How to prevent cheesecake cracking

How to prevent cheesecake cracking

Only you can prevent cheesecake cracking - The Messy Baker

This is what happens when you bake cheesecakes without a hot water bath.

Growing up, cheesecake was a graham crust pressed into a 9 X 9  pan, slathered in a mixture of cream cheese and Dream Whip, and crowned with a can of blueberry pie filling. Or cherry, if the mood struck. I had no idea baked cheesecakes existed, no idea they came in any flavour beyond vanilla and no idea why the would require anything as confounding as a hot water bath (or bain-marie if you want to sound chi-chi.). And I had no idea they could crack.

At 16 I made my first baked cheesecake — chocolate amaretto — and stubbornly ignored the instructions to bake the foil-wrapped springform pan in a roasting pan of hot water. That was crazy talk. Just some high-falutin’ chef making life more complicated than it needed to be. The cake emerged fragrant, but with a cracked top. I hid this imperfection under a layer of melted chocolate. Problem solved.

Over the years I learned to hide the cracks with whipped cream, fresh berries and other distracting toppings. Eventually, I got smart and used a bain-marie and those pesky cracks disappeared.

Despite my reluctant conversion, the bain-marie continues to confuses a lot of people. I’ve received questions about my pumpkin cheesecake recipe recently published in a coupon book aimed at American Thanksgiving hosts. So, for those of you hoping to impress the ravening hoards with a cheesecake (pumpkin or otherwise) this Thanksgiving, I’ve enlisted the help of Susan Sampson and her handy book 12,167 Kitchen and Cooking Secrets.

Read on and your cheesecakes will emerge from the oven equal to those at fancy bake shops. And for a fraction of the price!

9 Ways to Prevent Cheesecake Cracking

Excerpted from 12,167 Kitchen and Cooking Secrets by Susan Sampson © 2009 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

  1. Grease the pan well.
  2. Don’t overbeat it.
  3. Don’t bake it too fast.
  4. Don’t let the oven get too hot.
  5. Bake it in a bain-marie.
  6. Don’t submit the cheesecake to sudden temperature changes.
  7. Don’t bake it for too long.
  8. Loosen the edges when the cheesecake is done.
  9. Chill it before removing it from the pan.

Two reasons for clumps or dents on the surface of finished cheesecake:

  • The filling wasn’t blended well.
  • The cream cheese was too cold when beaten.

Beat the cream cheese with the sugar until it’s fluffy, but don’t overbeat when adding the remaining ingredients. Too much air, and the cheesecake puffs too high in the oven, then collapses and cracks.

Cold cream cheese makes the batter lumpy. Use cheese at room temperature and you won’t be tempted to overbeat it.

Use the mixer on medium speed, not high. Beating too much air into the batter will create bubbles on the surface of the cheesecake.

Gussy It Up

Pour a layer of chocolate between the base and filling, for a bit of snap. Let it set before adding the filling.

  • Always use a springform pan. Grease the sides to reduce sticking. Line the bottom with a parchment round to make removal and serving easier. The parchment stays put when you cut the slices. For a prettier presentation, you can buy a springform pan with a glass bottom.
  • For slow, even baking, put the cheesecake pan in a bain-marie (a hot-water bath). Wrap foil around the bottom of the springform pan, in case of leaks.

Outside the Box

Some cooks swear that super-creamy, super-quick cheesecake can be made in a springform pan in a pressure cooker. I haven’t tried it.

One of my more inquisitive readers wonder if a water bath will stop pumpkin pies from cracking. Hmmm? Never tried it. Does anyone know? I think this query is worth investigating!

In the meantime, good luck with your cheesecakes. And Happy Thanksgiving.


Photo © Carol329. Published under a Creative Commons License.

27 Comments
  • NS Foster
    Posted at 13:45h, 24 November

    This is fantastic, thank you! Actually going to try my first one in a couple days. (I’m Canajun, though, it’s unrelated to Thanksgiving.)

  • Sally
    Posted at 04:57h, 26 November

    This is such a useful post. I’m saving this for the next time I bake a cheesecake. We all learn by our mistakes right?!

  • NS Foster
    Posted at 20:26h, 29 November

    I just wanted to report back and say that, after referencing your website several times, I made my first cheesecake. No cracks!! Thanks so much!!

    Though, tragically, there were small lumps in the batter. I left those damn cheese cream packages out for like an hour! I’m tempted to make them downright warm next time.

  • Lisa
    Posted at 15:21h, 01 December

    Hi there,

    Normally I hate leaving negative comments, but I really disagree with your post (even though I love the rest of your website!).

    I have NEVER used a water bath when I bake my cheesecakes, and I haven’t experienced any issues with cracking.

    the photo you posted above shows a cheesecake that was baked too hot and too long…a cheesecake should never be that brown on top.

    my method involves pre-heating to 450 degrees, baking the cheesecake for 10-15 minutes, then turning the oven down to 250 degrees and letting it go until the centre is somewhere in the 155-160 degree mark (or for those without a thermometre – when the centre of the cheesecake no longer looks glossy but instead looks dull, and the cheesecake only jiggles in approximately the inner half of the cake)….about 75-90 minutes.

    I then let it cool in the oven a bit before i take it out, let it finish cooling on the counter, and then refrigerate overnight.

    I just find that a hot water bath is way too fussy, when there is such a simple and easy way to avoid cracks (low and slow, keep centre under 165 degrees).

    anyways, just wanted to add my two cents. 🙂

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 10:54h, 06 December

    @Laura, never tried cheesecake in a pressure cooker. But I have a pressure cooker. And cream cheese. Sounds intriguing! Thanks for the links.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 10:55h, 06 December

    @Sally, mistakes seem to be the only way I learn 🙂

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 10:56h, 06 December

    @NS Foster, glad it worked.

    A lot depends on how cold the fridge was and how warm your kitchen is, so warming them slightly might not be a bad idea. Just go easy on the warming!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:01h, 06 December

    @Lisa, I don’t find your comment negative at all. I’m fascinated by your technique. I’ve never heard this information before and having made more than my share of cracked cheesecakes, have been a devotee of the bain-marie. I’m happy to abandon it in favour of a better, less fussy technique.

    This is why I keep the comments section open! Thanks so much for posting. The next time I make cheesecake, I’ll try your method.

  • Sophie
    Posted at 04:38h, 12 December

    Thanks for those useful & great tips!! There were things that I didn’t know!!

    Many kisses from Brussels to you, Charmian!

  • Cheryl Arkison
    Posted at 10:13h, 16 December

    Mmm, cheesecake…
    I need to have people over so I have an excuse to make it. Otherwise I would happily eat the entire thing!

  • Sharron Clemons
    Posted at 15:30h, 21 December

    @Laura, never tried cheesecake in a pressure cooker. But I have a pressure cooker. And cream cheese. Sounds intriguing! Thanks for the links.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 17:51h, 21 December

    @NS Foster, hope your first baked cheesecake turns out well. Since they are so expensive to buy in the store I figured they are hard to make. Not at all. Good luck and happy eating.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 17:51h, 21 December

    @Laura, wow. Never heard of this technique. Thanks for the links!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 17:52h, 21 December

    @Sophie, lovely to hear from you again. Glad you find the tips useful. Hope your cheesecake turns out creamy and without cracks.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 17:53h, 21 December

    @Cheryl Arkison, I love a really nice cheesecake — especially chocolate. But can only eat a small amount since it’s so rich. We should share one sometime?

  • Laura
    Posted at 23:32h, 21 December

    @Charmian Christie, I forgot to mention, I think you need a smaller spring-form pan to fit in the pressure cooker. My pressure cooker is 22cm wide so my pan is 18cm wide (would have gladly used a 20 but the clasps would not fit in the pan!)

    Happy Holidays!

    Laura

    P.S. Making the Limoncello Cheesecake again, today a few days ahead of Christmas Eve dinner so it can taste grrrreat!!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 09:35h, 22 December

    @Laura, thanks for taking the time to add the detail about pan size. My springform pans are too big to try this right now but I’ll definitely keep this in mind for the future! Plus, limoncello is my mom’s favourite liqueur so I just might have to make it for her birthday this summer.

    Happy Holidays to you, too!

  • Angelica Raymond
    Posted at 03:16h, 24 December

    @NS Foster, hope your first baked cheesecake turns out well. Since they are so expensive to buy in the store I figured they are hard to make. Not at all. Good luck and happy eating.

  • Mary
    Posted at 15:49h, 22 October

    I have baked cheesecake without a water bath and I never had happen to me what happened in that picture. Once in a while mine will crack in the center.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 09:38h, 23 October

    That photo was an extreme case. I didn’t bake it, thank heavens! The likely culprit is putting it in an oven that’s too hot and baking it too long. You can bake a cheesecake without a water bath, but the chances of a cracked surface are greater. That said, just top the thing with whipped cream and no one will know. 🙂

  • DTJ
    Posted at 15:30h, 29 November

    I attempted my first cheesecake this year and it did not turn out well despite following all directions. The top completely cracked, was that perfect golden brown, and looked completely done. However, when we cut it, it fell completely apart and was a huge mess. I still dont know what I did wrong.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:05h, 30 November

    It’s always disappointing when a recipe doesn’t turn out. I’m only guessing at what went wrong but here are some common issues with cheesecake. I am assuming you are using a recipe that has been tested and actually works. So assuming your recipe isn’t at fault:
    • the batter was overmixed or beaten at too high a speed. This can create a lot of bubbles which can crack the top of the cheesecake and mess with the texture.
    • your oven might be running hot. Check it with an oven thermometer. Cheesecake needs a very gentle heat.
    • the cheesecake cooked too long. To prevent cracking (even if using a water bath) and producing a dry cheesecake, turn the oven off while the centre of the cheesecake is still a bit jiggly. Unlike regular flour-based cakes, if the centre of a cheesecake is fully cooked, it’s overcooked.

    Hope this helps! Good luck with your next cheesecake and don’t give up!

  • Nathan
    Posted at 11:59h, 24 November

    Just a note on pumpkin pies; the problem is that whereas cheesecake is low water, so it is “done” when the internal temperature hits ~65 degrees C, most pumpkin pie recipes contain a lot of water, so they aren’t “done” until well after the internal temperature hits 100 degrees C and moisture has been forced out of the pie. The easy solution to this is to use dry milk in place of the milk called for in your recipe; the pie will then be ready at an internal temperature of 65 degrees, just like a cheesecake – the texture of the finished product will be smoother too.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 19:37h, 26 November

    Interesting note. I don’t recall having a lot of problems with pumpkin pie cracking, but I always top it with whip cream so any imperfections would be hidden anyway. I know some people are more into the visual aspects and will find the dry milk tip useful. Thanks again for the information.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 10:29h, 31 August

    You’re so right! The hardest thing about cheesecake is the waiting. It’s not a speedy endeavour.

  • lisa Beaver
    Posted at 13:06h, 02 September

    thanks for that post! I was up late baking cheesecakes. Never tried to put them in a water bath before, so I tried it! I don’t know if some of the water seeped in through the tin foil, or what happened, but I had the cheesecake in the over for an hour,and it didn’t cook at all! I thought it looked really good, put it in the fridge, went to take it out of the springform pan this morning, and it fell apart. I’m in tears. I was making this for someone! I scooped the filling out with an ice cream scooper, and put them in cupcake tins, and rebaked them for 30 minutes…not bad! I also tried putting a T of cornstarch in the mix to prevent cracks. Gross…never do that again!
    I’m going to try the less fussy techniques..hope they work.