A creamy baked Sour Cream Cheesecake topped with fresh berries. Made without a water bath, this easy, extra creamy cheesecake is perfect for a special occasion.
Say hello to the BEST cheesecake ❤️
I have so many great cheesecake memories from the States, but THIS 👆🏻 Baked Sour Cream Cheesecake is an easy one to make at home.
And it tastes divine – just like one from a fancy restaurant. It has a thick and creamy texture, with just a hint of tang from the fresh lemon juice and richness from the sour cream.
Add a crunchy cookie crumb and a helping of fresh berries and you have the perfect dessert. The best part? No water bath. This is a NO FUSS baked cheesecake that is sure to impress.
One of my favourite cheesecake memories was in New York roughly five years ago. On a local’s advice, we stumbled into Junior’s near Times Square and had one of the most amazing slices of cheesecake I’ve ever had.
Those kinds of memories never leave you. So I’ve been eager to make a sour cream New York style cheesecake for the blog ever since. It’s been a long time coming but here is my version. Apart from taste, I wanted to create a cheesecake that was easy to make at home. I don’t know about you but the whole baked cheesecake thing used to scare me.
I used to hear the stories of leaking water baths and cracked cheesecakes and I always thought – too hard! If you’ve thought the same thing, you need to try this recipe. All you have to do is mix, stir and bake. Here are a few of my tips for making a delicious baked cheesecake.
Tips for perfect Baked Cheesecake
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature, as specified, like your cream cheese. This will ensure your cheesecake mixture blends easily and isn’t lumpy.
- Try not to over beat your cheesecake mixture once you have added the eggs.
- Double check your oven temperature (I recommend getting an oven thermometer because my ovens always seem to run hot) and make sure you leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool slightly one it’s baked. This will help the cheesecake to cool slowly and prevents cracking.
- Leave your cheesecake to cool completely before slicing. I recommend leaving the cheesecake in the fridge overnight before serving.
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PinDescription
Baked Sour Cream Cheesecake served with fresh berries.
Ingredients
Cookie crust
- 300 grams (3 cups) Digestive biscuits or graham crackers, broken into pieces
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter
Sour cream cheesecake
- 500 grams (2 and 1/2 cups) full fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) caster sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2–3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon cornflour or corn starch
Sour cream topping
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) sour cream, room temperature
- Assorted fresh berries, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Line the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch springform pan with baking or parchment paper.
- Add cookies to a food processor and whiz until finely crushed. Place crumbs in a large mixing bowl. Melt butter in the microwave, then pour over cookie crumbs and mix well. It should resemble wet sand.
- Place your crumbs into your prepared pan and press down gently to form one even layer. Use the back of a spoon to smooth crumbs. Pop in the fridge.
- Add cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Add caster sugar and beat again. Then add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Add 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and the vanilla and gently mix by hand. Add sour cream and cornflour and stir until smooth – but try not to over mix. Taste and add extra lemon juice if desired.
- Pour cheesecake filling over crust and smooth the top. Bake in the oven for approximately 35-40 minutes or until it no longer wobbles in the middle. Try not to over bake it as it will continue to cook as it cools. Leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door ajar (with the oven turned off) for at least one hour.
- Remove cheesecake and leave to cool slightly on a cooling rack at room temperature before transferring to the fridge. The cheesecake is best left in the fridge for 3-4 hours (or overnight) until it cools completely and becomes nice and firm before slicing.
- To serve, top with extra sour cream and fresh berries.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 461
Keywords: Cheesecake, Sour cream, Berries, Strawberries, Baked cheesecake, Dessert
Can you freeze this cheesecake?
Hi Cags, yes you can. I recommend adding the sour cream and berry topping only when serving.
Thanks for the prompt reply!
Thank-you for another wonderful recipe. They look great and taste even better. Thanks again
★★★★★
Glad you liked it Max!
This was delicious!
★★★★★
That looks fantastic. Can you please have a short video or list the steps on how to remove the cheesecake from the pan? How did you get the crust intact? I always have this problem and always have some of the crust reaming in the pan 🙁
Hi Hala, thank you for your comment! My suggestion is to make sure you have enough butter in your crust so it stays together. If you squeeze the crumbs together in your hand, it should stay in shape. You could add an extra tablespoon if you feel it is too dry. You could also put a piece of parchment or baking paper in the bottom of your pan to help remove the crust after the cheesecake is baked. I always use a springform pan, so I can release the sides, and then use a cake lifter or a spatula to carefully remove the cheesecake from the base. I hope these small tips help you make a wonderful cheesecake!
Beautiful, Jess! And sour cream in cheesecake is just ace. <3
This just made me crave a bite of this cake!! Looks so yummy and colorful.Thank you for the post!!
Thank you so much sibel! 🙂
Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts too! We don’t live really close to a Cheesecake Factory, but we’ll make a special trip there every now and then because it’s just so good. I definitely need to start making my own at home more often though because this looks absolutely perfect, Jess!
Oh I couldn’t agree more Danielle! Last time we went to the States we went there 4 times! haha
Yay, no water baths. That always I intimidated me a little. This is a gorgeous cheesecake. Just perfect!
I know what you mean Amanda! I really wanted an easy cheesecake that everyone can make 🙂
I don’t usually bake cheesecakes, but love how easy this is.
So easy Joanne! But still delicious! 🙂