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A round cheesecake decorated with cream swirls and sprinkles with a slice cut out.
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5 from 1 vote

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.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Chilling Time4 hours
Total Time5 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 7 inches round cake
Calories: 2942kcal
Author: Priya Maha

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