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 bathtub. 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 Tub?
Baking your cheesecake in a water bathtub is the easiest way to make sure cheesecake success. Don’t fear—you don’t have to purchase any particular tools or a elaborate bathtub-size baking equipment! It merely means putting 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 Tub?
We’re primarily 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 remedy? Properly, truly, form of!
Cheesecake loves a damp atmosphere, and we wish to give it the most effective likelihood 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’ll be able to learn extra about this on this put up on How you can Forestall Cracks in Cheesecake.
- Forestall Sinking: Beginning the cooling course of within the oven, nonetheless within the water bathtub, makes for a sluggish and even cool-down, which helps stop the cheesecake from sinking again down because it cools. Cheesecakes will not be followers of sudden temperature modifications. (Chocolate soufflé is… they wish to sink!)
Try the photographs beneath. As you’ll be able to see, taking a number of additional minutes to arrange a water bathtub in your cheesecake is nicely price it. Have a look at these variations, utilizing the identical actual cheesecake recipe.
I’m going to stroll you thru 2 totally different strategies for baking a cheesecake in a water bathtub.
1. How you can Make a Conventional Water Tub
Right here’s what you want:
And right here’s how you can do it:
- Tear or reduce two items of foil and lay one on high 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 edges of the foil, tightly wrapping the outside of the cheesecake pan on the underside and up the edges. If you happen to pre-baked the crust, be additional cautious if the pan remains to be scorching! This foil wrap prevents water from seeping in by way of 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 too can pour the boiling water into the roasting pan outdoors of the oven, and thoroughly switch the pan to the oven—simply watch out to not spill or splash!)
- Working shortly however fastidiously, 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 arduous 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 approach!
- Shortly 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 outdoors of the oven simply to indicate you this step. In my video beneath, I do that whereas the pan is IN the oven. Once more, both approach is okay.
2. Alternate Choice
If you happen to don’t wish to threat water leaking into your springform pan, I’ve an alternate water bathtub technique that works splendidly. You continue to want a big oven-safe pan, however it’ll go on a backside rack of the oven, beneath the rack the cheesecake is on.
Right here’s what you want:
And right here’s how you can 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.
- Shortly shut the oven door, and bake the cheesecake.
This distinctive water bathtub provides steam to the oven with out having the cheesecake sit contained in the water itself. This technique may also be used so as to add steam to baking artisan bread, for a crispier crust.
Cooling the Cheesecake within the Water Tub
When your cheesecake is finished baking (the perimeters are set however the middle 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 calm down slowly within the oven with the door barely ajar for a minimum of an hour, with the water bathtub (both technique you used) nonetheless within the oven as nicely, so it stays in that humid atmosphere whereas it cools regularly.
After about an hour, take away the cheesecake from the oven. Then let it cool fully 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 a number of 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 together with your cheesecake.
I cowl this pumpkin swirl cheesecake with whipped cream:
Even when your cheesecake doesn’t crack in any respect, toppings are all the time a beautiful crowning glory to your cheesecake masterpiece. So many pleasant choices!
And if all this appears a bit overwhelming, strive a no-bake cheesecake or straightforward cheesecake pie as a substitute.
How you can Make a Cheesecake Water Tub
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook dinner Time: 1 hour
Whole Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Yield: 1 cheesecake
Class: Dessert
Technique: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
Baking your cheesecake in a water bathtub is the easiest way to make sure cheesecake success. Observe these instructions utilizing your personal cheesecake recipe. Right here is my traditional cheesecake, when you’d wish to strive 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 reduce two giant items of aluminum foil, and lay one on high of the opposite. Set the springform pan (watch out if it’s scorching from the oven!) on high of the foil, and tightly wrap the foil across the outdoors of the pan. This may stop any water from leaking into the cheesecake. *You too can 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 bathtub, so be sure you boil sufficient.
- Add the Filling: Pour/unfold your cheesecake batter into the crust as directed in your recipe.
- Place all the roasting pan with the cheesecake inside it onto the center or lower-middle oven rack. Fastidiously 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 bathtub because it cools down for 1 hour. Take away the cheesecake from the oven and the water bathtub, and set the springform pan on a wire rack to chill fully. As soon as cooled to room temperature, refrigerate the cheesecake as directed in your recipe.
Key phrases: cheesecake water bathtub
