A rich and creamy vanilla bean 6-inch cheesecake with a shortbread crust and vanilla bean whipped cream.
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small batch 6-inch cheesecake
Hello hello! I’ve made so many small batch desserts on this blog, it’s about time I made a small batch cheesecake recipe. Aaaaaaaand she’s delicious. It’s made with the same cheesecake base you’ll see on other recipes around here (such as my apricot cheesecake or apple pecan pie cheesecake), but scaled to give us a thick and rich 6-inch cheesecake.
It starts with a shortbread crust that’s lightly spiced with cinnamon, then topped with a thick layer of rich, creamy and tangy vanilla bean cheesecake batter. After it’s all baked and cooled off, we’re topping it with a very generous pile of vanilla bean whipped cream.
why you’ll love this small batch cheesecake:
- The shortbread crust – most cheesecakes are made with a graham cracker crust, but I find a shortbread crust to be *much* more delicious.
- It’s super rich and creamy – thanks to heavy whipping cream, the cheesecake comes out ridiculously rich and creamy.
- It’s small batch – of course, that’s what you’re here for so I hope it’s a plus! 🙂
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Use room temperature ingredients:
It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. Take out your cream cheese, egg, and heavy cream 1-2 hours before starting the cheesecake.
how to avoid cracks in a cheesecake
Here are my 4 best tips for avoiding cracks in your cheesecake –
- Mix the batter carefully – after adding in the eggs, you’ll want to make sure to only mix the batter until the eggs are fully incorporated. This will make sure we don’t add too much air into the batter, which will help keep the batter dense and avoid cracks forming on top.
- Tap the cheesecake on the counter – giving your cheesecake a few good taps on the counter prior to baking helps remove air bubbles that could cause cracks on top.
- Bake your cheesecake in a water bath – this helps to evenly bake the cheesecake from all sides. A 9″ cake pan will work great for this.
- Cool your cheesecake in the oven – once your cheesecake is done baking, turn off the oven and leave the door of the oven just *slightly* ajar. Let the cheesecake sit like that for one hour before transferring it to the fridge. This process allows your cheesecake to slowly come down to room temperature rather than quickly going from 350F to room temperature, which makes it less likely that the top will crack.
how to tell when your cheesecake is done baking
Cheesecake is done baking when it’s only slightly wobbly in the center. I like to temp my cheesecake as a more accurate way to tell when it’s done. A thermometer stuck into the middle of the cheesecake should read 170 fahrenheit / 76 celsius.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for small batch cheesecake:
shortbread crust:
- Unsalted butter: salted or your favorite non-dairy butter stick will work perfectly here as well.
- Light brown sugar: for flavor and sweetness.
- All purpose flour: for structure.
- Ground cinnamon: optional, for a little flavor.
vanilla bean cheesecake:
- Cream cheese: the base of the cheesecake and what makes it tangy, rich, and creamy. I recommend full fat cream cheese for the best texture.
- Eggs: binds the batter together.
- Granulated sugar: for sweetness and helps lock in moisture.
- Cornstarch: for thickening up the cheesecake.
- Heavy whipping cream: for moisture and richness. You could also use sour cream here, but I think heavy cream provides the best texture.
- Vanilla bean paste & lemon juice: for flavor. I used vanilla bean paste because I love seeing the little speckles of vanilla, but vanilla extract will work perfectly in it’s place. Lemon juice helps brighten up the overall flavor of the cheesecake – fresh or bottled will work.
Vanilla Bean whipped cream:
- Heavy whipping cream: the base of the whipped cream.
- Granulated sugar: just a little bit for sweetness.
- Salt: to help bring out the flavor.
- Vanilla bean paste: for flavor – again you can use vanilla extract in it’s place with no problem.
how to make a 6-inch cheesecake
Here are some shots of making this cheesecake. You can find the full recipe at the end of this blog post!
- Start by making the crust. Melt the butter, then mix together all of the crust ingredients.
- Pat the crust down into your springform pan and bake it for 10 minutes. In the meantime, make the cheesecake filling.
- Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch until the mixture is light, fluffy, and free of lumps. Then, carefully beat in the eggs, followed by the heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon juice.
- Pour the batter over your baked shortbread crust and place the whole thing into a water bath. Bake until the internal temp. of the cheesecake reaches 170F/76C.
small batch cheesecake recipe q&a
what size cake pan do I need?
You’ll need a 6″ springform pan for this cheesecake. You can use a 7″ springform, just note that your cheesecake will be thinner and will require a little less bake time. I wouldn’t recommend using a non-springform pan because it will be more difficult to get the cheesecake out of the pan, but if you’re okay with just serving the cheesecake from the pan, then a non-springform pan will work.
How should I store cheesecake?
The cheesecake should be out at room temperature for no more than 2 hours. Keep the cheesecake covered and stored in the fridge, where it will keep well for up to 5 days.
cheesecake toppings
I went very classic with the topping on this cheesecake but this cheesecake is the perfect blank canvas for whatever toppings you want. Fresh fruit, strawberry sauce, caramel sauce, a chocolate ganache, lemon curd — the possibilities are endless 🙂
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Small Batch Cheesecake
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 42 g unsalted butter (3 tbsp.)
- 60 g light brown sugar (¼ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 90 g all purpose flour (¾ c.)
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon optional, for flavor
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
- 452 g cream cheese room temperature (two 8-oz bricks)
- 150 g granulated sugar (¾ c.)
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 110 g heavy whipping cream room temperature (½ c.)
- 1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream*
- 280 g heavy whipping cream (1 ¼ c.)
- 3 tbsp. granulated sugar
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
Instructions
Shortbread Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line the bottom and sides of a 6" springform pan with parchment paper.
- In a small mixing bowl, melt the butter. Add in the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon (if using) and mix until you have little clumps of dough.
- Press the dough into the bottom of the springform pan, slightly pressing it ~1" up the sides as well, and bake for 10 minutes. In the meantime, start making the cheesecake filling.
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
- Add the cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch to a large mixing bowl (or to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.)
- Use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to beat the ingredients together for 2 minutes, until it's light, fluffy, and free of lumps.
- Add the two eggs into the bowl, and beat the mixture on low speed *just* until the eggs have been fully incorporated.
- Add in the heavy cream, vanilla bean paste, and lemon juice. Again, beat the mixture on low speed just until cohesive.
- Pour the cheesecake batter over the baked shortbread crust. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to help remove air from the batter.
- Fill a 9" cake pan, or any larger pan that can reasonably fit the 6" springform inside of it, a third of the way with hot water. Wrap tinfoil around the sides and bottom of your springform pan to help avoid the possibility of water seeping into it.
- Place the springform pan into the larger pan, then place the whole thing into the oven. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the cheesecake only slightly wobbles and reaches an internal temperature of at least 170°F / 76°C.** If the cheesecake starts to brown on top, gently place a piece of tinfoil over the top of the pan for the rest of the baking time.
- Once the cheesecake is fully cooked, turn off the oven and leave the door slightly ajar with the cheesecake in it for 1 hr. Once the hour has passed, cover the cheesecake and place it in the fridge to set overnight (at least 8 hours.)
Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream
- (Save until you're ready to serve the cheesecake!)
- Add the heavy whipping cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla bean paste to a large mixing bowl (or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.)
- Beat the ingredients together until the mixture comes to soft peaks.
- Pile the whipped cream high on to the cheesecake, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition information is only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
I love this recipe, I’ve been baking for a long time but this was my first cheesecake! I subbed the whipped cream for a strawberry sauce but it was so delicious and creamy. I don’t have a scale so I used the cup measurements and it came out wonderfully.