Are you a cheesecake baker extraordinaire? Or maybe you just know a thing or two about baking great cheesecakes? Perhaps you can help me out (and if not read on about my struggles)…

A while ago I wrote a post about recipe fails. It happens to the best of us. Especially if we are trying something new, which is what happened to me last week.

It was my husband’s birthday and he wanted cheesecake. Naturally, I decided it was time I put my springform pan to good use and make a real baked cheesecake.

I’ve done plenty of no-bake cheesecakes, but sometimes I like a challenge.

Why would I challenge myself when I have my hands full with a toddler and a baby? I have no idea. But there I was, 6:30 at night, right before my boys needed to go to bed, mixing a cheesecake.

I had limited time. I needed to get the cheesecake done so I could go to bed myself. I had B in his little chair and E was watching TV. Thankfully B wasn’t fussy and just laughed at me as I madly twirled around the kitchen.

Things seemed to be going well, the batter mixed up nicely and I got it in the oven before bedtime so it had time to bake.

When I went downstairs to check on it, (after about 30 minutes in the oven) it had cracked. Like a crater sized crack was forming down the middle. I hadn’t opened the oven door so I knew it wasn’t a change in temperature, there was something else going on.

Ugh.

To be honest, I wasn’t surprised, I had done a new recipe in a hurry, which can lead to mistakes.

But now I am intrigued and want to try again, fixing my errors.

The cheesecake itself tasted alright, it wasn’t perfect but all things considered, it was good.

I want it to be really good though. So I need help troubleshooting. I don’t want to make the same mistake(s) twice!

For reference I will include the recipe I used at the end of the post (because maybe I just need a different recipe). But first, these are my suspicions about what happened:

I Was Rushing

I wasn’t paying close attention to what I was doing so maybe that was part of it.

I Overmixed the Eggs

The one time I follow a recipe exactly, which said to mix the cream cheese, sugar and eggs, then add the sour cream. After googling it I realized I should have done the eggs last. I also shouldn’t have been so vigorous with my mixing and should have stirred the sour cream into the batter.

Too Many Eggs?

The final product tasted, eggy. The recipe called for 4 eggs. After I had it mixed I read the cheesecake recipe on the cream cheese box and it only called for 3 eggs. Maybe it was one too many eggs.

Again, the one time I follow a recipe exactly 🙄

Temperature Changes

I had to throw my mixed batter into the fridge for a few minutes while I helped E get into his pyjamas. It was only about 10 minutes but it probably was enough of a temperature change (cold fridge to hot oven) that caused the crack.

I also don’t trust my oven. It runs hot. Like really hot. If a recipe says to bake something for 10 minutes at 350°F, I just do 8 minutes. If a recipe says to bake at 450°F, I set it to 430°F.

I should just get an oven thermometer so I know what the temperature actually is…

Anyways that may have played into the crack, I don’t know.

I Didn’t Grease the Sides

I have a nonstick cheesecake pan. I probably still should have greased the sides.

No Water Bath

I wanted a real cheesecake but didn’t have time (or the right baking tools) for a water bath. I don’t know if this would have helped or not, I’m not a cheesecake expert (obviously).

Help!

Those are the things I can think of that would make a cheesecake crack. I know cheesecake can be finicky, but I feel up to the challenge.

I’m considering getting (or maybe a Christmas gift idea 🤔) a smaller springform pan so I can half the recipe. We can’t/shouldn’t eat a full 9” cheesecake by ourselves and the ingredients are expensive!

Then I could do a water bath if that ends up being my only solution.

Recipe:

The recipe I used was from the E.D Smith® website and I followed it exactly. I should note that I currently do not have a pan large enough to accommodate my springform pan in a water bath, which is why I chose a recipe that didn’t include that.

New York Style Cheesecake

From the E.D Smith® website.

Crust

• 1 1/4 cups graham crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Filling

• 2 8 oz packages cream cheese
• 1 16oz container sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 TBSP vanilla

Directions

1. Combine crust ingredients in a bowl. Press lightly into the bottom of a 9” springform pan. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Let cool.
2. In a bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Add sour cream and mix well. Pour mixture over crust and place pan on baking sheet to catch any drips.
3. Bake at 325°F for 1 1/4 hour or until centre is almost set. Turn oven off, leaving cheesecake inside with oven door slightly ajar until completely cool.

So are you a cheesecake baker? Did you spot my problem? Do you know someone who can pass along some advice? Drop a comment below or send me a message if you have any suggestions!

(And in case you were worried, we also had ice cream cake for my husband so he still had a satisfactory dessert for his birthday!)

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