The Easy Way to Bake a Cheesecake without a Water Bath

Ingredients

• 1 cheesecake crust (see notes)
• 1 cheesecake recipe (see notes)

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Preparing the crust and batter ---

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prep a 9 inch springform pan by laying a large piece of parchment over the base, clasping the sides to lock it in place, then trimming the excess parchment with scissors. Spray the pan lightly with baking spray.*See the post for a photo of this step.

3. 3

   Make your cheesecake crust according to the directions of the recipe you are using. Most crusts will bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Then make the batter according to the recipe, being sure not to overmix. Pour the batter into the crust.

4. 4

   --- Baking without a water bath ---

5. 5

   To bake, set the oven temperature to 325°F and position two racks in the oven— one in the middle and one on the lowest level.

6. 6

   Heat 3 cups of water in the microwave. You want it to get very hot so that it will release steam during the baking process.

7. 7

   Place the raw cheesecake on a cookie sheet, then place that cookie sheet on the middle oven rack. On the lowest rack, place a roasting pan or 9x13 pan. Pour the hot water into that pan, then immediately close the oven door.

8. 8

   Bake at 325 for 55 minutes. Then turn the oven off and prop the oven door open slightly (I use a wooden spoon for this). Leave the cheesecake inside for 1 hour. Don't open the oven all the way or the heat will escape and it won’t finish cooking in the middle.

9. 9

   After 1 hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 3-4 hours at room temperature. Once cool, refrigerate overnight or until fully chilled (this usually takes several hours at least).

10. 10

    Once fully chilled, release the cheesecake from the springform pan and serve. (Do not release it before it is cool or you risk cracking it).