Easy Cheesecake Recipe (No Water Bath) - Chefjar (2024)

This is the best cheesecake recipe ever! It’s creamy and decadent. It’s rich, smooth, and topped with a classic cherry topping. This is an easy, classy cheesecake that’s sure to have your guests coming back for seconds.

The Best Cheesecake Recipe

Pretty much everybody loves a good cheesecake recipe. They can be dreamy, decadent, and so easy to love. It’s a favorite dessert for many people. This recipe is for a gorgeous New York style cheesecake, which is one of the most popular varieties.

New York Cheesecake vs Regular Cheesecake

As a general rule, New York cheesecake is more dense, rich, and smooth than a regular cheesecake. It’s taller, too. Many people prefer the New York cheesecake for this very reason.

Why You’ll Love This Cheesecake Recipe

• It’s quick and easy. While you can’t eat it straight out of the oven, this recipe is super easy to make and only requires a few major steps. It’ll be ready to go into the oven in just a few minutes.
• This classic recipe is a surefire hit. The cream cheese foundation and graham cracker crust are a great example of the classic cheesecake recipe. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
• This dessert is so versatile. Pretty much everybody loves cheesecake, and it’s perfect for just about any occasion. Bring a cheesecake to dinner parties, potlucks, or as a special treat for a weekend dinner.

You'll Need

• Crust: We’ll be using the Graham crackers to make the crust.
• Butter: We use unsalted butter. This helps us to control the level of salt in the cheesecake.
• Cream cheese, of course, is the star ingredient of this recipe. You want your cream cheese to be at room temperature. We usually use Philadelphia cream cheese (even if it’s a New York style, not Philly style, cheesecake) for cheesecake recipes.
• Sugar: We’re using granulated sugar to sweeten the cheesecake, but cane sugar will work just fine, too.
• Vanilla extract for flavoring.
• Sour cream: When using sour cream in a cheesecake recipe, it’s important to use full fat sour cream. It has a far better taste and texture.
• Eggs: Always use large eggs for richness. They also help reinforce the structure of your cheesecake.
• Salt
• Topping: You can use just about any brand of cherry pie filling. Alternatively, you can choose another topping if you prefer.

How To Make Cheesecake

• Make the crust: Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Add in the melted butter and stir until moist.Transfer the mixture to a 7-inch springform panand press firmly into the bottom of the pan. Use a spoon or the bottom of a measuring cup to make this easier for yourself. Then place the pan in the freezer.

• While your crust is in the freezer, you can make your cheesecake filling. In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium high speed until very smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract and sour cream.

• Pour over the frozen crust, smoothing out to the sides of the pan.
• Bakein the preheated oven until top is light brown and the center jiggles slightly, about 75-85 minutes.

Rest in the Oven

Now that your cheesecake is done baking, it’s time to turn off the oven, leaving the oven door open. You’re going to let your cheesecake cool in the open oven until it reaches room temperature. This is how we stop the cheesecake from developing cracks! As the cake cools, it will shrink a little, but that’s a normal part of the process.

Set the Cheesecake

Once our cheesecake has reached room temperature, you can put it in the fridge. It will set in about four hours, but it’s easiest to just leave it in the fridge overnight.

Cherry Topping for Cheesecake

Once your cheesecake has set, top it with your cherry pie filling. Slice it and serve!

How to Keep Cheesecake From Cracking

• Generously butter your springform pan!
• Avoid overmixing as cracks can form in cheesecake due to air bubbles!
• Don’t open the oven door while your cheesecake is baking!
• Don’t overbake your cheesecake.
• You can use a touch of cornstarch or flour in the batter.
• Don’t cool your cake too quickly. Abrupt changes in temperature cause cracks. Just let the cake cool in an open oven, gently.
• Run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the pan to prevent the cake from sticking to the pan.

Best Cream Cheese to Use

Philadelphia cream cheese is our favorite for this recipe. Any full fat cream cheese will do, however.

Expert Tips

• Always use room temperature ingredients. This creates the best texture.
• Butter your cheesecake springform pan! It prevents the cheesecake from sticking.
• Only add eggs at the end, once your cream cheese is mixed thoroughly and it’s as smooth as possible. Add the eggs one at a time. Avoid overmixing as cracks can form in cheesecake due to air bubbles!
• Keep the oven door closed while the cake is baking.
• Avoid over baking!
• First let your cheesecake reach room temperature in the oven with the door open. Then you can cool your cheesecake in the fridge overnight by first covering it tightly with plastic wrap.

Storage

Wrap well and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or 2 months in the freezer. Thaw the still-wrapped cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator.

Other Cheesecake Recipes to Try!!!

15 Easy Cheesecake Toppings

Pistachio Baklava Cheesecake

Pistachio Cheesecake

No Bake Orange Cheesecake

Date Walnut Cheesecake

Blueberry Cheesecake Recipe

Japanese Cheesecake Recipe

New York Style Cheesecake Recipe

If you make this recipebe sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! I will be happy to hear from you!

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