When making your cheesecake, begin by preheating the oven to 300°F. Then take a springform pan, in mine it with parchment paper. Make sure to grease the sides and bottom of the pan as well.
To make the vanilla cheesecake, add the cream cheese and granulated sugar to the mixing bowl. Beat on high until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the flour and eggs. Stir until combined. Add vanilla, and sour cream, then stir just until it is mixed in.
Pour the cheesecake mixture into the prepared springform pan. Take a larger pan, that the springform pan can fit inside of, and fill it approximately 1 inch with warm water so that it goes approximately halfway up the springform pan.
Wrap the outside of the springform pan in aluminum foil to prevent the water from seeping into the cheesecake, then add the aluminum foil-wrapped springform pan into the water.
Place all of this into the center of your preheated oven. Bake for approximately one hour and 15 minutes.
After the baking time has passed, keep the oven door closed, turn off the oven, and let the cheesecake rest for approximately 30 minutes. Once the first 30 minutes have passed, open the oven door and allow it to stay cracked open for an additional 30 minutes. This will help the cheesecake cool down gradually.
Then remove the cheesecake from the oven, discard the water bath, and aluminum foil, and placed the cheesecake itself in the pan, in the fridge. Let it chill for approximately 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
Make sure each layer of the pie cake and has a chance to completely cool or even chill overnight before you begin assembling the cake as a whole.