Whether or not you’re making a traditional cheesecake, or a flavorful variation like lemon cheesecake, amaretto cheesecake, or pecan pie cheesecake, it’s useful to know the what, why, and the way of baking a cheesecake in a water tub. For picture-perfect, tall, and clean cheesecake, you don’t wish to skip this crucial step. Use my video tutorial as a information.
What Is a Cheesecake Water Bathtub?
Baking your cheesecake in a water tub is one of the simplest ways to make sure cheesecake success. Don’t fear—you don’t have to purchase any particular tools or a flowery bathtub-size baking equipment! It merely means inserting the springform pan with the unbaked cheesecake in it inside a bigger pan with scorching water in it.
Why Ought to I Bake Cheesecake in a Water Bathtub?
We’re basically including steam to the baking and cooling steps. Why can we do that? Is it as a result of it is a high-maintenance dessert that calls for a spa therapy? Effectively, truly, type of!
Cheesecake loves a moist atmosphere, and we wish to give it the very best probability of baking up clean, creamy, tall, and crack-free. Right here’s why:
- Cheesecakes Are Egg-Heavy: Eggs want a moist and humid atmosphere to correctly rise and keep away from drying out or burning.
- Forestall Cracks within the Floor: The steam from the new water will elevate the cheesecake up slowly and evenly, decreasing the danger of cracks on the floor. You may learn extra about this on this put up on The way to Forestall Cracks in Cheesecake.
- Forestall Sinking: Beginning the cooling course of within the oven, nonetheless within the water tub, makes for a sluggish and even cool-down, which helps stop the cheesecake from sinking again down because it cools. Cheesecakes usually are not followers of sudden temperature adjustments. (Chocolate soufflé is… they prefer to sink!)
Take a look at the pictures beneath. As you’ll be able to see, taking just a few further minutes to organize a water tub to your cheesecake is nicely value it. Take a look at these variations, utilizing the identical precise cheesecake recipe.
I’m going to stroll you thru 2 totally different strategies for baking a cheesecake in a water tub.
1. The way to Make a Conventional Water Bathtub
Right here’s what you want:
- High quality springform pan (I exploit and love this one)
- Aluminum foil (I like to recommend heavy responsibility)
- Giant roasting pan
- Boiling water (I exploit a kettle to make pouring simpler)
And right here’s easy methods to do it:
- Tear or lower two items of foil and lay one on prime of the opposite. After you’ve formed your crust inside (and pre-baked the crust, in case your cheesecake recipe requires this step), place the springform pan on the double-layer sheet of foil. Fold up the perimeters of the foil, tightly wrapping the outside of the cheesecake pan on the underside and up the perimeters. In case you pre-baked the crust, be further cautious if the pan remains to be scorching! This foil wrap prevents water from seeping in by your springform pan.
- Boil water. You want sufficient to fill your giant pan with about an inch of water, so I often boil a full kettle.
- Place the foil-wrapped springform pan inside your giant roasting pan. Pour and unfold your cheesecake batter into the ready crust. Place the roasting pan on the center or lower-middle rack in your preheated oven. (You can too pour the boiling water into the roasting pan exterior of the oven, and thoroughly switch the pan to the oven—simply watch out to not spill or splash!)
- Working shortly however rigorously, pour scorching water into the roasting pan, in order that the wrapped springform pan is surrounded by scorching water, about 1 inch deep. I often fill with water as soon as positioned within the oven to bake as a result of it’s laborious to switch a water-filled roasting pan with a cheesecake inside it into the oven. However, once more, you are able to do it both means!
- Rapidly shut the oven door, and bake the cheesecake.
Like I discussed, you’ll be able to both place the roasting pan (with the cheesecake in it) within the oven now, after which pour within the boiling water, OR you’ll be able to pour the boiling water within the roasting pan and switch it to the oven. I took this following photograph exterior of the oven simply to point out you this step. In my video beneath, I do that whereas the pan is IN the oven. Once more, both means is ok.
2. Alternate Choice
In case you don’t wish to danger water leaking into your springform pan, I’ve an alternate water tub methodology that works splendidly. You continue to want a big oven-safe pan, however it would go on a backside rack of the oven, beneath the rack the cheesecake is on.
Right here’s what you want:
- High quality springform pan (I exploit and love this one)
- Giant oven-safe pan, comparable to a roasting pan, cast-iron skillet, or 9×13-inch steel baking pan (not glass)
- Boiling water (I exploit a kettle to make pouring simpler)
And right here’s easy methods to do it:
- Boil water. You want sufficient to fill your giant pan with about an inch of water, so I often boil a full kettle.
- Place your cheesecake on the center oven rack.
- Instantly place the massive oven-safe pan you’re utilizing on the underside oven rack.
- Pour scorching water into the empty pan on the underside rack, in order that it’s about 1 inch deep.
- Rapidly shut the oven door, and bake the cheesecake.
This distinctive water tub provides steam to the oven with out having the cheesecake sit contained in the water itself. This methodology can be used so as to add steam to baking artisan bread, for a crispier crust.
Cooling the Cheesecake within the Water Bathtub
When your cheesecake is finished baking (the perimeters are set however the heart nonetheless jiggles barely when you faucet the pan), don’t take it out of the oven. Flip the oven off and crack open the oven door in order that some steam can escape. Let the cheesecake settle down slowly within the oven with the door barely ajar for at the very least an hour, with the water tub (both methodology you used) nonetheless within the oven as nicely, so it stays in that humid atmosphere whereas it cools progressively.
After about an hour, take away the cheesecake from the oven. Then let it cool utterly on a wire rack, earlier than transferring it to the fridge to relax, per your recipe directions.
In case your cheesecake remains to be displaying just a few cracks, there’s an answer for that! Whipped cream or a sauce—like salted caramel, strawberry sauce, raspberry sauce, or blueberry sauce—can cowl up even the craggiest cheesecake floor. Or unfold on a layer of chocolate ganache or lemon curd, no matter taste goes greatest along with your cheesecake.
I cowl this pumpkin swirl cheesecake with whipped cream:
Even when your cheesecake doesn’t crack in any respect, toppings are at all times an exquisite of completion to your cheesecake masterpiece. So many pleasant choices!
And if all this appears slightly overwhelming, attempt a no-bake cheesecake or straightforward cheesecake pie as a substitute.
The way to Make a Cheesecake Water Bathtub
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Prepare dinner Time: 1 hour
Whole Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Yield: 1 cheesecake
Class: Dessert
Methodology: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
Baking your cheesecake in a water tub is one of the simplest ways to make sure cheesecake success. Observe these instructions utilizing your individual cheesecake recipe. Right here is my traditional cheesecake, when you’d prefer to attempt it.
Directions
- Preheat oven as directed in your cheesecake recipe, and alter an oven rack to the center or lower-middle place.
- Make the Crust: Make the crust in accordance with your cheesecake recipe directions and press it into your springform pan. In case your recipe requires pre-baking the crust, bake as directed.
- Wrap the Pan: Tear or lower two giant items of aluminum foil, and lay one on prime of the opposite. Set the springform pan (watch out if it’s scorching from the oven!) on prime of the foil, and tightly wrap the foil across the exterior of the pan. It will stop any water from leaking into the cheesecake. *You can too wrap the pan earlier than pre-baking the crust, when you’d like.* Place the wrapped springform pan inside your giant roasting pan.
- Boil Water: Fill a kettle or pot with water and set over excessive warmth to convey the water to a boil. You want 1 inch of scorching water in your roasting pan for the water tub, so be sure to boil sufficient.
- Add the Filling: Pour/unfold your cheesecake batter into the crust as directed in your recipe.
- Place your entire roasting pan with the cheesecake inside it onto the center or lower-middle oven rack. Rigorously pour the boiling-hot water into the roasting pan, in order that the water is about 1 inch deep. Shut the oven door shortly to entice the steam inside.
- Bake the cheesecake as directed in your recipe.
- Cool & chill the cheesecake: Flip the oven off and open the oven door barely. Let the cheesecake sit within the oven with the water tub because it cools down for 1 hour. Take away the cheesecake from the oven and the water tub, and set the springform pan on a wire rack to chill utterly. As soon as cooled to room temperature, refrigerate the cheesecake as directed in your recipe.
Notes
- Advisable Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): 9-inch Springform Pan or 10-inch Springform Pan | Heavy Responsibility Aluminum Foil | Giant Roasting Pan | Kettle or Electrical Kettle |
- Alternate Water Bathtub Methodology: Place the cheesecake (no have to wrap the springform pan in foil) on the middle oven rack of the preheated oven. Place a big roasting pan or steel baking pan (don't use glass—I often use a 9×13-inch baking pan or an extra-large forged iron skillet) on the underside oven rack. Pour boiling-hot water into the empty pan on the underside rack, about 1 inch deep. Instantly shut oven door to entice the steam inside. This distinctive water tub provides steam to the oven with out having the cheesecake sit contained in the water itself.
Key phrases: cheesecake water tub
