Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Before baking the cheesecake
• Method 2 of 3: While baking the cheesecake
• Method 3 of 3: After baking the cheesecake
• Tips
• What do you need

Cheesecakes are notorious for their surface cracking. Most cracks can be avoided if you just remember to avoid over-beating and over-drying the dough, and if you're really worried about keeping your cheesecake looking good,then you can go through a few extra steps to achieve this smooth and pristine surface.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Before baking the cheesecake

1. 1 Grease the bowl well. The baked cheesecake shrinks as it cools. If the sides of your bowl are not lubricated enough, the cheesecake can stick to them and fall apart in the middle when squeezed. Lubricating the bowl allows the cheesecake to come off the sides and shrink.
   • You can use cooking spray, butter, margarine, or cooking oil as a bowl lubricant. Typically, the sides and bottom of the bowl should feel glossy and greasy to the touch, but not damp.
   • Use a clean paper towel to spread the cooking oil, spray, or butter evenly all over the sides of the bowl.
2. 2 Mix easily. Stop when all the ingredients have been mixed and the butter is smooth. Subsequently, mixing the dough inside can form air bubbles, which are the main cause of cracks.
   • Inside the oven, air bubbles formed in the dough expand and try to escape. They move towards the top of the cheesecake, eventually creating cracks or depressions.
3. 3 You can add starch to the dough. Add 1 tbsp. l. (15 ml) in 1/4 cup (60 ml) cornstarch or flour for dough along with sugar.
   • The starch minimizes the number of cracks created. Starch molecules are fixed between the egg whites and prevent them from over-clotting. As a result, the cheesecake shrinks less while creating fewer cracks.
   • If you are cooking with a recipe that already includes flour or starch, then you no longer need to add any of these. The author of the recipe could already have taken into account the question of adding starch.
4. 4 Lastly, add the eggs. Eggs bind the ingredients of the dough together and, as a result, are the main component responsible for trapped air bubbles inside the cheesecake. Mix the rest of the ingredients together thoroughly before adding the eggs to reduce trapped air bubbles.
   • Any lumps created by cream cheese or other ingredients must be completely crushed before adding the eggs.
   • Stir the dough as little as possible after adding the eggs.
5. 5 Place the bowl in a water bath. Warm water keeps the oven humid, but more importantly, it prevents the cheesecake from getting too hot during cooking.
   • To create a water bath, first cover the sides and bottom of your cheesecake bowl with aluminum foil to create an extra water barrier. If possible, use heavy-duty aluminum foil and wrap it as securely as possible around the outside of the bowl.
   • Place the bowl of cheesecake in a larger bowl. Fill a large bowl with 2.5 to 5 cm of warm water, or just enough water to surround half the depth of the cheesecake bowl.

Method 2 of 3: While baking the cheesecake

1. 1 Bake at low temperature. Ideally, you should bake your cheesecake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit (160 degrees Celsius). High temperatures and sudden changes in them can lead to cracking of the cake, and at rather low temperatures, the risk of this outcome is significantly reduced.
   • You can bake the cheesecake at a lower temperature if the recipe says so, but avoid temperatures higher than that. At high temperatures, the egg whites curdle strongly and cause the cheesecake to crack on the surface.
2. 2 It is better to turn off the oven ahead of time. Instead of keeping the oven on for the full amount of time, turn it off after about 45 minutes. Leave the cheesecake inside for about another hour or until cooked. The dough should continue to bake inside a warm oven.
   • Baking the cheesecake gently during the last hour prevents the dough from overdrying, which is important as overdrying can cause cracks.

Method 3 of 3: After baking the cheesecake

1. 1 Check doneness with an instantaneous thermometer. Measure the temperature in the center of the cheesecake with the tip of a thermometer towards the end of the cooking time. When the temperature of the cheesecake reaches 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees Celsius), then it will already need to be removed from the oven.
   • A cheesecake will always crack if its internal temperature rises above 160 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius) during baking.
   • After the thermometer, there will be a hole in the center of your cheesecake, so you can skip this step if you want a perfectly smooth surface. However, many people do not pay attention to the hole as much as to the surface cracks. A thermometer will not only allow you to measure the degree of readiness in detail, but it is also a valuable tool in the fight against surface cracking and certainly has its advantages.
2. 2 Don't overdry the cheesecake. The cheesecake is done when the outer walls are firm and the center is still wobbly.
   • Note that while the center should look damp and wavy, it shouldn't be runny.
   • The center of the cheesecake will thicken as it cools.
   • If you bake your cheesecake until the center is dry, you will end up drying it completely. Dryness is another contributor to surface cracking.
3. 3 Run your knife along the sides of the bowl. After removing the cheesecake from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes. After the minutes have passed, run a smooth fruit knife along the inside of the bowl, separating the cheesecake from it.
   • While cheesecakes are squeezed when cooled, this action further prevents the dessert from sticking to the sides of the bowl and grinding in the middle during squeezing.
4. 4 Chill the cheesecake slowly. Allow the cheesecake to cool at room temperature until the temperature of the cake itself has dropped to room temperature.
   • Do not put the cheesecake in the refrigerator right after you take it out of the oven. Sudden changes in temperature can cause cracking.
   • Place an inverted plate or baking sheet over the cheesecake as it chills to protect the surface.
   • After the cheesecake has dropped to room temperature, refrigerate it for another six hours or until it is completely solid.
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Tips

• If your cheesecake is still cracking, cover up the cracks by using them as cuts when slicing the dessert.
• You can also hide cracks by spreading sour cream or whipped cream on top of the cheesecake, or by spreading the filling or sauce for dessert.

What do you need

• Cooking spray, butter, margarine, or cooking oil
• Paper towel
• Starch or flour
• Extra strong aluminum foil
• Large bowl
• Water
• Cooking thermometer with instant temperature readings
• Fruit knife
• Plate or baking sheet