First, you have to wrap the outside of the pan, including the bottom of it, with lots of aluminum foil. That’s because you’re going to be using a water bath, and so you can’t have water seeping in.

Next, grease the inside of the pan with butter to help the parchment paper stick. Then line the interior of the pan with parchment paper covering the bottom and the sides.

Now, preheat the oven to 315 F.

Grab a large rectangular baking pan and fill it with water halfway. Place it on the lowest rack of your oven.

Separate the 5 eggs and place the egg whites into your mixing bowl. The yolks go into a separate measuring cup.

For best results, mix the egg whites by hand until foamy. But if you can’t use a mixer on low speed and beat for 30-60 seconds or until it becomes foamy.

Add in the cream of tartar and continue to whisk until it begins to thicken.

Now, add the sugar slowly and gradually.

Keep beating and mixing the egg white until they have soft peaks. If you’re doing this by hand, it will take up to 5 minutes.

Use a separate bowl to create the cheese mix. Add the cream cheese and use a mixer on low speed to blend until smooth (about 2 minutes or so).

Add in your butter, sugar, and lemon juice. Continue to mix for 1 minute.

Now add in the flour and corn starch (if using all-purpose) and mix for one more minute.

Slowly add the egg yolks and continue to mix the batter for an additional minute.

It’s time to strain the batter in a sieve, so you have the smoothest batter possible.

The secret to getting the fluffy texture is how you add the egg whites. First, you need to add ⅓ of the egg whites, fold them into the batter slowly, and mix with your hand.

Add the second ⅓ and mix very slowly, mostly folding it in. Then, add the last ⅓ and fold again. There’s no need to overmix after you add all the egg whites.

Gently pour the batter into the round pan. You can use a spatula and smooth out the top, so it looks even.

To remove any air bubbles, you need to lift the pan and drop it gently onto the counter about five times. Be sure to hold the pan carefully, so you don’t drop it.

It’s time to place the pan with your batter into the water bath.

Let it sit and bake for 70 minutes.

Keep checking on it once in a while to make sure the temperature is perfect (315 -320 F).

To check if the cake is done, you can use a toothpick to poke the center and ensure that the toothpick comes out clean.

Once it’s done inside, you can lower the temperature to 300 F and bake for 10 more minutes or until the top is slightly brown.

Now turn the heat off and open the oven door about 3 inches. Let the cheesecake cool for 60 minutes.

You can serve it cooled at room temperature or put it in the fridge for about 4 hours until it’s chilled.