My neighbor asked if I can make cheese cake and I said I never have and don't have the pans for it. She doesn't either and doesn't want a store bought one. It's for her daughter's birthday this weekend and I told her that I would try to experiment but IF i can make one, it would just be a gift since I don't know how it will turn out and can't cut into it to taste it either. I don't care for it myself so I haven't gone down this road yet. Any suggestions on plain cheesecake reciepes and is it possible to make one without using those spring pan things? Any suggestions welcome...this is just for fun. Thanks

You can use a regular cake pan, but you need to line the bottom and sides with parchment to help it come out. Once the cake is cool and refrigerated, it should shrink from the sides enough to unmold. You have to flip it twice to get the crust on the bottom

As for recipe, foodnetwork, tyler florence, ultimate cheescake.

hello death by frosting!
I have been using the better homes and garden recipe for cheesecake (minus the flour). I use 1 1/2 pkg of graham crackers mashed up to a nice powder (use a food processor if you have it) and 1/2 stick melted butter. Then the recipe. I would also spray the pan and cover the bottom with parchment. you can also put foil around the sides so it doesn't cook too fast. It should be in the fridge at least 24 hours to set. When you are baking it, the middle will and should be a little wiggly. Let me know if you have any questions. The recipe I mentioned I get a lot of great compliments on. It's very moist.
Good luck!
-Michelle

just a note, most people who haven't baked a cheesecake before have a tendency to overbake it, and you don't know it ,until it cools and you have a big crater in the middle,(speaking from experience LOL!)
so just bake it until it is wiggly in the middle,it will set up as it cools.
and I also bake the cheesecake by putting the pan in a bigger pan filled partially with water, it helps the cheesecake to bake more evenly.

oh yeah, I forgot to add that I put a 9 x 13 pan filled 1/2 with water on a rack under the cheesecake. Sorry.

You can use a cake pan or even a pie plate. When I use a cake pan I line it with renolds non stick foil.

A spring form pan is the only way to go. It is the easiest to release the cake, or custard. They are cheap enough. I have baked cakes in them too. They make releasing them so much easier. Freeze the cheesecake after it sits out for 2 hours. Make sure you ket it cool for 2 hours on the counter before freezing or refrigerating. They are much easier to handle if they are frozen. I have gotten quiet good at them. I never thought that I would! Just ask me, and I will tell you what I know.

This is the recipe and technique I use http://dyannbakes.com/index.php?post_category=cheesecake
I made my first cheesecake about 9 months ago and since then Iâve made more than a dozen following the above and changing the flavors. I am yet to have it crack - it always turns out smooth, very rich and tasty⦠The most important cheesecake tips that make it work for me in a nutshell:
Cheesecake is NOT a cake, it is a custard â treat as such, bake in a water bath for best results â it just sounds fancier and harder than it is. (Water bath = a pan larger than the one your cheesecake is baking in, full with about 1â of water, I use a 12â pan with my 9â spring forms.)
Do NOT overbake! It will be soft in the middle when you turn off the oven. Leave the oven door ajar and leave to cool off completely â I do it overnight (though itâs a little bit of a stretch, since Iâm usually done baking around midnight, and in the fridge it goes around 7am)
Do NOT attempt to unmold a cheesecake that has not been chilled for at least a few hours (I don't subscribe to the theory of freezing any cakes, but I do refrigerate everything.)

Here is the detailed version of the above tips: http://www. b a k i n g 9 1 1 .com/cakes/cheesecake101.htm (skip the spaces in the URL).

It may be challenging â but not impossible â to use a regular round pan, not a spring form. Line it and collar it with parchment paper, you might even want to double layer the paper to make it stronger and easier⦠Here is a suggestion: Cut a larger circle, say for a 9â round, 2â deep pan a circle 14â diameter, then cut in 2.5â what would be the âsidesâ when lining the pan in say 16 places, this would help line the paper completely flat against the side of your pan. Butter the parchment and the pan really well, it will help with the smoothing. Use another 9â round for the bottom and a regular 2â collar inside this make-shift liner⦠The idea is that youâd be able to pull the whole cheesecake straight up and out holding on to the edges of the 14â round liner, creating something like a basket out of it⦠Hope Iâm explaining this to make sense⦠Good luck!