# cheesecake cracking



## elliot830 (Aug 11, 2008)

every time i bake a cheesecake, it cracks as if an earthquake hit it - i have tried using a lower temperature, taking it out a little sooner than normal, putting a pan of water under it as it cooks, *nothing helps*-----out of all the many times i have cooked one, only one time did it come out without a crack -but it cracked while it was cooling on a wire rack. does anyone know a secret to stop this from happening?


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## dillbert (Jul 2, 2008)

potential solution from reading only - not experience

after cooking, leave it in the oven; turn off heat, leave oven door cracked open while it cools (slowly.)


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## izbnso (May 12, 2007)

Here is a thread from a while back that has some good cheese cake tips.
http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/pastr...did-wrong.html


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## jessiquina (Nov 4, 2005)

assuming you are not overcooking it (cook only until its set in the middle, it jiggles like jello) and that your oven is not too hot (i bake mine at 275*) . let it rest about 10 min after it comes out the oven, then run a paring knife around the edge to release the sides of the cake from the pan. this will help it cool without pulling and cracking. .. and do not put it in the fridge until its completely at room temp!


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

When mixing the cheesecake, once you start adding the eggs be careful not to overwork.


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## elliot830 (Aug 11, 2008)

thanks for all the helpful advice everyone has given me - i will follow it all and hope for the best - it is a little embarrassing to take a cheesecake to work or somewhere special with very deep cracks going everwhere as if I had dropped it and tried to put it back together :bounce:


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## johnny42544 (Nov 23, 2008)

I made a beautiful pumpkin cheesecake to take to a party, and stuck my thumb in it by accident. Covered it with sweetened sour cream, filled in the hole, no one was the wiser!


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## bundens (Jul 5, 2008)

ok, so...i'm not a baker..
but for some reason i like doing it...
last night actually, was my first time ever making a cheesecake..and it came out absolutely perfect so i'll share with you the recipe i used (which is awesome) and i'll tell you what did.
here's a link for the recipe:

Chantal's New York Cheesecake - Allrecipes

ok so...i did what the recipe asked for 
first i used the springform pan..i baked my crust for 10 minutes in the oven at the 350 it was set at.
then i took it out and started my filling...
i was watching alton brown and he does the sour cream before the cream cheese..as a lubricant so i did that and then i slowly added the sugar a little at a time (i used a hand mixer...i'm poor  ..lol)
and then i slowly incorporated each egg one at a time...then i added the milk, vanilla...then flour and lastly i through in a dash of lemon juice.
I really couldn't tell you how long i beat it for total but it seemed like a while...i just always eyeball everything so..

then i poured it in the pan...lightly slamming it up and down for a few minutes to get rid of as much air as possible. 
then i put it in a roasting pan..wrapped my springform pan in heavy duty aluminum foil (wait this was done before anything ...even before i assembled the crust) and placed in a the pan. than i got cold water and u know..did the water bath thing.
closed the oven and let cook for about 55 mins or so (although, next time i'm gonna let it cook an extra 5 mins like the recipe calls for)

i also read somewhere that propping open your oven slightly with a wooden spoon was good so i let it cool for a half hour still in the water bath with the door closed. than i removed the water bath and put a spoon in for about an hour..than i took it out and left it at room temp for an hour and a half and then i put it in the fridge and let set
no cracks...

oh and after i took it out from the oven to sit at room temp i used a spatuala to press more graham crumbs around the sides.

we ate it today and it tastes like a 30 dollar ny cheesecake..
i really believe the water bath is essential. now, i also have a small oven so it might have aided in keeping humid but food is just science so i'm sure you can find the perfect water bath "balance"


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## bakeaholic (Aug 17, 2007)

I love baking cheesecakes, but never used a water bath. I've seen people use them on tv but never saw the need for it. I'm thinking I should give this a try. My cheesecake use to crack as well. A baking show actually mention turning the oven off and leaving the cheesecake in the oven with the door open to let it cool and slowly cook in the center.


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## qahtan (Dec 7, 2003)

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58...esecakecut.jpg
If you prefer you can use a crumb crust. I do the pastry one. I also slice it when completely cold ,then slide 2 small pieces of food grade thin plastic between each slice and freeze the whole thing, removing only what I want when I want it, It does make 12 good serving slices.

1/ My corrections to recipe were added after 3 attempts to get it right

It is worth making

Mrs Marx Cheesecake.

Preheat to 275º

5 eggs

1 1/2 lb cottage cheese

1 1/8 cup sugar

1/2 pint sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons flour or cornstarch

Beat eggs until fluffy add sugar and then the cheese, mixing in well after each addition. Add flour or cornstarch, vanilla and salt.blending well, finally add sour cream.

2/ I completely mix by hand, or else it gets to light with too much air in cheese mixture and it puffs up like a soufflé, and then it will scorch on the top.

Completely line 9 inch spring form pan with pastry,

pour in batter. Dot with butter and a light sprinkle of cinnamon . Bake 1 hour 45 mins, DO NOT OPEN DOOR DURING BAKING OF FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS AFTER BAKING. Let stand in oven another 4 hours till quite cool. remove from oven to completely cool. chill overnight, remove pan.

3/ Now the recipe says preheat oven 375º. Don't . 275 º is just fine.

The recipe calls for 1 1/2 lb cottage cheese,

I use 1 lb cottage plus 1/2 Philadelphia regular.

The recipe says dot with butter.

I don't, it sods up the surface of finished cheesecake.

It say's sprinkle with cinnamon, again I don't, why spoil the cheese cake taste with cinnamon.

It is tricky to make in as much as the pastry shell with the mixture in it can be tricky.

Don't have your pastry too thick, and don't have any holes splits or what ever in it or you will get a leak and it will look crappy.

4/ I use 10% cottage cheese.

This cake freezes well..........................


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## zesty (Dec 31, 2008)

This is Correct also if you over Whip after adding the eggs you will add air and have more cracks and also overcooking makes them crack


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## derekd (Dec 5, 2008)

Hello all, I made my first cheesecake this weekend. Here are my results. It had cracks and the edges were a little browned. The edges were still very soft and it didn't affect the taste. The edges also rose a little compared the middle. 

I followed the Chantel recipe as posted above. It's likely that I overmixed. I used a electric hand mixer and added the ingredients as listed in the directions. I think I'm going to spoon mix from the eggs on in the my next attempt.

I didn't see this suggestion on here but I read about putting a pan of water BELOW the cake on the bottom rack. Has anyone done this?


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Before pouring your batter into the springform, gently tap/drop the bowl on the counter a number of times until you stop seeing air bubbles come to the surface of the batter. Those bubbles cause the cake to rise and fall during baking leading to cracking. Repeat with the springform pan after you've poured the batter in. Get the air out of the batter.

Bake it IN the water pan in the lower third of the oven. The water bath keeps the cheescake from overheating. It also helps the cake cook more evenly, which also helps reduce cracking.

Slightly undercook it. Less time than the recipe calls for. Turn off the oven and let it sit for an hour in the oven in the water bath. Remove to the counter and run a knife around the edge. This breaks the bond between the cake and the pan so there is less stress on the cake. Let cool to room temp. Now chill. 

You want it to coast gently in to doneness and cool slowly and evenly. This helps prevent cracking.

I strongly dislike cheesecake with flour or cornstarch. Muddies up the flavors and texture.


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## derekd (Dec 5, 2008)

I am going to try again this weekend possibly. I read about people adding things in a certain order. Would adding the eggs last make a difference? I would think that it would be easier to not overmix this way. Excuse my newbness, I'm more of a recipe follower than a cook at this point. I'm learning though. :lol:


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

A few comments:

Qahtan's, Mrs. Marx cottage cheese cheesecake recipe looks similar to a recipe my mother used to use but lost years ago. I've been trying to recreate it ever since, and have made some pretty good cheesecakes but never quite got that one.

I'd appreciate it if you could hook me up with your original source, I'd like to research it.

A water bath for the cheesecake is the only way to go. Water pan on a lower shelf is actually counterproductive, encouraging a crust.

I use the "vestibule" method for cooling. That is, when the cake is done, I open the oven door and let the cake sit for a few minutes. Then I loosen the crust the same way jessiquina does (for the same reason), and slide the rack out a bit and let the cake cool another half hour or so on the vestibule before bringing it to the counter to let it come to room temperature.

It may help you to think of a cheesecake as a custard, instead of a cake. It really is a flan, after all. Recognizing that the idea is NOT to make it as light and fluffy as possible by incorporating air, but to keep it as smooth as possible by keeping air out to begin with, and eliminating any which may have crept in during the mixing becomes intutitive. I think the term _cheesecake_ itself caused more cracks than Sarah Palin's wardrobe bill.

If you really want to get boisterous with your cheesecake, the time to do it is when you're creaming the stiff ingredients -- the creamcheese, pretty much. After that, beat only as necessary to thoroughly combine.

Most people who bake in a water bath (_bain marie_) prefer to use hot, rather than cold water to start the bath. And rightly so. Here's a tip. Set the dry _bain marie _with the cheesecake in it, on the rack. Then fill the bain marie with water heated on the stove top (or an electric kettle), close the oven and bake. The cake will heat more evenly in a hot water bath and an oven which has lost most of its preheat, than in an oven starting at the perfect temperature and a cold water bath. The reasons are manifold.

BDL


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## qahtan (Dec 7, 2003)

I was given the recipe several years ago by a Jewish lady, But I had as I say had to jiggle with it to get it right, well right for me. But I think that I have finally got it right.
You will notice that I have it with a pastry base, that is what the original recipe called for. 

qahtan


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