# Cheesecake problem



## marika (Dec 24, 2005)

Can some one tell me why my cheesecakes always crack on top? Any hints on how to avoid this? They taste great but look awful. Thanks.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Using a Bain Marie (water bath) is the simplest way to avoid cracks. You may also be cooking them too long.

Phil


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

A quite common problem. There are lots of theories, some say you need to cool it down slowly.

I've moved this thread to the baking/pastries general forum as you can see.  Perhaps some others might chime in here.


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## jessiquina (Nov 4, 2005)

1. ovens are different. if not using a water bath, try baking it around 250-275 degrees. my home oven runs very hot . 

2. when you take the cheesecake out of the oven, let it cool for 15min. and then run a thin paring knife around the edge between the cake and the pan. it will release the cake and as it shrinks it wont pull and crack on the inside. 

3. do not put a warm chesecake in the fridge. be patient, let it come all the way down to room temp before chilling. 

4. do not over cook the cheesecake . take it out of the oven when the eggs have just coagulated, the center will look a bit jiggly, but carry over heating will take care of that. (but be careful, you dont want it too jiggly. ) 

if you cant seem to get it right, just slice the cooled cheesecake before serving and no one will know. or put a topping on it.  whipped cream fixes almost everything.


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## blade55440 (Sep 9, 2005)

I like that theory also heh. Whipped cream just doesn't seem to go though. I say either a raspberry, blueberry, or cherry sauce. Those work well and don't look as..."cheesy" as whipped cream.


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## gbhunter (Oct 14, 2004)

This is my personal opinion, I have never had a cheesecake crack yet when using this method. I bake the cheesecake at 275 degrees and in the oven near the cheesecake, I have a pan of water to create humidity inside the oven. Don't touch the surface and do not overcook it, most cheesecakes are over cooked. I hope this helps.
Paul


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

I have to ditto gbhunter.
Years ago I learned to view cheesecake as an item that needs to be set and not baked. There are other issues involved like overmixing,formula etc. but overbaking seemed to be my problem. We have a 1/2 in high foil pan just a little bigger then our pop out pans.The pans go into the foil, We set these on pans and fill with water.
Every once in a while we will let a few go too long and you can almost tell how long they were overcooked by the size of the crack.
PS we always weigh our eggs. The difference in weight vs each is pretty great. but we also do 120 qts at a time
pan


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## jessiquina (Nov 4, 2005)

OMG!!!! thats A LOT! how many cheesecakes does that yield?


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

We run 3.5# for wholesale, 4# for retail and 3.5" rounds for a couple of upscale restaurant. Yields vary upon added ingredients. We just started running a sour cream topped Apricot that's pulling a hole shot now. Trying to keep up. Just turned down a catolog offer for it. It's very hard staying small. We are in 1100 sq ft both retail and production.no nights.
Tuesday, some brokerish dude comes in and tells us he has an immediate buyer. Cash sale, no need for owners to stay on. Staff covered for 18 months including health benes. 
When I shot my turnkey cash figure, including company vehicles, he gulped and asked where our other locations." Just this" He actually was nice about it and said we were not on the same page. I told him that wasn't even 2X annual gross.He mutters, "I suppose your books will reflect it". I answered show me the money. He left.


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## louise (May 17, 2005)

In addition to a good recipe, correct temp in correlation to size, type of cheesecakes, I think the general rule of baking in a bain marie will greatly enhance even cooking of the cake. 

The cracks are due to overbaking. The best way is to take the internal temp of the cake to determine doneness. EVen if at first the cake seems undone or too soft, it will firm up after chilling in the fridge for sufficient time and I assume you are referring to NY style cheesecakes .


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