This may be a silly question but I need help - this is all new to me.
Okay, so I was reading the recipe for the Butterfinger Cheesecake & I am so excited about making it, but I am not sure how to Bake something in the oven in a water bath.

I haven't seen the recipe, but I'm assuming this cake will be baked in a springform pan? Before filling the pan, wrap the bottom in heavy duty foil, as far up the sides as you can without going over the top.

While you're making your batter, heat some water in a kettle.

Fill the cake pan with batter, then place the pan inside a larger pan with at least 2-inch high sides. Three inches would be ideal.

Pull out the oven rack and place the cake on it. Pour the hot water from the kettle into the larger pan until it reaches 1 inch depth. Gently push the rack back into the oven. Bake as directed.

To remove the cake, either take out the whole thing, water and all, or, lay a towel on your open oven door, lift the cake out of the water and blot on the towel.

I bake some of my cheesecakes in a waterbath. You will need a pan big enough to place the cheesecake pan in. You will need heavy duty foil to wrap the pan in. You want the foil to cover the bottom and sides of the cheesecake pan. You have to pour boiling water in the larger pan and you want enough to cover 1/2 way up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Put it in the oven and bake.
Make sure your foil does not tear. Hope this helps.

Another option is placing a pan of water in the bottom of the oven. This is how I do all of my cheesecakes and have never had a problem. K'ly

funny story: When I was in High School I had a copy of Rose Berenbaum's Cake Bible and I wanted to make her chocolate torte (I forget what it's really called, but it is basically a nearly flourless chocolate cake). The directions said to bake with 1" of water on all sides -- well I thought they meant the bottom too, so I actually tried a number of different strategies to attempt to float the cake pan inside the larger pan.

I made a lot of different mistakes with that recipe, but I learned a lot. Eventually it came out just fine and it was totally worth it.