# Stopping a cheescake from cracking.(Help) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 20, 2005, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-a-cheescake-from-cracking-help/300218 "2005-04-20T13:34:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrMemory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DrMemory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrMemory)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-a-cheescake-from-cracking-help/300218/1 "2005-04-20T13:34:22Z")
Dear friends; I make a mean cheescake, but of late I’ve had problems with the top cracking. My recipe calls for it to be baked at 300 degrees, no water bath. Any Bakers out there have any idea as to a cure? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-a-cheescake-from-cracking-help/300218/2 "2005-04-20T13:41:28Z")
Over cooking the cheesecake is what cracks it. Try baking it a little less time. If it looks wiggley in the middle, it’s usually done. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-a-cheescake-from-cracking-help/300218/3 "2005-04-20T13:44:17Z")
> [@DrMemory](#): > > Dear friends; > I make a mean cheescake, but of late I’ve had problems with the top cracking. My recipe calls for it to be baked at 300 degrees, no water bath. Any Bakers out there have any idea as to a cure? Thanks. Try a water bath. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-a-cheescake-from-cracking-help/300218/4 "2005-04-20T13:47:42Z")
Without the water bath, you may be suffering from the edges cooking too much faster than the center. This is often a problem with larger sized cakes. Try cooking at a lower temperature for more even cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-a-cheescake-from-cracking-help/300218/5 "2005-04-20T16:32:45Z")
I always use a water bath and I never have cracks. Use the water bath. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-a-cheescake-from-cracking-help/300218/6 "2005-04-20T16:35:07Z")
FoodNetwork has a recipe for crack-proof [cheesecake](http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/cachedSearchResults/0,7822,cheesecake_Recipe,00.html?searchString=cheesecake&site=FOOD&searchType=Recipe) but I can’t get the page to load. ---
**Author:** ![wonderwench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/35a633/32.png) [@wonderwench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderwench)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-a-cheescake-from-cracking-help/300218/7 "2005-04-20T16:44:09Z")
I never use a water bath and avoid cracking by slightly undercooking the cheesecake. It turns out creamier as well. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-a-cheescake-from-cracking-help/300218/8 "2005-04-20T17:01:21Z")
It also strikes me that overheating your oven could be a cause for overcooking just as easily as could leaving it in the oven for too long. Have you had your oven calibrated recently? Also, I’ve found that leaving it in the springform pan can keep the whole thing held together, even if there are cracks. So you might consider just eating it directly out of the springform pan. Serving it to other people? Why would you want to do that? ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-a-cheescake-from-cracking-help/300218/9 "2005-04-21T01:16:54Z")
According to Alton Brown’s _I’m Just Here for More Food_ you can “take out a little crack insurance by adding a tablespoon of cornstarch to the batter when you add the sugar.” The starch molecules get in the way of the egg proteins and stop them from over coagulating, the cause of cracks. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-a-cheescake-from-cracking-help/300218/10 "2005-04-21T01:21:21Z")
Cover the crack with cherries or sliced strawberries, silly! What? ---
**Author:** ![wonderwench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/35a633/32.png) [@wonderwench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderwench)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-a-cheescake-from-cracking-help/300218/11 "2005-04-21T01:23:10Z")
No! Add a top layer of sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool and refrigerate. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-a-cheescake-from-cracking-help/300218/12 "2005-04-21T01:40:46Z")
I’m not a master pastry chef, but here’s a point my ex-girlfriend made; the cake is very dense and has a lot of heat still in it, so it is still cooking from the inside out when you remove it from the stove. Try cutting the heat down 50 degrees or more for the last few minutes of baking and/or pulling it out a few minutes early and letting it cook itself out. I’ve made cheesecake twice since and the latter method seemed to work well. I’ve never used a water bath, and I don’t believe professional cooks do, either. Stranger