Have you ever made cheesecake and felt stumped when you got to the part about making a water bath? Let’s explore both the how and the why of baking cheesecake in a water bath!
I have made hundreds of cheesecakes in my life.
Seriously! I’ve been running this website for years and in that time have shared dozens of cheesecake recipes with you.
All of those recipes have been tested multiple times. Add in all of the cheesecakes I have made just for fun or taken to family gatherings and all of the cheesecakes I made long before I started this website and, well…
…it’s a LOT of cheesecake.
The benefit to making that much cheesecake, aside from becoming extremely popular at potlucks, is that I have had plenty of opportunities to test the best cheesecake-making methods and recipes.
I know how to soften cream cheese quickly. I have memorized my graham cracker crust recipe. My vanilla cheesecake is practically tattooed on my arm. Homemade blueberry sauce topping? Perfected.
I’m practically a cheesecake professional at this point. And in my opinion? The best cheesecakes are made using a water bath.
I know that water baths can be intimidating for novice and advanced bakers alike. So let’s dive into why I think it’s best to use a water bath and my favorite leak-proof method for making one!
WHY USE A WATER BATH FOR CHEESECAKE?
Before we get to the “how,” let’s talk about the “why.”
WHY do cheesecake recipes call for a water bath?
Believe it or not, cheesecake is actually pretty delicate. It would be very easy for the heat from the oven to cause the edges to overcook, the top to crack, or the whole thing to become rubbery.
By using a water bath, we keep the oven moist and help moderate the heat so that the edges do not cook faster than the middle of the cheesecake.
Yes, I have seen people make beautiful cheesecakes without using a water bath. But honestly? It’s kind of a gamble.
Baking a cheesecake without a water bath has just as much chance of going poorly as it does going well, so I always choose to take that extra insurance and use the water bath. I’d rather take one extra step than have to make an entire new cheesecake!
HOW TO MAKE A WATER BATH FOR CHEESECAKE
- prepare the springform pan with foil
- prepare the baking pan for the water bath
- preheat oven
- add graham cracker crust to pan and then cheesecake batter
- place in the oven
- pour water into the baking pan, being careful not to splash into the batter
- bake for directed time
The biggest issue people tend to have with water baths is leaking. Again, I’ve done this a lot, so I’ve come up with a method that works best for me.
First, I prepare the springform pan itself. I like to line the bottom of the pan with foil, fasten on the side piece, and tightly wrap the outside and sides of the pan with TWO layers of heavy duty foil.
Yes, two layers. Yes, heavy duty foil.
Why? Less chance of getting a hole through both layers!
Now, at this point I like to take the extra step of placing the foil-wrapped pan inside an oven bag while baking. It provides a little extra leakage insurance. Totally optional, but worth the effort!
This whole setup gets placed inside a larger pan. I like to use a roasting pan.
Now here is where I give you my two tips to keep things from spilling:
First: I get the springform pan set up in the oven bag and roasting pan before I add the cheesecake filling to the pan.
Second: Move the roasting pan onto your oven rack BEFORE adding the boiling water for the water bath.
Trust me, you don’t want to try to carry a pan half full of boiling water across the kitchen and get it into the oven without spilling it everywhere.
Once the roasting pan is on the oven rack, you can add the boiling water until it comes about halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
I know this sounds like a lot of steps, but they are really quite simple! I promise, the more you use a water bath when baking, the more it will become second nature.
And when the result is perfect cheesecake? It’s always worth the extra effort.
