I bought a large round spatula from Carol Wright Gifts catalog for under $5.00. I can easily slip it in by bending the bottom of the pan away from the cake just a bit. http://www.carolwrightgifts.com/cwg_v2/cwg_layout_base2.cfm?mid_sec_page=cwg_prod_detail&seq_no=2&min_seq_no=502&SingleItem=14369
I find more and more uses for this spatula every time I bake.
Sandi
susanmm23.......when you bake your cheesecake line the bottom with parchment paper....like CIndymm44 suggested.....I chill my cheesecakes overnite in the frig.......and then i actually take the bottom from another springform pan and flip it over...(at that point there is nothing on the top....if you bake a sour cream top you'd have to use the spatula method).....then flip back on cake circle....i've never had a problem yet....the key is making sure your cheesecake is cold!
but i think i will look into the large spatula that linnburg suggested....it looks like a useful tool!! ![]()
MrsMissey.....let me know how yours turn out.....i tried that method at Christmas time.....when i was just swamped (i am my only employee...
).....and i found that the cardboard rounds absorbed too much of the butter from the crust.....caused me more headaches than it was worth....
.....so if you found a way for it to work i'd love to know... 
Having made literally hundreds of cheesecakes this way, I swear by this method! Once I have the crust in place, I bake it for a few minutes and then let it cool before adding the cheesecake part. Bake and cool, then remove the springform part and lift the board off the bottom part of the springform pan. It is usually greasy on the bottom but I put a greaseproof board in my cake box first and then put the other one on top of that (with the cheesecake on it!) The cake board that was in the oven does absord some of the butter, but not enough to make a difference in the cake or crust.
MrsMissey...i'm going to try it your way next one i make a cheesecake .....one thing that i don't do....and really never have is pre-bake the crust.....i always thought it make it too crunchy......have you ever not pre-baked the crust?
but that could be why the butter got into the cake board when i baked with it......and it made it toooooooo soft to hold the cheesecake
... ![]()

..I have done it both ways..sometimes I am in such a hurry that I forget to pre-bake the crust. Either way it turns out the same. Someone had told me that by pre-baking the crust, it doesn't get soggy....honestly>>I've never noticed a difference!
What kind of crust to you make? I do graham, villa wafers and oreo crumb...they all seem to work fine. One thing I did notice, is the quality of butter used. I tried on off brand and the board was much messier/greasier. Now I usually just use land o lakes.
now that you mention it......the batch i tried with the cake rounds might have been made with margarine......i was really busy...and i live in a very rural area and didn't have time to go get butter (if i remember correctly (
consider that i can't remember what i did yesterday! lol)
so do you think that made a difference?
but you are right....land of lakes is my favorite....and i use the salted
i only make graham crackers crust......so you're nice than me!!!
..you offer a choice!
but it would be soooo much easier and less time consuming if i could bake them right on top of the rounds......
edcjenv........the thing about the reynolds wrap is that i would think that people might cut right thru it......but have you had luck using it?
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