Why do cheesecakes crack?
Reader Rick is sick and tired of having to disguise the cracks in his cheesecake with sour cream toppings and fruit and wants to know what he can do about it. Rick, I have a few ideas.
Cracks in cheesecakes are caused by temperature problems, and are usually a result of one region of the cake heating faster than another. Large cheesecakes are especially crack-prone since the areas closest to the rim of the pan cook and firm up first. If this happens too abruptly the outer portion of the cheesecake can shrink and pull away from the softer inner portion.
Cracking can also happen as a result of curdling or “breaking” for cheesecakes are actually custards under the hood. The egg proteins in the cake get too hot and start to tighten up into clumps. As they tighten they squeeze out moisture, causing the cake to weep. The cheesecake takes on a grainy texture and again starts to shrink. Wherever the firmer overcooked spots meet the softer medium-cooked spots, cracks appear as the overcooked cake contracts.
It isn’t difficult to overcome these problems. First, always bake a cheesecake in a water bath, which evens out heat. Also, bake your cheesecake low, never more than 350. If you already take these precautions, try calibrating your oven to make sure it isn’t running hot. Failing all that, you can take your cake’s temperature as it bakes. About ten minutes before you determine it should be done, insert a quick-read thermometer in the very center. You want the center to be at least 140, no more than 150.
But in truth you don’t need to go to that extent. If you jostle the pan a bit you should see it jiggle, but not slosh. Are we cool?
The first cheesecake I ever made a long, long time ago had instructions to bake it in its springform without the water bath. (I think it was a recipe from The Pump Room.) (Wish I could check but that cookbook is back in LA.)
I’ll admit it, that one and probably all the subsequent cheesecakes I baked had their cracks. However, it seems to me that when they sit, the custard relaxes back together and, since you want them to have a nice long rest before slicing, that works out just fine. Besides, the recipe is so decadent if the directions were to slurp it up through a straw I’d still be doing that too. ; >
This cake was baked at 325? and then left in the warm oven with the door open to cool slowly.
I prefer a nice nekkid top myself and have never really seen a reason to abandon that original method since the “problem” of cracking seems to resolve itself. But I am amused when I see this discussion come up eventually on nearly every baking site. ; >
To each their own, of course! And I know what you mean about small cracks in a big cheesecake, they’re sort of expected. I’m a bit uptight about custards though, and I see cracks as a sign of a potentially grainy interior…though that’s not always the case. Sometimes you just end up with a crack, especially if the cake is larger than 9 or 10 inches.
Cheers and thanks, Rainey!
– Joe
Never had a grainy texture. What causes that?
Curds…overheated, clumped dairy protein.
– Joe
Hoosier Mama Paula Haney calls for putting an inverted mixing bowl, tipped a bit to allow for moisture to be released, over a cooked pumpkin (i.e. custard) pie as it cools in order to avoid crack formation. I can’t see why this wouldn’t help with cheesecakes too!
Very interesting, Jeff! The heat dome probably allows the whole custard to cool more evenly. Thanks!
– Joe
I don’t mind the cracks – there’s something nice about a homemade cheesecake, flaws and all. In fact, at baking school – when asked about preventing the dreaded cheesecake crack – our chef instructor said: cracks have never stopped me from enjoying a tasty cheesecake, what about you?
I’ve never looked back…
Ha! Fair enough, Movita!
– Joe
What I want to know is how to keep water from getting into the pan when using a water bath! I have given up in frustration over wrapping the pan in foil because it just doesn’t work.
As for the original question, my tip would be to add a tiny bit of either flour or corn starch which provides also some insurance against cracking!
Yep, flour does work. Helps keep those proteins from clenching too tightly. I recommend extra-wide aluminum foil which you can get in most grocery stores these days. It allows you to cradle the whole pan in foil without any seams!
Cheers,
– Joe
After having one water bath leak into my cheesecake after a failed foil-wrap attempt due to a small tear I did not notice, I started using 9-inch silicone cake pans. They are leak-proof and infinitely reusable. They have never failed me, and at one time you could fine a good selection for-cheap at stores like Home Goods.
Ooh, even better, Chris!
Thanks very much for that.
– Joe
I think I’ve solved the cracking problem for my 10″ cheesecake pan. I’m not going to baby cooking equipment, which means it goes through the dishwasher, peels its alleged non-stick coating and needs to be lined. I like it for its glass bottom.
Okay, turn the empty pan upside down and cover it with a sheet of foil pressed on tightly. Turn pan-and-foil over and spray the inner sides with cooking spray, then line the sides only with parchment which will stick to the sides. It doesn’t need a water bath and it doesn’t leak. My theory is that the foil and parchment are enough insulation to prevent cracking. My favorite cheesecake (I can feel it about to happen) is a recipe off the Kingsford’s cornstarch box many years ago. It calls for a baking temperature of 300° F.
Fascinating, Sally. I’ll have to try that. Thanks!
– Joe
Cheesecake is one of my signature dishes. I’ve never had a serious crack… believe it or not. Tiny cracks parallel to the pan edge, maybe, but they always “repair themselves” as the cheesecake.
Generally I avoid reading any material on cheesecake cracks out of fear that my long-standing record of success (luck) will be jinxed. Please don’t let me be jinxed by this article… please.
And while we are all confessing our recipe sources… my most successful recipe is from Geoff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet. It is a basic NYC cheesecake that has always garnered compliments and even an award when our office had a cheesecake bake-off. My favorite, though, is a goatcheesecake recipe from Anne Burrell. And I’m intriqued by a flancheesecake recipe from Sherry Yard (who may have “stole” it from Michel Richard) for a cheesecake that is complete with the caramel goo… with but I still need to experiment with that one. Maybe this weekend???
Look away while you still can!
Wow…goat cheese cake. I gotta try that!
– Joe
My mom used to bake cheesecake in an anglefood pan. I never questioned it because that was just her way & I didn’t know anything different until later. I bet you anything that center tube evened out the heating & eliminated cracking. I never saw cracks as a problem so never thought to ask.
She also had an alternative cheesecake recipe that used cottage cheese & resulted in product that looked sort of like a sponge when cut. It wa lighter than her regular one & people raved about it. There is a recipe I wish I had. Looking online I find ones but the results are texturally just like cheesecake & the flavor is not right.
That type of cheesecake was all over when I was a kid in Chicago. It is — no surprise — and Eastern European thing, classically made with farmer’s cheese. Here are some variations on the theme!
http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/polishdesserts/tp/Top-Polish-Cheesecake-Recipes.htm
– Joe
Thanks for the idea. I looked at the photos & the texture still does not look ‘right’. I may give it a shot though as I am not aware of a bad cheesecake (toppings on the other hand . . .).
If I ever come across what it was I will send you the recipe
I went rooting around for recipes online & think I may have figured it out. They all call for blending or mashing the cottage cheese, I am sure I never saw mom do that & the curd was noticeable in the final product.`I may be backing a cheesecake this weekend!
or baking for that matter
😉
Send me results!
I’ll hold you to that, Frankly!
– Joe
I was sicker than a dog all weekend but feeling 1/2 better today. Thursday is looking like it might be the day.
Also, limes are really cheap here right now for some reason & I love lime. I may use them ins place of lemon
Sounds good to me, Frankly!
Push the liquids.
– Joe
Well…since we’re talking about cheesecake…if I use your recipe with cream (because sour cream here is runny and sour, not tangy) would the addition of 1 or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice replace the sour cream tang?
Hey LML! I would just use some whole milk yogurt instead in that case. Alternately, 3/4 cup of cream will work just fine, plus a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Just out of curiosity, where do you live, LML?
– Joe
I once read a tip about water baths that suggested putting a cloth towel under the pan. The theory was that the water never really gets under the pan but the wet cloth would allow that to happen resulting in more even heating. Do you know if that is true? I also don’t mind cracks, but if you do and this helps it might be one more possible solution.
Hi Linda!
I’ve never heard that explanation before, however I do know that the towel keeps the baking pan from rattling on the bottom of the bath pan should the water start to boil. That’s a good thing all by itself!
Cheers,
– Joe
I’m late to this topic, but: I read this the other day and it surprised me.
If you’re not using a water bath, you can wrap your pan in foil – shiny side out – and it will sort of temper the heat of the oven (probably not to the extent that water would), but it helps.
I’m guessing it works because the foil reflects heat away from the pan, which helps the filling cook more evenly?
Makes sense to me, Andrew! I have a hard to seeing that as being as effective as a water bath but who knows? I’ve been wrong before!
– Joe
As a chef instructor, I agree with the previously mentioned chef instructor…I’ve never allowed a couple of cracks to keep me from enjoying a cheesecake. Although springform pans have become ubiquitous, there’s really nothing wrong with baking a cheesecake in a cake pan. I use an 8″ x 3″ deep aluminum cake pan and use a water bath with no worries. I do prefer to line my cake pan with a parchment circle on the bottom and a strip of 3″ around the side to facilitate release and to allow for normal shrinkage while cooling. Bake anything in the custard family low and slow (300 – 325) and a $5.00 oven thermometer…cracks should be a thing of the past.
That’s all great advice, Chef Smith! And that’s one tall cake! 😉
And I definitely agree that a few little cracks certainly don’t mar a cheesecake eating experience. It’s the big ones I worry about since they tend to indicate that something is seriously awry. Like an overly hot oven. Thanks very much for weighing in on this!
Cheers,
– Joe