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If you have read my blog before, you probably already know that I love KitchenAid stand mixers. Durable, stylish, and with an array of attachments, KitchenAid can take on all your baking needs, and so much more.
The Short Answer
When it comes to making cheesecake with your trusty stand mixer, the KitchenAid flat beater and wire whip will be your go-to attachments.
The flat beater is best suited to baked cheesecake recipes. Why I hear you ask? With a baked cheesecake, you want to gently combine all the ingredients and not whip any excess air into the batter. The beater on a low speed is great for this as it will mix your cheesecake batter slowly, incorporating all the ingredients, but not mixing them too fast to beat any air.
On the other hand, the KitchenAid wire whip is the ideal tool for a no-bake cheesecake. A vital ingredient in a no-bake cheesecake is double cream, which acts as a stabilizer and helps keep the cheesecake upright. In order to do this, double cream needs to be whipped to become stable, which is why your wire whip will come in handy with these types of bakes.
I recommend that you set your KitchenAid stand mixer to medium-high and whip your double cream up. You can whip all the ingredients with the wire whip, or you can whip the double cream separately and incorporate it into the cream cheese mixture with a spatula.
Let’s not also forget about the pouring shield! A pouring shield is much more useful than most people might think. The great thing about a pouring shield is that you can add all your cheesecake ingredients into the bowl without any spillage.
The Long Answer
Want to hear more about my favorite KitchenAid attachments for making cheesecake? Read on!
Flat Beater
The flat beater, also known as a paddle attachment, is a metal attachment that looks like a triangle with a round tip. It has 2 to 4 cross bars (depending on the size of your machine) going across the middle and comes as a standard attachment with all KitchenAid stand mixers. The crossbars allow the batter to fold over itself as it rotates around the bowl.
The key to making a perfect baked cheesecake is not whipping any air into the batter. The paddle attachment works by uniformly combining all the ingredients without beating the batter too much. To avoid over-beating your cheesecake batter, set your stand mixer on low to medium speed.
Start off by placing the room-temperature cream cheese and sugar in the mixing bowl. On a low to medium speed mix until combined. Add a splash of double cream and some flour and beat until just combined. Lastly, add the eggs and mix until fully incorporated. This should only take a few minutes. The batter will look loose and smooth without any air bubbles, which is exactly what you want.
Flex edge beater
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- Replacement nylon-coated flat beater. The flat beater is top-rack dishwasher safe
- Use with KitchenAid KSM90 and K45 stand mixers; Perfect for mixing cake batter, cookie dough, and more
- Fits Models: K45, K45SS, KSM75, KSM90, KSM95, KSM100, KSM103, KSM110.
The flex edge beater is exactly the same as a paddle attachment with one major difference – it has a silicone flexible edge. The silicone edge comes in very useful for making a baked cheesecake as it scrapes the cheesecake batter from the side of the bowl, ensuring all ingredients are fully incorporated.
Scraping down the sides of the bowl every few seconds is a huge pet peeve of mine, so this attachment comes in very handy if you want to spend less time scraping, and more time enjoying your tasty treats!
The flex edge beater is not a necessary attachment but will certainly make the process of making cheesecake, and plenty of other desserts, a lot easier.
Balloon Whisk
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Designed, engineered, and tested by KitchenAid
- Fits Models: K45, K45SS, KSM75, KSM90, KSM95, KSM100, KSM103, KSM110
- Provides maxiumum volume for mixtures needing air
When making a no-bake cheesecake, I tend to use the balloon whisk, which is also known as the wire whip. A no-bake cheesecake uses double cream to bind everything together, unlike a baked cheesecake that uses eggs to bind the batter together.
I start off by whisking the cream cheese and powdered sugar until the batter is fluffy. In another bowl, I whip the double cream until it reaches stiff peaks and combines both mixtures together. Double cream can only achieve a stiff consistency when it’s beaten on a high speed with a wire whip, so this attachment is ideal for a no-bake cheesecake.
The balloon whisk can also be used to decorate your cheesecake. I like to whip up some extra double cream and pipe nice flowers around the cheesecake.
If you want to get maximum air into your no-bake cheesecake batter, you can get your hands on a balloon whisk with 11 wires.
Pouring Shield/Splash Guard
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Fits all 4.5 and 5 Quart KitchenAid Tilt Head Stand Mixers
- Stays on tight while youre mixing with the easy snap tabs that securely attach the pouring shield to your mixing bowl
- Easily add your carefully measured ingredients with the large angled ingredient slide
- Keeps ingredients in the bowl to minimize countertop messes and help keep lightweight ingredients, like flour, from flying out of the bowl when youre mixing
The 2 in 1 pouring shield and splash guard, although not necessary, is an incredibly useful tool. You can get this as a standard attachment with most Artisan Mixers, but for some KitchenAid mixers, it is an additional attachment that might need to be purchased separately.
The pouring shield has two purposes. It works as a splash guard and minimizes any clouds of powdered sugar or flour from making a mess in your kitchen. It also has a small opening with a pouring chute that allows you to add each cheesecake ingredient without needing to stop your mixer each time.
The chute will be very helpful when making a baked cheesecake as you’ll be able to add your ingredients one by one while the mixer is still mixing at a slow speed. The splash guard will be great to use when making a no-bake cheesecake as powdered sugar tends to go everywhere when you start your mixer.
Sifter and Scales
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Simply attach the Sifter plus Scale Attachment to the power hub of any KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Then experience hands-free sifting as the sifter gradually incorporates ingredients into the mixer bowl.
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Hands-free sifting gives more consistent mixing and fluffy baked goods, and saves time during the process
- Generous capacity hopper holds up to 4 cups of dry ingredients at a time
- Model KSMSFTA includes (1) Digital Scale, (1) Ingredient Hopper, (1) Removable Sifter, (1) Sifter Housing, (1) Swivel Chute, (1) Scale Accessory Plate
If you want to take your cheesecake game to the next level, then you should get your hands on the sifter and scale. This is a great attachment that goes on the universal hub at the top of your KitchenAid stand mixer.
It weighs and sifts any dry ingredients straight into the mixing bowl. When I am feeling a little lazy, I will attach my sifter and scale attachment and sift the powdered sugar into the bowl.
KitchenAid Cheesecake recipe
My go-to baked cheesecake is this recipe from Joshua Wiessman. It’s easy to follow and has never failed to impress my guests. For any no-baked cheesecakes that I make, I religiously use the recipes from Jane’s Patisserie. They are incredibly easy and she hands down has some of the best no-bake cheesecake recipes out there.
KitchenAid also has a recipe for a New York style cheesecake. It is easy to follow and it shows you which attachment to use.
Ready to get baking?
No one can argue that cheesecake, whether it’s baked or not, is one of the tastiest desserts. It’s definitely my first choice. Cheesecake is easier to make than everyone thinks, but making a cheesecake with a KitchenAid mixer will take your cheesecake game to the next level.
The paddle attachment is definitely the best attachment to use for a no-bake cheesecake. You can use the whisk too, but you need to watch that you don’t overbeat the mixture and that you keep the speed very low.
For a no-bake cheesecake, the balloon whisk will give the cream cheese and the double cream the volume and stability you need.
