By Gabriella V., last updated on October 8, 2024
Crustless Cheesecake Without Sour Cream
Who doesn’t like a baked cheesecake! It’s the filling that makes the cheesecake, obviously- now imagine a cheesecake with no crust! Now you can just indulge in the delicious cheesecake filling. I often leave a bit of the biscuit base of my cheesecake slice any, so this is my perfect idea of a cheesecake.
I almost want to call this “crustless” cheesecake a cheesecake mousse cake.
This would be the perfect dessert for those with a gluten allergy or those just wanting to avoid the pesky wheat protein. Off-topic completely, who knew gluten was a protein? You’ve learned something today. Google it if you don’t believe me.
We can be silly and try to call this cheesecake “low carb” after all, there is no crust, and my idea of carbs is anything with flour in it as bread is the notorious bad carb. And without the biscuit base, all you are left with is a dairy-packed filling. We won’t look at the sugar content, it’s not a real carbohydrate in my mind.
Let’s get back to the no crust cheesecake.
With no crust, this cheesecake is very delicate, and you would need to bake it carefully. If underbaked, there is nothing that can contain and support it to the plate. And because there is no crust, it is very easy to overcook.
So, this crustless cheesecake recipe will most certainly need to be baked in a water bath, as there is no crust to protect the filling from the oven’s high heat. This cheesecake style would need to be baked at a low temperature for a longer period of time; otherwise, the filling will most certainly split.
The Basic Science Behind This Cheesecake,
or any cheesecake really is the slow coagulation of the lactose proteins together with the egg proteins. Both these proteins cook (coagulate) at low temperatures, with the egg proteins starting first. Once they have cooked to the ideal temperature, remove the cheesecake from the oven and leave it to cool in the warm water bath. The residual heat of the water provides the last needed heat to finish the cooking process.
Remembering that the cooking process continues for about 15 minutes after it has come out of the oven, the timing to remove the cheesecake from the oven is crucial. As a rule of thumb, the gentle jiggle test will do. Give the cheesecake a slight jiggle in the oven and if the center curd just starts to show a jelly-like wobble, give the cake a further 5 minutes and then remove from the oven to rest.
There are many ways to make up a cheesecake filling. Some recipes call for cream, some call for sour cream, and some have no cream in them at all. Some recipes are super complicated, and others are super simple.
This is a very simple basic crustless cheesecake recipe without sour cream. Consider that one less ingredient to put on the shopping list! This recipe just contains eggs, sugar, and cream cheese, and it’s a real winner.
Serve it as is, or with fresh fruit, nut praline- as you wish. It will be delish anyway!
See the no sour cream cheesecake recipe below.
What You Will Need To Make A Crustless Cheesecake Without Sour Cream
INGREDIENTS
- 4 packages cream cheese
- 240g sugar
- 2 eggs
- zest of 1 lemon
- vanilla essence
EQUIPMENT
- food mixer
- springform cake tin
- rubber spatula
- whisk
- small bowl
- wire rack
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
1. PREHEAT THE OVEN AND PREPARE THE CAKE TIN
- Preheat the oven to 340 degrees Fahrenheit, make sure the wire racks are in the middle of the oven.
- Wrap the springform cake tin with aluminum foil on the outside of the cake tin and secure it tightly. This prevents any water from leaking into the cheesecake.
- Light lightly grease the cake tin with butter. You do not want the cheesecake to stick to the tin as there is no crust.
2. COMBINE THE CREAM CHEESE AND SUGAR
- Using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar until well combined in the food mixer.
3. ADD THE EGGS
- Into a small bowl, crack the eggs. Whisk the eggs, to break them up.
- Put the food mix on medium speed and slowly add the egg into the cream cheese mixture
4. ADD THE FLAVORING
- Add the vanilla essence and lemon zest while the food mixer is still on.
- Mix until the filling is well combined
5. POUR THE FILLING INTO THE CAKE TIN
- Spoon or pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared cake tin. Be sure to knock out any air in the cheesecake filling, as this will result in bubbles on the surface of your cheesecake. Lift the filled cake tin and “drop” it on the counter from a little height. This will remove any air trapped in the mixture. Repeat this once or twice.
6. BAKE THE CHEESECAKE
- Prepare the water bath by filling it with water. Place the cheesecake into the water bath and then place it into the oven. Bake the cheesecake for about 40 mins at 340 degrees Fahrenheit, or until the edges have set slightly and the center has a gentle wobble. If you have a cooking thermometer, you can test the temperature and make sure it is at 160 degrees Fahrenheit before removing it from the oven.
7. REMOVE CHEESECAKE FROM OVEN
- Take the cheesecake out of the oven. Remove the cheesecake from the water and place it on the wire rack to cool.
8. REFRIGERATE THE CAKE
- Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, then place it in the refrigerator to chill down and firm up. Leave the cheesecake for 4 hours at least to set or preferably overnight.
TO SERVE:
Remove crustless cheesecake from the cake tin. To do so, run a knife carefully around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it from the tin. Be sure to do it at the base too.
Place the cheesecake gently on a platter. Serve as you wish. I like to serve my cheesecake with fresh fruit
Crustless Cheesecake Without Sour Cream
Equipment
- food mixer
- Springform cake tin
- Rubber spatula
- Whisk
- small bowl
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 4 packages cream cheese
- 240 g sugar
- 2 eggs
- zest of 1 lemon
- vanilla essence
Instructions
- PREHEAT THE OVEN AND PREPARE THE CAKE TIN
- Preheat the oven to 340 degrees Fahrenheit, make sure the wire racks are in the middle of the oven.
- Wrap the springform cake tin with aluminum foil on the outside of the cake tin and secure it tightly. This prevents any water from leaking into the cheesecake.
- Light lightly grease the cake tin with butter. You do not want the cheesecake to stick to the tin as there is no crust.
- COMBINE THE CREAM CHEESE AND SUGAR
- Using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar until well combined in the food mixer.
- ADD THE EGGS
- Into a small bowl, crack the eggs. Whisk the eggs, to break them up.
- Put the food mix on medium speed and slowly add the egg into the cream cheese mixture
- ADD THE FLAVORING
- Add the vanilla essence and lemon zest while the food mixer is still on.
- Mix until the filling is well combined
- POUR THE FILLING INTO THE CAKE TIN
- Spoon or pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared cake tin. Be sure to knock out any air in the cheesecake filling, as this will result in bubbles on the surface of your cheesecake. Lift the filled cake tin and "drop" it on the counter from a little height. This will remove any air trapped in the mixture. Repeat this once or twice.
- BAKE THE CHEESECAKE
- Prepare the water bath by filling it with water. Place the cheesecake into the water bath and then place it into the oven. Bake the cheesecake for about 40 mins at 340 degrees Fahrenheit, or until the edges have set slightly and the center has a gentle wobble. If you have a cooking thermometer, you can test the temperature and make sure it is at 160 degrees Fahrenheit before removing it from the oven.
- REMOVE CHEESECAKE FROM OVEN
- Take the cheesecake out of the oven. Remove the cheesecake from the water and place it on the wire rack to cool.
- REFRIGERATE THE CAKE
- Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, then place it in the refrigerator to chill down and firm up. Leave the cheesecake for 4 hours at least to set or preferably overnight.
Notes
TO SERVE:
Remove crustless cheesecake from the cake tin. To do so, run a knife carefully around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it from the tin. Be sure to do it at the base too. Place the cheesecake gently on a platter. Serve as you wish. I like to serve my cheesecake with fresh fruit