Whipped cream cheese has already had a great deal of air whipped into it, and will not give your cheesecake the texture you are looking for. It is also imperative that your cream cheese be at room temperature before you begin mixing it. Cold cream cheese is sure to result in lumpy cheesecake. Using cold cream cheese will also lead to overbeating, since you will have to whip it for a long, long time to make it smooth, and in the process, you will whip too much air into the cream cheese. Also, unless the recipe instructions specifically note otherwise, you should beat the cream cheese by itself until it's smooth and light before you add any of the other ingredients.
Some recipes contain a small amount of starch, such as flour or cornstarch.
These recipes will result in a cheesecake whose texture is slightly more firm and cakelike. These flour-containing cheesecakes can be baked directly on the oven rack at moderate temperatures. Cheesecake recipes that do not contain flour are intended to be delightfully smooth and silky. To achieve the proper texture, these cheesecakes must be baked in a water bath at a lower temperature. The most effective way to do this is to bake it in a water bath.