It’s a lot of effort to make cheesecake. What if you cant, or dont want to, cook it in a water bath? Does skipping it make a difference? Lets discuss!
The good news and the bad news: It’s certainly possible to make cheesecake without a water bath. But it’s less possible to bake an excellent cheesecake without one.
Big, showstopper cheesecakes baked without a water bath are more likely to overbake, which will give them a curdled texture, cracks in the surface, and lopsided tops. Unless you prefer your cheesecake that way, why let a water bath be the one thing between you and perfection?
On the other hand, smaller or shallow cheesecakes are not quite as finicky as large and deep ones, because they’re not baked as long.
The rule of thumb: the more filling in the pan, the more useful a water bath is. Cheesecakes less than 6 inches in diameter, or with a depth under 2 inches, should be okay.
Large Roasting Pan, Baking Pan, or Skillet: You’ll need something large enough that your springform pan can fit inside of! I use a heavy duty 12-inch skillet, but any roasting pan or cake pan that’s large enough to fit your pan will suffice!
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What Is a Water Bath, Anyway?
A water bath is a pan of heated water that surrounds the pan with your cheesecake. It acts as a buffer for heat so your custard bakes gently and evenly. If you want to be cheffy about it you can call a water bath a bain-marie.
The pan you use for your water bath needs to be bigger than the springform pan for your cheesecake. Ideally, you want a space of 1 inch to 1-1/2 inches between the two pans—snug but not tight. It also needs to hold enough water to come halfway up the side of the springform pan.
Do You Have to Wrap Your Pan in Foil?
Springform pans arent water-tight, and if water from your water bath penetrates your cheesecake, it’ll be soggy and waterlogged. Bummer! That’s why so many cheesecake recipes (including our own) call for wrapping the bottom of the springform pan in multiple layers of foil.
But heres a tip: If you happen to have oven bags or slow cooker bags, you can use one of those instead of foil. It’s a little easier to wrangle. Put the pan (without its filling) in the bag, then roll or fold over the excess plastic and tie it in a snug knot on the side of the pan (almost like you’d knot a t-shirt on the side to make it more form-fitting). Then add the filling, settle the cheesecake into the water bath, and bake.
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FAQ
Do you have to use a roasting pan for cheesecake?
What can you bake a cheesecake in if you don t have a springform pan?
What pan can you use for cheesecake?
What happens if you don t use a springform pan for cheesecake?
What is a good substitute for a cheesecake Pan?
The pans that would work as an adequate substitute for this would be a 9 by 13-inch pan, a 9-inch tube pan, or even a 10-inch Bundt cake pan, as these will all have roughly the same volume for your cheesecake as a springform pan would.
Is cheesecake a healthy food?
Vegan cheesecake has healthy ingredients and can be adjusted according to food preferences. A recipe with rice milk and seeds is a great suggestion.
What can I put on cheesecake if it cracks?
If your perfectly creamy cheesecake still cracks, fear not! Whipped cream, salted caramel sauce, hot fudge sauce, strawberry compote, lemon curd, or fresh fruit, do an amazing job of covering the surface.
How do you keep cheesecake from sinking?
Prevent Sinking: Starting the cooling process in the oven, still in the water bath, makes for a slow and even cool-down, which helps prevent the cheesecake from sinking back down as it cools. Cheesecakes are not fans of sudden temperature changes. ( Chocolate soufflé is… they like to sink!) Check out the photos below.