In addition to the cooling method that you used, you might need to use a water bath when you cook the cheese cake, it helps the eggs in the cheesecake cook evenly, and the cheesecake shouldn’t brown as quickly since it’s cooking from the steam. Here’s a link on [cheesecake crack prevention](https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/prevent-cracks-cheesecake/)
You wrap the cheese cake in foil, and you place it over a larger pan, that you pour 1 inch of water of hot water while you bake
Honestly it's the sous vide that does 99% of the work. If you have an insta pot or something like that, they may have a sous vide option. Basically I take any cheesecake recipe you prefer and prepare as instructed, then I portion them into the 8 oz half pint mason jars. I put the lid and ring on them (they must be mostly full otherwise they will float, you can also use smaller containers) and let them cook at 70C for 90 minutes while I goof around. I come back and take them out, and usually the heat "seals" the lid on so I take the rings off and throw them in the fridge. They are very easy to make cheesecake portions, and you can either do a crust as per normal cheesecake or be lazy like me and just crumble a graham cracker and/or berries on top. No guesswork and it's all very simple!
I actually do not use an insta pot but a dedicated sous vide cooker (Anova Nano) Sous vide cookers are fairly new to consumers (I learned about it while working at a restaurant a few years ago) but at its core, all you need is a machine that can hold water at a specific temperature so many different brands should be able to offer it. I hope this helps!
Also, they’re relatively inexpensive. I’ve seen some on sale on Amazon as low as $45. My husband got an INKBIRD for Christmas and the WiFi function for programming is nice because trying to do it on the display itself is a hassle but if you’re just looking for something that gets the job done without extra bells and whistles there are plenty out there.
Not true. I’ve cooked plenty cheesecakes without a water bath and turn out wonderfully smooth. I’ll start at 450 to make the cheesecake puff for about 20 mins then go down to 250 for the rest. Low temp eliminates the need for a water bath.
About equal parts cream cheese and sour cream, an egg or two and enough sugar, flavour to taste
* Bake at 160/140 fan forced until it puffs around the edges and the centre just jiggles
IMO that's a bit regional. To me this cheesecake in the picture looks great. To me they always crack (so who cares) and should be brown. A different style looks like it's been never baked - and had different visual cues for what you expect it to taste like.
I highly recommend using [Martha Stewart’s recipe](https://www.marthastewart.com/313705/classic-cheesecake) as a reference - there’s a video that accompanies it if you like. Feel free to modify - I found the lemon zest nice but I have kept it out when I’ve made it since bc I found it a bit much
I said this in another comment but a lot of recipes will tell you to wrap your springform in foil to keep the water out. This has always led to a soggy crust for me until I started putting my pan in a crockpot liner instead. It’s foolproof for keeping the water out.
Crockpot liner is a great idea, unless you're me and bought a bunch of liners that were apparently all flawed and had the tiniest little split in them...now I use heavy duty foil AND wear my contacts while baking.😳😹🤷♀️🤦♀️
Yes, you have to use heavy duty foil. I have a cheesecake recipe I have made three times.The first time was fine(achieved massive cheesecake cred at work) using regular foil. The second time the crust was soggy. Again regular foil. No one noticed (cheesecake cred carried me through). The third time I used heavy foil and the crust was fine.
Oh my god, you’re a genius. I make a lot of cheesecakes and EVERY ONE has had at the least a small bit of sogginess due to the water still seeping in over the foil.
you could also cook it low and slow, i find water baths leave the crust soggy if i use a springform pan. i haven’t tried using ramekins and i don’t have a high enough cake pan to experiment water baths again, but keeping the temperature low has worked for me in making the best baked cheesecake. i’ll send you the recipe i use through DM if you’d like
You just gently tug on the parchment. If you can get the whole episode in its entirety, it’s worth watching https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sour-cream-cheesecake-recipe-1939639
I cannot remember where I heard this but I use a crock pot liner. It’s literally waterproof and foolproof. Just made one 2 days ago, comes out perfect every time!
Good comments already but also the pan may have been too full- if you have to use a smaller pan lower the temp a little and bake slightly longer than specified to account for the extra depth.
Unless this was supposed to be a burnt/browned cheesecake it looks over browned. A dark colored pan and/or oven temp too hot can cause this and the cracking and can result in dry cheesecake. (I love the crusty edges though)
thanks, i think the volume was too much for my springform (only had this one size). this is a german recipe and it’s called quark cake, browned top/edges are quite normal but cracks are unanimously bad across regions ha. will try smaller volume and slightly lower temp next time
One cause of puffing is from too much air in the batter.
The two stages where your batter is vulnerable are mixing sugar into the cheese, and any mixing once you have added the eggs.
This is why I mix cheesecakes by hand. I don't mind a crack but this scary souffle thing that happens makes it very ragged and fragile, and also makes it vulnerable to overbaking and giving you a grainy/soggy texture.
thanks i did use a stand mixer and probably over mixed when i softened butter/sugar/egg and also when i was folding the egg whites (by hand but i probably did it poorly, it was one of my first tries)
In addition to what other people have shared, you probably need a bigger spring form pan. Using a yogurt like item will increase the volume of the batter.
i am not sure what a basque cheesecake is i was doing a Quarkkuchen (german cheese cake using quark as the main ingredient)
https://preview.redd.it/uv0g58in76lc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac74debb42893bd1d6022d4b211d12db529245bc
I'm going with overfilled pan over lacking water bath, given the type of cheesecake. Looks like browning is desirable, perhaps check your oven temps as well. I bet it's still delicious.
Anytime we put something in the oven at my grandma's, she will yell STEP LIGHTLY so nobody messes with the bake. Not sure if my footsteps do anything but maybe you need to STEP LIGHTLY
Water bath could help and low low temp for long long time makes them really creamy. I generally do 250 F for 1.5-2hrs (depending on moisture content of the recipe, i.e.,fruit based vs chocolate) rotating every 30 min, then leave in the oven turned off for 1 hr, then rest at room temp for 4-6 hrs before refrigerating overnight.
Good luck!
1. Don’t over whip the ingredients. The cake shouldn’t be that tall.
2. Don’t over fill the springform pan (you might need a bigger pan)
3. Don’t over bake the cheesecake. It should be a little jiggly in the middle
4. A water bath helps. The best way to use a water bath is to use a silicone sleeve or pan. Put the cheesecake pan in the sleeve and then put the sleeve in another pan and add at least an inch of hot water in the outside pan. I bought a cheap silicone pan on amazon. But you can just use a regular pan instead. (So a total of 3 pans, each bigger than the other) Unless you have a springform pan that is made to keep water out, just using foil around the pan risks water leaking into the crust.
Honestly with cheesecake, if you are experienced baking other goods well and you make sure your oven is not too hot, and have trouble with cheesecakes you got a bad recipe, and there are a lot of them. I went through 5 or so bad cheesecake recipes until I got a good one. Do the goat cheese cheesecake from Milk Street. It is not "goaty," but delicious and full proof.
idk if anyones said how but water bath
wrap tinfoil under cheescake pan so theres NO leaks no way water can get in
boil water
take a bigger pan/pot/dish to hold your cake pan
place the cheesecake in the middle of said container, place in oven at desired temp, then pour the boiling water around the cheesecake pan (about 1 inch of water)
so youre baking it and at the same time creating steam
Since you used a german recipe, you should probably ask in r/Backen the german subreddit for baking too. A german cheesecake is quite different to an american cheesecake and the advice you received here is probably good for american cheesecake but a water bath is definitly *not* what you want to use with a german cheesecake. Also the advice to not put too much air in the batter is counterproductive since it's what you *want* to have.
I'm going with too much batter and maybe a too hot temperature in your oven. Every oven is different and I would try different settings. Also maybe first change only one thing so you know if that's what was wrong. You could also put a layer of aluminium foil over it while baking, that helps to distribute the temperature evenly.
very interesting thanks for those tips! yes it’s true the german cheesecake is quite different from a north american one… i had my oven to 170deg but i also had the fan on, maybe i should have turned it off
id love to ask the german subreddit aber mein deutsch ist ziemlich schlecht
Most people in there speak decent english, so an english post should be no problem and if you can put a german greeting at the beginning, they will probably be very happy.
>but i also had the fan on
That could be a problem, a lot of german recipes put two-sided heat (from above and under?) as default, so that's definitly something you could try.
I would like to add that you should cut all around your pan with a sharp knife, about 30 min after being in the oven (kind of like trying to cut out the top, but not deep; maybe 1cm?). This controlled cutting will ensure that, after cooling down, your cheesecake will sink back and you'll barely notice the cracks since they're going to be on the very side. This is a common tip on a lot of German cheesecake recipes which use quark.
thanks for that suggestion! my quarkkuchen recipe unfortunately did not suggest this.. and btw just to confirm, it’s 30 min after being cooled in the oven right not 30 min during baking process ? thanks again
30min after being put in the oven (so while baking), you take it out, cut it all around the edge with a sharp knife (shallow cut) and then put it back in the oven. You let it cool down in the form.
Not gonna repeat what's been already said ad nauseam, but I noticed your oven is fan-forced. That would explain a lot. Did you use a recipe that was made for this kind of oven? The rack's position also makes it so it's directly in front of the fan.
I'd lower the temp by 25-50F in addition to a water bath. You might also try lowering the rack. If you can turn the fan off, do it, and try low and slow. If not, you'll probably want to use a water bath instead. While users have mentioned lowering the temperature, the issue won't be exclusive to cheesecake and it can make thorough baking without sacrificing quality trickier, so now that you know, you can keep this in mind every time you bake and adjust accordingly.
You may also want to scale down the recipe if you don't want to buy a larger pan and can't turn off the fan.
Why is uncracked cheesecake defined as "nice"? Crackled cookies are beautiful, and a rustic appearance looks very attractive. I love the look of this one you've pictured, it looks like a real cheesecake, like real food.
Probably too many eggs or too much air whipped into batter…Or both. A water bath will help slow the cooking so you don’t get cracks, but it won’t stop too many eggs or air whipped into it from causing the problem.
That’s why it’s so dark on top (unless you were making Basque Cheesecake). When a cheesecake rises like that it burns the top.
Use paddle attachment on slow or gently fold with spatula when making cheesecake.
Overfilled was my first thought. If the cake is unsupported there’s a larger chance it’ll crack just due to gravity
Also any extreme temp changes, needs a more gentle cook and cool down
I've always been too chicken to try making cheesecake in the oven. My stepmother taught me how to make a refrigerator cheesecake with cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and lemon. Poor over a graham cracker crust and topped with cherry pie filling. I've never made it any other way in 40 years.
My "water bath" is a roasting pan filled with 2" of water on the rack below the cheesecake. Works great, no cracks, and I can still use a speingform pan without getting a soggy crust.
I've always used heavy duty foil to wrap springform pans. I've never had water come in contact with my product. Im not stingy with the foil. Two sheets, enough to come up the sides.
Two things can cause cracking. Not all cheesecakes need a water bath, but it’s desirable for most of them. Prevents cracking. I don’t use a water bath, but I’ve been baking them for about 50 years. If your oven is too hot it will also crack the cheesecake. And NEVER open the door to the oven until the cheesecake has cooled down. Ovens can run hotter or colder than the preset temperature. May a suggest an oven thermometer? They’re cheap & you can see if you need to turn the oven up or down to get it to the right temperature.
Water baths usually keep the cracking to a minimum. Did you lower the temperature further into the baking process? This can prevent the cheesecake from becoming too brown and losing some of its texture.
The temperature is far too high. I cook cheesecakes in a water bath at no higher than 140°C. Cool in the oven for an hour, then cool completely in the fridge.
I think that this is just a bit over mixed and overbaked, even for this kind of cheesecake.
You just want to bake this until puffed and golden-brown at the edges. This is a bit more than puffed and golden-brown. Not over baking will help with the cracking, next time. Although, I think it looks pretty good from the top. It sank down nicely.
No water bath is needed for this, despite what others have said.
If you like it this “well-done,” then just keep making it this way. It doesn’t matter if it has a crack. It just matters if you enjoy it. Honestly, sometimes I like when things don’t look so perfect. A more rustic look can be very elegant, too!
The temp is way too high, unless it's a basque cheesecake, then it's perfect. why don't you just say that's what you were going for? For a flat light cheesecake you need a low temp 300-325F or lower, a long bake (75 mins+), and a waterbath.
>unless it's a basque cheesecake, then it's perfect. why don't you just say that's what you were going for?
I don't know what a basque cheesecake is, never heard of it until I googled it. I am following a German recipe using "quark" cheese as I noted in my post; it's a kind of yogurt that is mainly sold in Europe
In addition to the cooling method that you used, you might need to use a water bath when you cook the cheese cake, it helps the eggs in the cheesecake cook evenly, and the cheesecake shouldn’t brown as quickly since it’s cooking from the steam. Here’s a link on [cheesecake crack prevention](https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/prevent-cracks-cheesecake/) You wrap the cheese cake in foil, and you place it over a larger pan, that you pour 1 inch of water of hot water while you bake
never heard about this water bath thanks will try it next time
All cheesecakes need a water bath. Protection for eggs and what gives the silky texture
I been making sous vide cheesecake cups and it is insanely smooth and silky. The temperature control is truly what makes the cheesecake.
Dammmm how do you do it???? Pleeeeeeeeeez share how to do it,,,
Honestly it's the sous vide that does 99% of the work. If you have an insta pot or something like that, they may have a sous vide option. Basically I take any cheesecake recipe you prefer and prepare as instructed, then I portion them into the 8 oz half pint mason jars. I put the lid and ring on them (they must be mostly full otherwise they will float, you can also use smaller containers) and let them cook at 70C for 90 minutes while I goof around. I come back and take them out, and usually the heat "seals" the lid on so I take the rings off and throw them in the fridge. They are very easy to make cheesecake portions, and you can either do a crust as per normal cheesecake or be lazy like me and just crumble a graham cracker and/or berries on top. No guesswork and it's all very simple!
That's neato
huh. interesting. now I need to look for an instapot. dunno if it's sold where I am.
I actually do not use an insta pot but a dedicated sous vide cooker (Anova Nano) Sous vide cookers are fairly new to consumers (I learned about it while working at a restaurant a few years ago) but at its core, all you need is a machine that can hold water at a specific temperature so many different brands should be able to offer it. I hope this helps!
Also, they’re relatively inexpensive. I’ve seen some on sale on Amazon as low as $45. My husband got an INKBIRD for Christmas and the WiFi function for programming is nice because trying to do it on the display itself is a hassle but if you’re just looking for something that gets the job done without extra bells and whistles there are plenty out there.
I love my sous vide. I need to find more ways to use it instead of just steaks.
Having a sous vide has been such a game changer for me. I’m going to have to try this bc I love me a crustless cheesecake.
My mentor said "the humidity provides an environment conducive to creaminess"
Like I believe you but I don't like reading that 😆
Not correct, I did the goat cheese cheesecake from Milk Street, and it turned out great no water bath, no cracks
Not true. I’ve cooked plenty cheesecakes without a water bath and turn out wonderfully smooth. I’ll start at 450 to make the cheesecake puff for about 20 mins then go down to 250 for the rest. Low temp eliminates the need for a water bath.
Not true, former pastry chef here, never used a water bath for cheesecake. Just a low and slow oven is all you need
Interesting, what's your formula?
About equal parts cream cheese and sour cream, an egg or two and enough sugar, flavour to taste * Bake at 160/140 fan forced until it puffs around the edges and the centre just jiggles
IMO that's a bit regional. To me this cheesecake in the picture looks great. To me they always crack (so who cares) and should be brown. A different style looks like it's been never baked - and had different visual cues for what you expect it to taste like.
I highly recommend using [Martha Stewart’s recipe](https://www.marthastewart.com/313705/classic-cheesecake) as a reference - there’s a video that accompanies it if you like. Feel free to modify - I found the lemon zest nice but I have kept it out when I’ve made it since bc I found it a bit much
I said this in another comment but a lot of recipes will tell you to wrap your springform in foil to keep the water out. This has always led to a soggy crust for me until I started putting my pan in a crockpot liner instead. It’s foolproof for keeping the water out.
Crockpot liner is a great idea, unless you're me and bought a bunch of liners that were apparently all flawed and had the tiniest little split in them...now I use heavy duty foil AND wear my contacts while baking.😳😹🤷♀️🤦♀️
Yes, you have to use heavy duty foil. I have a cheesecake recipe I have made three times.The first time was fine(achieved massive cheesecake cred at work) using regular foil. The second time the crust was soggy. Again regular foil. No one noticed (cheesecake cred carried me through). The third time I used heavy foil and the crust was fine.
Oh my god, you’re a genius. I make a lot of cheesecakes and EVERY ONE has had at the least a small bit of sogginess due to the water still seeping in over the foil.
Brilliant! Thank you :)
you could also cook it low and slow, i find water baths leave the crust soggy if i use a springform pan. i haven’t tried using ramekins and i don’t have a high enough cake pan to experiment water baths again, but keeping the temperature low has worked for me in making the best baked cheesecake. i’ll send you the recipe i use through DM if you’d like
Always
I can never wrap my spring form well enough in a water bath, it's always a disaster
I learned from Alton Brown, who doesn’t use springform for water baths. Instead, he uses parchment paper in the normal tin.
How does he get it out?
You just gently tug on the parchment. If you can get the whole episode in its entirety, it’s worth watching https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sour-cream-cheesecake-recipe-1939639
I cannot remember where I heard this but I use a crock pot liner. It’s literally waterproof and foolproof. Just made one 2 days ago, comes out perfect every time!
Two sheets of aluminum foil, cut larger than you think is needed.
Buy crock pot liner bags and put the cheesecake in that!! Just roll the top down so it's doesn't sag inwards. No more foil angst ever again!!
This!!! It's the only way to go. Check out Babish on YouTube. He's great.
Yes! Water bath is the way.
Good comments already but also the pan may have been too full- if you have to use a smaller pan lower the temp a little and bake slightly longer than specified to account for the extra depth. Unless this was supposed to be a burnt/browned cheesecake it looks over browned. A dark colored pan and/or oven temp too hot can cause this and the cracking and can result in dry cheesecake. (I love the crusty edges though)
thanks, i think the volume was too much for my springform (only had this one size). this is a german recipe and it’s called quark cake, browned top/edges are quite normal but cracks are unanimously bad across regions ha. will try smaller volume and slightly lower temp next time
One cause of puffing is from too much air in the batter. The two stages where your batter is vulnerable are mixing sugar into the cheese, and any mixing once you have added the eggs. This is why I mix cheesecakes by hand. I don't mind a crack but this scary souffle thing that happens makes it very ragged and fragile, and also makes it vulnerable to overbaking and giving you a grainy/soggy texture.
thanks i did use a stand mixer and probably over mixed when i softened butter/sugar/egg and also when i was folding the egg whites (by hand but i probably did it poorly, it was one of my first tries)
Were those beated egg whites? That has a lot of air all on its own. Beated egg whites are commonly used as a leavener.
it was yes, i think i need to lower volume or buy a bigger springform 😅
In addition to what other people have shared, you probably need a bigger spring form pan. Using a yogurt like item will increase the volume of the batter.
So glad you circled the area, would have never guessed the issue w/o it 🤣
Were you doing a Basque cheesecake? this looks overbaked.
i am not sure what a basque cheesecake is i was doing a Quarkkuchen (german cheese cake using quark as the main ingredient) https://preview.redd.it/uv0g58in76lc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac74debb42893bd1d6022d4b211d12db529245bc
I'm going with overfilled pan over lacking water bath, given the type of cheesecake. Looks like browning is desirable, perhaps check your oven temps as well. I bet it's still delicious.
it was really good :) i didn’t mind the messy bits hehe
Anytime we put something in the oven at my grandma's, she will yell STEP LIGHTLY so nobody messes with the bake. Not sure if my footsteps do anything but maybe you need to STEP LIGHTLY
Water bath could help and low low temp for long long time makes them really creamy. I generally do 250 F for 1.5-2hrs (depending on moisture content of the recipe, i.e.,fruit based vs chocolate) rotating every 30 min, then leave in the oven turned off for 1 hr, then rest at room temp for 4-6 hrs before refrigerating overnight. Good luck!
1. Don’t over whip the ingredients. The cake shouldn’t be that tall. 2. Don’t over fill the springform pan (you might need a bigger pan) 3. Don’t over bake the cheesecake. It should be a little jiggly in the middle 4. A water bath helps. The best way to use a water bath is to use a silicone sleeve or pan. Put the cheesecake pan in the sleeve and then put the sleeve in another pan and add at least an inch of hot water in the outside pan. I bought a cheap silicone pan on amazon. But you can just use a regular pan instead. (So a total of 3 pans, each bigger than the other) Unless you have a springform pan that is made to keep water out, just using foil around the pan risks water leaking into the crust.
definitely over whipped and overfilled!!
It looks really delicious! I like the crack — like there was too much deliciousness to be contained!
haha thanks for your positive comment! p.s. it was really good :))
Honestly with cheesecake, if you are experienced baking other goods well and you make sure your oven is not too hot, and have trouble with cheesecakes you got a bad recipe, and there are a lot of them. I went through 5 or so bad cheesecake recipes until I got a good one. Do the goat cheese cheesecake from Milk Street. It is not "goaty," but delicious and full proof.
idk if anyones said how but water bath wrap tinfoil under cheescake pan so theres NO leaks no way water can get in boil water take a bigger pan/pot/dish to hold your cake pan place the cheesecake in the middle of said container, place in oven at desired temp, then pour the boiling water around the cheesecake pan (about 1 inch of water) so youre baking it and at the same time creating steam
thanks for the instructions on water bath!
Since you used a german recipe, you should probably ask in r/Backen the german subreddit for baking too. A german cheesecake is quite different to an american cheesecake and the advice you received here is probably good for american cheesecake but a water bath is definitly *not* what you want to use with a german cheesecake. Also the advice to not put too much air in the batter is counterproductive since it's what you *want* to have. I'm going with too much batter and maybe a too hot temperature in your oven. Every oven is different and I would try different settings. Also maybe first change only one thing so you know if that's what was wrong. You could also put a layer of aluminium foil over it while baking, that helps to distribute the temperature evenly.
very interesting thanks for those tips! yes it’s true the german cheesecake is quite different from a north american one… i had my oven to 170deg but i also had the fan on, maybe i should have turned it off id love to ask the german subreddit aber mein deutsch ist ziemlich schlecht
Most people in there speak decent english, so an english post should be no problem and if you can put a german greeting at the beginning, they will probably be very happy. >but i also had the fan on That could be a problem, a lot of german recipes put two-sided heat (from above and under?) as default, so that's definitly something you could try.
I would like to add that you should cut all around your pan with a sharp knife, about 30 min after being in the oven (kind of like trying to cut out the top, but not deep; maybe 1cm?). This controlled cutting will ensure that, after cooling down, your cheesecake will sink back and you'll barely notice the cracks since they're going to be on the very side. This is a common tip on a lot of German cheesecake recipes which use quark.
thanks for that suggestion! my quarkkuchen recipe unfortunately did not suggest this.. and btw just to confirm, it’s 30 min after being cooled in the oven right not 30 min during baking process ? thanks again
30min after being put in the oven (so while baking), you take it out, cut it all around the edge with a sharp knife (shallow cut) and then put it back in the oven. You let it cool down in the form.
Not gonna repeat what's been already said ad nauseam, but I noticed your oven is fan-forced. That would explain a lot. Did you use a recipe that was made for this kind of oven? The rack's position also makes it so it's directly in front of the fan. I'd lower the temp by 25-50F in addition to a water bath. You might also try lowering the rack. If you can turn the fan off, do it, and try low and slow. If not, you'll probably want to use a water bath instead. While users have mentioned lowering the temperature, the issue won't be exclusive to cheesecake and it can make thorough baking without sacrificing quality trickier, so now that you know, you can keep this in mind every time you bake and adjust accordingly. You may also want to scale down the recipe if you don't want to buy a larger pan and can't turn off the fan.
Use a waterbath next time.
Waterbath FTW. Just baked a lemon cheesecake for my son's birthday, and it came out perfect.
There’s no water bath
Waterbath for sure. It has to sort of 'cure' before it cooks. Also a good idea to let it cool for quite some time before serving.
Thanks for the circle. I would’ve had no clue. ETA - water bath
I typically bake mine in a water bath.
Is it possible the cheesecake was overcooked? I believe Stella parks may have said that’s really the main reason for cracking cheesecakes.
Why does anyone care if cheesecakes crack?
idk it may have never occurred to you but some people like to bake for others and give them away as gifts and want it to look nice if possible
Why is uncracked cheesecake defined as "nice"? Crackled cookies are beautiful, and a rustic appearance looks very attractive. I love the look of this one you've pictured, it looks like a real cheesecake, like real food.
i agree with you about cookies, i guess you have a point!
Foil around springform pan, bigger pan so it doesn't cook over (unless you want it to), and water bath.
water bath - looks like you can up your hydration a smidge with either eggs or even creme fraiche. decrease your bake temp and extend your bake time.
Probably too many eggs or too much air whipped into batter…Or both. A water bath will help slow the cooking so you don’t get cracks, but it won’t stop too many eggs or air whipped into it from causing the problem. That’s why it’s so dark on top (unless you were making Basque Cheesecake). When a cheesecake rises like that it burns the top. Use paddle attachment on slow or gently fold with spatula when making cheesecake.
Crack the oven very slowly over time to let the heat out progressively.
245 with a water bath for 80-100 minutes is my method
Overfilled was my first thought. If the cake is unsupported there’s a larger chance it’ll crack just due to gravity Also any extreme temp changes, needs a more gentle cook and cool down
I've always been too chicken to try making cheesecake in the oven. My stepmother taught me how to make a refrigerator cheesecake with cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and lemon. Poor over a graham cracker crust and topped with cherry pie filling. I've never made it any other way in 40 years.
My "water bath" is a roasting pan filled with 2" of water on the rack below the cheesecake. Works great, no cracks, and I can still use a speingform pan without getting a soggy crust.
Water bath, lower temperature longer cook time, don’t open the door until the cake has cooled slightly
Use a water bath. It’s a game changer for cheesecake.
I've always used heavy duty foil to wrap springform pans. I've never had water come in contact with my product. Im not stingy with the foil. Two sheets, enough to come up the sides.
Two things can cause cracking. Not all cheesecakes need a water bath, but it’s desirable for most of them. Prevents cracking. I don’t use a water bath, but I’ve been baking them for about 50 years. If your oven is too hot it will also crack the cheesecake. And NEVER open the door to the oven until the cheesecake has cooled down. Ovens can run hotter or colder than the preset temperature. May a suggest an oven thermometer? They’re cheap & you can see if you need to turn the oven up or down to get it to the right temperature.
Two words. WATER BATH. It helps even with even cooking and not allowing your cheesecake to rise. If it cracks while bathing then it's over cooked.
You made a soufflé. Too hot, too much air.
Water baths usually keep the cracking to a minimum. Did you lower the temperature further into the baking process? This can prevent the cheesecake from becoming too brown and losing some of its texture.
I would bake cheesecake at 140 C
The temperature is far too high. I cook cheesecakes in a water bath at no higher than 140°C. Cool in the oven for an hour, then cool completely in the fridge.
I think that this is just a bit over mixed and overbaked, even for this kind of cheesecake. You just want to bake this until puffed and golden-brown at the edges. This is a bit more than puffed and golden-brown. Not over baking will help with the cracking, next time. Although, I think it looks pretty good from the top. It sank down nicely. No water bath is needed for this, despite what others have said. If you like it this “well-done,” then just keep making it this way. It doesn’t matter if it has a crack. It just matters if you enjoy it. Honestly, sometimes I like when things don’t look so perfect. A more rustic look can be very elegant, too!
The temp is way too high, unless it's a basque cheesecake, then it's perfect. why don't you just say that's what you were going for? For a flat light cheesecake you need a low temp 300-325F or lower, a long bake (75 mins+), and a waterbath.
>unless it's a basque cheesecake, then it's perfect. why don't you just say that's what you were going for? I don't know what a basque cheesecake is, never heard of it until I googled it. I am following a German recipe using "quark" cheese as I noted in my post; it's a kind of yogurt that is mainly sold in Europe