Baked Vanilla Cheesecake

My classic, go-to, baked cheesecake. This recipe is so easy to make, no-fuss and incredibly delicious! To decorate, keep it simple or go to town! Your choice!

This recipe is best prepared a day in advance. I prefer the biscuit base only on the bottom of the cheesecake, but feel free to press the biscuit mixture onto the sides too if you prefer. Baking the cheesecake at a low temperature ensures a silky texture without the need for a water bath. For a gluten-free cheesecake, use a gluten-free plain, sweet biscuit variety for the base (like Free From Gluten Arrowroot Biscuits) and make sure your cornflour brand is gluten-free. See the cheesecake how-to video here: Alana Smith (@alanasmithsweetphotography) • Instagram photos and videos

Enough for an 18cm or 20cm diameter round cheesecake - about 12 - 16 portions

BISCUIT BASE

plain, sweet biscuits, 200g - about 1 packet depending on the brand (Speculaas or Tennis or Marie or Vanilla Wine or Milk Arrowroot all work well)

unsalted butter, 50g

VANILLA CHEESECAKE FILLING

cream cheese, 500g - I use Philadelphia original cream cheese (at room temperature if possible)

vanilla extract or paste, 15ml (1 tablespoon)

caster sugar, 150g (3/4 cup)

eggs, 2

cornflour, 15ml (1 tablespoon)

sour cream, 125g (1/2 cup)

OPTIONAL DECORATIONS

white chocolate shavings

extra crushed biscuits to coat the sides - about 100g

fresh berries

To start, pre-heat the oven to 140°C (120°C fan).

For the biscuit base, crush the biscuits until fine (using a food processor or place the biscuits in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin).

Melt the butter before adding it to the finely crushed biscuits. Mix until uniform.

Press the mixture firmly onto the base (and sides if you like) of a non-stick round tin with a removable base (an 18cm or 20cm diameter tin works well). Set aside until needed.

For the filling, beat together the cream cheese (easiest when the cream cheese is at room temperature), vanilla and sugar until smooth using a handheld electric beater or a free-standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

Add the eggs, cornflour and sour cream, then beat again until smooth.

Transfer the mixture to the tin and smooth the top.

Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes (using a 20cm round tin) to 60 minutes (using an 18cm round tin).

Once baked, turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool with the door ajar.

Once cool, refrigerate the cheesecake (still in the tin) overnight to set.

The next day, remove the cheesecake from the tin and place on a serving plate.

I place the tin onto a tall, inverted, sturdy mug before slowly pushing down onto the sides. To remove the cheesecake form the tin base, I slide a long palette knife underneath between the tin base and the biscuit base to release the cheesecake from the tin.

Decorate the cheesecake sides with extra crushed biscuits if you like and the top with white chocolate shavings or fresh berries.