How to Prevent Cracks in Cheesecake

When you spend precious time and money carefully crafting the perfect cheesecake, you don't want to just cross your fingers and hope that this time, those ugly cracks that have plagued your previous efforts won't show up in this one. Sure, you could cover those cracks with a bit of strawberry sauce, but why should you have to? Why shouldn't you be able to produce a cheesecake with a top as smooth and flawless as the velvety interior? Here's how to prevent those cracks in your cheesecake. And if you've come to really love that strawberry sauce, just serve it on the side.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Instant-read thermometer
• Paring knife

1. One of the main reasons that cracks form in cheesecake is overbaking. This is easily prevented with an instant-read thermometer. Following the bake time indicated by the recipe you are using, check the temperature of the cheesecake by inserting an instant-read thermometer in the center of the cake. The cheesecake is done when the temperature reads 150 degrees F.

2. If your cheesecake recipe calls for a water bath, don't be tempted to do without. The moisture that evaporates from the water bath will help to keep the surface of the cheesecake free from cracks. Not all cheesecakes benefit from a water bath, so just follow the guidelines set by your recipe.

3. Cracks may also form on the surface of a cheesecake if the sides of the cake stick to the pan when the surface contracts as it cools, pulling it apart. Again, you can easily avoid this. After baking, let the cheesecake cool for 30 minutes (in the oven, turned off, with the door propped open), then run a paring knife between the cake and the inside of the pan to prevent the cake from sticking.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are using a water bath, cover the bottom and sides of your springform pan with aluminum foil to keep water from seeping in and ruining your cheesecake.
• If you have to take your cheesecake's temperature more than once, don't stick it full of holes, which may cause it to collapse. Instead, just reinsert the thermometer into the original hole.