down this page. I would love to hear from you. Thank you!

    📖Recipe

    A round cheesecake decorated with cream swirls and sprinkles with a slice cut out.

    Easy Cheesecake Recipe

    A truly easy cheesecake recipe, this classic baked cheesecake is made up of a buttery cookie crust and filled with a simple combination of cream cheese, eggs and sugar for a perfectly delicious cheesecake.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Chilling Time: 4 hours hours
    Total Time: 5 hours hours
    Yield: 1 7 inches round cake
    Author: Priya Maha
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Metric - US Customary

    For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.

    Ingredients

    Crust

    • 100 g Digestive cookies or Graham Crackers
    • 15 g granulated sugar
    • 50 g butter melted

    Filling

    • 450 g cream cheese softened
    • 100 g granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 eggs

    Topping & Deco

    • Whipped cream
    • Sprinkles
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 160°Celsius.
    • Break the cookies into crumbs by processing them in a food processor or by putting them in a zip lock bag and pressing them with a rolling pin. Place the crumbs in a bowl, add the castor sugar and butter and mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
    • Transfer the crust mix into a parchment paper lined 7 inches round spring form pan and press it down evenly and firmly. Set aside.
    • In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth for 30 seconds.
    • Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the sugar and beat again for 20 seconds.
    • Add in both the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat for about 10 seconds until the eggs are well combined. Scrape the bowl and continue beating for another 10 seconds until the batter is all smooth and creamy. Do not overbeat to avoid the batter from incorporating too much air.
    • Pour the batter into the prepared crust and bake in a water bath for 45 minutes at 160°Celsius. When done, the sides should be firm and the center of the cake still wobbly. Turn the oven off and leave the cake in the oven for another 10 minutes.
    • Remove from oven and let the cake cool for another 20 minutes before loosening the cake tin and removing the cake out.
    • Let the cake rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
    • Keep leftovers refrigerated.

    Notes

    Make sure the oven temperature is not too hot

    • Cheesecakes are best baked in slightly lower temperature. 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 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. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 2942kcal | Carbohydrates: 208g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 220g | Saturated Fat: 121g | Cholesterol: 931mg | Sodium: 2330mg | Potassium: 826mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 162g | Vitamin A: 7768IU | Calcium: 502mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @decorated_treats or tag #decoratedtreats!

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    A slice of cheesecake on a white plate.

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