Three tricks to reduce cracks on a baked cheesecake, the ‘little black dress’ of desserts

Name: Three tricks to reduce cracks on a baked cheesecake, the ‘little black dress’ of desserts
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 14-16
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 250g Marie biscuits; 80g unsalted butter, melted; 50g light brown sugar

Here are the secrets to a soft, luscious sour cream cheesecake without a surface crack in sight.

Emelia Jackson

February 9, 2025

Swap the rhubarb for anything you fancy, from lemon curd to passionfruit pulp.Armelle Habib STYLING: Lee Blaylock

Time:1-2 hoursServes:14-16

Tangy, smooth and light, yet decadent and still beautifully soft in the middle, this cheesecake is the little black dress of desserts. I’ve served this with poached rhubarb, but you can dress it with any topping you love – roasted strawberries, tangy lemon curd, fresh passionfruit pulp, poached quince … I could go on and on.

Technique of the month: How to reduce cracking in baked cheesecakes

There are a few reasons cracks form in baked cheesecakes.

Bubbles in the batter. If you beat the batter at high speed, you introduce air bubbles, which expand during baking. To counteract this, mix the batter at low speed until the ingredients are just combined, and tap the tin on the bench a couple of times to burst any bubbles trapped in the batter.
Sticking to the tin. As the cheesecake cools after baking, it shrinks. If the insides of the cake tin aren’t lined with baking paper, the cheesecake will stick to the sides and won’t release.
Sudden temperature changes. Extreme changes in heat, both when cooking and cooling, can cause cracking. This is why I recommend gentle cooking in a water bath, and letting the cheesecake cool gradually at room temperature before putting it in the fridge.

Ingredients

BISCUIT BASE

250g Marie biscuits
80g unsalted butter, melted
50g light brown sugar

Cheesecake filling

750g cream cheese, at room temperature
250g caster sugar
zest of two lemons
300g sour cream, at room temperature
4 eggs plus 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
50ml lemon juice
25g vanilla bean paste or extract

Poached rhubarb

4 rhubarb stalks, cut into 4cm batons
75g caster sugar
the peel and juice of 1 orange
1 cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
50ml water

Method

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 130C fan-forced (150C conventional) and prepare a 23cm springform tin by wrapping the outside of the tin in two or three sheets of aluminium foil to ensure no water enters the cake when baking in the water bath. Line the base and sides of the tin with baking paper and set aside. For the water bath, you’ll need a roasting tin large enough to hold the cake tin.
Step 2
For the crust, place the biscuits into a food processor and process to a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and brown sugar and pulse together until combined. Add the crumbs to the base of the prepared tin, distribute evenly and press firmly – I use the bottom of a glass or mug. Bake the base for 8-10 minutes and set aside to cool at room temperature while you make the filling.
Step 3
In a food processor or stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, sugar and lemon zest and mix until completely smooth, scraping down the insides of the bowl a few times to remove any lumps. You want the mixture to be smooth, but without incorporating too much air.
Step 4
Once smooth, add the sour cream, eggs and yolks, lemon juice and vanilla, and mix until just combined. Check that the batter is smooth, lump-free and glossy before pouring the mix over the chilled crust. Tap the tin on the bench a couple of times to burst any trapped air bubbles.
Step 5
For the water bath, place the cake tin into the roasting tin. Place both tins on the middle rack of the oven and boil a kettle of water. Carefully pour the boiling water into the roasting tin (not the cake tin) until it reaches halfway up the outside of the cheesecake tin.
Step 6
Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 10 minutes – you want a slight jiggle in the centre to ensure a luscious texture. The cheesecake will set completely as it cools. Once it’s baked, remove the cheesecake tin from the water bath and set it aside to cool completely at room temperature before setting it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or better still, overnight.
Step 7
To poach the rhubarb, combine the fruit, sugar, spices and water in a roasting tin. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes before removing from the oven. Allow to cool completely.
Step 8
To serve, remove the cake from the fridge, loosen the springform tin and place the cake on a serving platter. Spoon the rhubarb over the cheesecake and cut into wedges.

Tips and tricks

If you don’t want to line the cake tin with baking paper, run a sharp knife around the edges of the now-baked cheesecake to loosen the sides. This will help prevent it from cracking as it cools and shrinks.
Have the ingredients, especially the cream cheese, at room temperature before mixing. The cream cheese will not incorporate properly if it’s cold, leaving you with lumps throughout the cheesecake.
Try not to introduce too much air into the mix. To achieve this, run the mixer on the second-lowest speed.