Basic baked cheesecake recipe

What’s the secret to a perfect cheesecake crust?

Make sure you use the right biscuits. A plain sweet biscuit like Arnott’s Nice or Marie works well. If you use a biscuit that already has a lot of fat there’ll be too much butter and it will ooze out of the springform pan. Process the biscuits until sandy (or if you don’t have a food processor do it the old way and put the biscuits in a bag and bash with a rolling pin until crushed). After pulsing in the butter, tip the mixture into the prepared tin. Use a straight-sided glass to spread and press the biscuit mixture firmly over the base and side of the pan. Using a glass helps keep an even thickness of crust around the side and base. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill. If you’re struggling to get the mixture to stick up the side, just cover the base. It will be thick but the side of the pan is greased so the cheesecake will still come out of the pan easily.

Why did my cheesecake crack?

A cracked cheesecake is pretty disappointing, but don’t despair, just cover the top with fresh berries to hide and follow these simple rules to avoid it happening again. You need to make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. Take the cream cheese (make sure it’s full-fat) and eggs out of the fridge one hour before cooking. Beat the ingredients on low speed. You don’t want to get too much air into the mixture as air bubbles will fill with steam while baking causing cracking. Beat in the eggs one at a time, until just combined, overbeating the eggs will also add unwanted air. Make sure your oven is at the right temperature and bake until there is still a slight wobble in the middle of the cheesecake. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in there with the door slightly ajar for about an hour (sudden changes in temperature can cause cracking) then transfer to a bench for an hour to continue cooling. Place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight to chill and firm completely.

What is the difference between baked and New York cheesecake?

Both are based on the same basic ingredients, but New York cheesecakes have the addition of sour cream and often more eggs or egg yolks making it richer and denser.

Are cheesecakes better baked or unbaked?

It’s all a matter of preference. No-bake cheesecakes don’t have eggs and instead rely on the chill of the fridge along with gelatine or a combination of whipped cream and lemon to set. The benefit of a no-baked cheesecake is no cracking, instead it has a smooth, nearly mousse-like texture, and not turning on the oven makes it a perfect Summer dessert. Choosing a no-bake cheesecake recipe by adding eggs to the mix and then baking changes the texture completely, a texture that many believe to be far superior.

Why do some baked cheesecake recipes use a water bath?

Some cooks believe baking your cheesecake in a water bath is a sure-fire way to ensure a perfect filling, while others think it’s a waste of time. Believers insist that using a water bath stabilises the oven temperature, helping avoid cracking and that the steam created by the water prevents the cheesecake from drying out. If you want to give it a go, wrap the outside of your springform tin with a double layer of foil, scrunching it up around the top. You want to make it watertight. Place a clean tea towel on the base of a roasting dish (this will help prevent the tin from slipping). Place the cheesecake-filled tin onto the tea towel. Pour boiling water into the roasting dish so it comes about halfway up the side of the cheesecake tin, and cook as usual.