Tamara Novacoviç digs deeper into her cheesecake addiction, and finally comes up with her suggestion for the ultimate cheesecake recipe.
Text And Photo By Tamara Novacoviç
Do you remember my previous unbaked cheesecake post? Well, as I promised, it’s time for part two of the cheesecake story. 
If you read my post, you know how much I love cheesecakes. Today I would like to discuss the real cheesecake, proper cheesecake-baked version. I’m sure you are familiar with many different styles of cheesecake, such as New York Cheesecake, Pennsylvania Dutch Cheesecake, Philadelphia Cheesecake etc. With baked cheesecakes, most common issues are cracks. I would like to share some tips that will help you make the best cheesecake and later a recipe for delicious cheesecake. I have been following these tips and they’ve proven to be very helpful:
– To prevent cracks, you can bake your cheesecake in water bath: line the outside of the springform pan to prevent leaks. Set it in larger pan and place in the oven. Add enough boiling water to come halfway up the springform pan.
– Sometimes, water from the water bath mentioned above can leak into the springform pan despite layering the outside. In this case, it’s better to simply place a small pan of water on the lowest oven rack and place the cheesecake on the rack above. Please, take care when opening oven door and allow the bulit-up steam to escape.
– Cheesecake is usually baked for 50-60 minutes. It is done when its center is still a little wobbly. You should turn off your oven and let it cool inside for 10-15 minutes. You should then slightly open the oven door and let it cool inside for another 10-15 minutes. Then leave it at room temperature to cool and in the end put it in fridge for at least 3-4 hours. This gradual cooling will prevent the top from cracking.
– If your cheesecake top cracks anyway, it’s not the end of the world. Simply cover it with sour cream topping or some fruit sauce.
- 8 oz (250 g) cookies (I used petit beurre-butter cookies, but you can use digestives (McVities)
- 1/2 cup (125 g) butter
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 17 oz (500 g) cream cheese
- 2/3 cup (150 g) sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup (40 g) vanilla custard powder
- 10 g powdered gelatin
- 6 tbsp (100 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 cups (500 ml) milk
- 14 oz (400 g) sour cream
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Just a suggestion on the water bath: In the U.S., Saran Wrap can be used to wrap the outside of the cheesecake pan and then wrap over that with foil. Other plastic wraps are not heat-cooperative, but Saran-brand is.
Assemble the springform pan, turn over and wrap with Saran BEFORE buttering or preparing the inside.
I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe!
Thanks for the info!
Is vanilla custard powder the same thing as vanilla pudding mix?
Hi, yes, I believe it is the same
Actually in the U.S., custard powder can be found in the form of instant Flan (the cooked kind) with the Mexican Foods in most major supermarkets. There isn’t enough egg (if any) in Vanilla pudding.
Tamara your cheesecake looks perfect. I also love cheesecake but normally just purchase it. Thank you for all of your tips. I’m going to bookmark your recipe so I can finally give baked cheesecake a try.
I am glad you like it, it’s really not complicated once you try it :)