Banoffee Cheesecake Baking Question

Asked by Miss_Petra. Answered on 9th August 2011

Full question

I really really want to try the Banoffee Cheesecake recipe from the book Kitchen (p133), but my problem is that this is one of the recipes that require a water bath. Sadly my (convection) oven isn't big enough to put the springform in an even bigger roasting tin for this water bath... Is there any way to bake this cake another way? Or maybe divide the batter over smaller forms to put in a smaller roasting tin? I hope this is not a silly question, thanks for your time! Sincerely, Petra from The Netherlands.

Our answer

The Banoffee Cheesecake is baked in a water bath as the water bath allows the cheesecake to cook very gently and evenly, just setting the filling. In the recipe the cheesecake is baked in a 23cm (9-inch) springform pan but you could try using a 20cm (8-inch) pan instead. The cheesecake will be smaller and deeper but as it is cooked in a water bath you can keep checking the cheesecake to see if is done and the water bath will reduce the risk of the filling overcooking - start checking after 1 hour in the oven and check every 5 minutes until the filling is set on top but still has a hint of a wobble underneath.

Hopefully the slightly smaller pan will allow you to fit it into a smaller roasting tin and fit the water bath into your oven. If it is still not fitting then you could try baking the cheesecake out of the bath at a lower temperature - however we would like to emphasise that we have not tested this method of baking the cheesecake. If you would like to try then we suggest reducing the oven temperature from 170c (325F) to 150c (300F) and baking the cheesecake without a water bath (and no need to wrap the pan) but with a small roasting pan of hot water on the shelf below the cheesecake. The more direct heat of the oven may cause the cheesecake to cook more quickly so we suggest checking the cheesecake after 50 minutes baking and then keep checking every 5 minutes, as above. There is also a risk that the top of the cheesecake will crack as the more direct oven heat will cause the outer edges of the cheesecake to cook more quickly than the centre. However it is still fine to eat.