Why cheesecakes crack on top

To seal any of the remaining space, dip your offset spatula in a bowl of hot water. Be sure to dip it long enough for the metal to warm up. Use the spatula to gently smooth over the crack. Wipe the spatula clean with the paper towel. Repeat steps 3 and 4 as necessary until you have a smooth top. Instant Pot Cheesecakes ». Did you make one of our recipes? Be sure to leave us a review or comment below. Signup to join my FREE newsletter for recipes, tips and more. Subscribe to newsletter?

Privacy Policy We don't send you spam. Unsubscribe at anytime. Comments Thank you so much for this! Let your cream cheese come to room temperature instead of using it out of the fridge - if it's too cold it will be too difficult to mix. Use a waterbath 3. If you have one, use a springform pan instead of a standard one - it makes it much easier.

Before your add the eggs, mix the ingredients really well to make sure they are all combined and that there are no lumps. When the cheesecake is taken out of the oven, it will collapse and crack. Air is not a friend of cheesecake! So yes, beat the cream cheese in the first step of the recipe until it is fluffy and soft, then slow that mixer down- you can even mix the rest of the ingredients by hand to help prevent cracking.

After your cheesecake has baked and you have removed it from the oven, you want to run a knife or small offset spatula around the edge of the cake pan, preventing the cheesecake from sticking to the sides.

As the cake cools, it will contract and pull away from the sides of the pan. If the cake is stuck to the pan, it will crack along the edges of the cake as the center sinks down and the edges stay stuck.

However, running a knife or spatula quickly around the cheesecake will prevent any sticking and any cracks around the edges of the cake. Over baking a cheesecake can cause it to crack as well due to the cake getting too dry.

When you bake the cheesecake, you want to remove it from the oven when the center is still a little jiggly. Follow the time directions in your recipe and be sure to check the cheesecake a few times in the last few minutes of baking to be sure the center is still nice and soft.

The center will actually continue to cook once it is removed from the oven, so you do not need to worry about food safety- it will be perfectly okay to eat when the center has a little jiggle! When the cake cooks too long, the moisture is baked out of the cake and it will become quite dry. This can cause cracks in the cake even before it is out of the oven.

Learn how to avoid this common problem and keep your cool in the kitchen with these quick tips from Chef Eddy. According to Chef Eddy Van Damme , you can do several things to avoid your cheesecake from cracking.

Check our recipes that use a water bath. Wine, bourbon, rum, beer…sometimes your dessert recipes call for an added spirit to kick things Professional chefs will tell you that baking is just as much science as it is an art.