Just a Vanilla Cheesecake - How to Bake the Perfect Cheesecake Every Time

Just a Vanilla Cheesecake - How to Bake the Perfect Cheesecake Every Time

I recently had a conversation with one of our readers who was so nervous about baking a cheesecake for her husband's birthday. She had previously encountered a couple of cheesecake disasters and was understandably not relishing the thought of ruining the centerpiece of the birthday celebration. I convinced her to do a practice run with a "just a vanilla cheesecake" to get a feel for the process of baking the perfect cheesecake. Following this recipe and instructions she was delighted to perfectly bake both the practice cheesecake and the second as hubby's birthday cake.

The advantage of learning with "just a vanilla cheesecake" is that it is very simple to prepare with uncomplicated ingredients and you get a good feel for the proper consistency of a cheesecake batter. It is also relatively easy to tell when a vanilla cheesecake is done. If the top of this cheesecake begins to brown at all, in all likelihood it is fully baked, although as the recipe states, it need not brown at all to be fully baked. I give the pan a little shake to test how much it wobbles after about an hour. It is best to treat a cheesecake like a large baked custard which it really is. Residual heat will take care of any slightly wobbly center even after it comes out of the oven.

In my opinion, baking the perfect cheesecake requires the use of a bain marie during baking. A bain marie is simply a water bath that buffers the direct heat from the sides and bottom of the baking pan to more evenly bake the cheesecake from the sides to the center.

I bake my cheesecakes in a 9 inch spring form pan that has the bottom and sides wrapped in multiple layers of wide heavy duty aluminum foil which forms a sort of boat that the cheesecake pan sits in. The roll of aluminum foil that I use is about 16 inches wide. I use at least 4 layers of foil to make sure that no water leaks in and ruins the crust of my cheesecake. The aluminum foil wrapped pan is then placed inside a larger baking pan; I use a 12 inch cake pan. Boiling water is then poured into the larger pan filling it from 1/2 to 2/3 of the way to the top.

I find it best to pour the boiling water into the pan after it is placed on the rack in the oven as you are less likely to splash water onto the cheesecake or inside the aluminum foil. I reuse the aluminum foil for several future cheesecakes, adding a couple of layers to it each time just to be safe.

Cookie Crumb Crust

In a small bowl, combine:

• 1 1/3 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter

Press into the bottom of a lightly greased or parchment lined 9 inch spring form pan. (Grease bottom only!) Parchment paper is ideal here because it makes it very easy to release the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan.

Vanilla Cheesecake

Cream together:

• 3 eight ounce packages ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar

Add, one at a time

• 3 eggs

beating well after each addition. Add

• 3 tsp vanilla extract (or, even better, the seeds from one vanilla pod)

Finally blend in

• 1 cup whipping cream

Pour over the prepared base and bake in a bain marie at 300 degrees F for 55 minutes to an hour. The cheesecake does not have to brown at all in order to be fully baked; the surface of the cheesecake should lose any shine when the cake is properly baked. It can still be slightly wobbly just at the center at this point.

Remove the cake from the oven and run a sharp knife completely around the edge of the pan. This will allow for the cheesecake to shrink as it cools and hopefully not crack (but who cares if it does? I am never bothered by a crack or two in the surface) Allow the cheesecake to cool thoroughly on a wire rack at room temperature. (NOT in the fridge). Refrigerate after fully cooled.

Serve plain or with your favorite fruit topping. Lemon, lime or orange curd and caramel or fudge sauce also make great toppings for a vanilla cheesecake. The recipe for the Maple Apple Topping above can be found here: Maple Apple Cheesecake

Just a Vanilla Cheesecake - How to Bake the Perfect Cheesecake Every Time

I recently had a conversation with one of our readers who was so nervous about baking a cheesecake for her husband's birthday. She had previously encountered a couple of cheesecake disasters and was understandably not relishing the thought of ruining the centerpiece of the birthday celebration. I convinced her to do a practice run with a "just a vanilla cheesecake" to get a feel for the process of baking the perfect cheesecake. Following this recipe and instructions she was delighted to perfectly bake both the practice cheesecake and the second as hubby's birthday cake.

The advantage of learning with "just a vanilla cheesecake" is that it is very simple to prepare with uncomplicated ingredients and you get a good feel for the proper consistency of a cheesecake batter. It is also relatively easy to tell when a vanilla cheesecake is done. If the top of this cheesecake begins to brown at all, in all likelihood it is fully baked, although as the recipe states, it need not brown at all to be fully baked. I give the pan a little shake to test how much it wobbles after about an hour. It is best to treat a cheesecake like a large baked custard which it really is. Residual heat will take care of any slightly wobbly center even after it comes out of the oven.

In my opinion, baking the perfect cheesecake requires the use of a bain marie during baking. A bain marie is simply a water bath that buffers the direct heat from the sides and bottom of the baking pan to more evenly bake the cheesecake from the sides to the center.

I bake my cheesecakes in a 9 inch spring form pan that has the bottom and sides wrapped in multiple layers of wide heavy duty aluminum foil which forms a sort of boat that the cheesecake pan sits in. The roll of aluminum foil that I use is about 16 inches wide. I use at least 4 layers of foil to make sure that no water leaks in and ruins the crust of my cheesecake. The aluminum foil wrapped pan is then placed inside a larger baking pan; I use a 12 inch cake pan. Boiling water is then poured into the larger pan filling it from 1/2 to 2/3 of the way to the top.

I find it best to pour the boiling water into the pan after it is placed on the rack in the oven as you are less likely to splash water onto the cheesecake or inside the aluminum foil. I reuse the aluminum foil for several future cheesecakes, adding a couple of layers to it each time just to be safe.

Cookie Crumb Crust

In a small bowl, combine:

• 1 1/3 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter

Press into the bottom of a lightly greased or parchment lined 9 inch spring form pan. (Grease bottom only!) Parchment paper is ideal here because it makes it very easy to release the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan.

Vanilla Cheesecake

Cream together:

• 3 eight ounce packages ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar

Add, one at a time

• 3 eggs

beating well after each addition. Add

• 3 tsp vanilla extract (or, even better, the seeds from one vanilla pod)

Finally blend in

• 1 cup whipping cream

Pour over the prepared base and bake in a bain marie at 300 degrees F for 55 minutes to an hour. The cheesecake does not have to brown at all in order to be fully baked; the surface of the cheesecake should lose any shine when the cake is properly baked. It can still be slightly wobbly just at the center at this point.

Remove the cake from the oven and run a sharp knife completely around the edge of the pan. This will allow for the cheesecake to shrink as it cools and hopefully not crack (but who cares if it does? I am never bothered by a crack or two in the surface) Allow the cheesecake to cool thoroughly on a wire rack at room temperature. (NOT in the fridge). Refrigerate after fully cooled.

Serve plain or with your favorite fruit topping. Lemon, lime or orange curd and caramel or fudge sauce also make great toppings for a vanilla cheesecake. The recipe for the Maple Apple Topping above can be found here: Maple Apple Cheesecake