Beating cheesecake batter at high speed is the mistake behind most cracked tops. A fast mixer whips air into the dense batter. In the oven, those bubbles expand and puff the filling up like a soufflé; as it cools, the puffed filling sinks and shrinks, and the surface tears. Mixing on low speed, just enough to make the batter smooth, avoids most of that before the cheesecake even reaches the oven.
A classic cheesecake is also one of the most practical desserts to make ahead, because it has to be made ahead. It needs at least 8 hours in the refrigerator to set its dense, creamy texture. Bake it the day before, and on the day it is served there is nothing to do but slice it.
The Two-Day Plan
Most of the time is passive: baking, a slow cool in the oven and an overnight chill. Active work is about 30 minutes.
Cheesecake actually improves on the second day. The texture becomes firmer and creamier as it chills, and the flavor rounds out. Making it 2 days ahead is perfectly fine.
Mixing a Smooth, Dense Batter
Room-temperature ingredients
Cold cream cheese does not blend smoothly; it breaks into small lumps that stay in the batter, and mixing longer to remove them whips in air. Leave the cream cheese, eggs and sour cream on the counter for about 2 hours, or cut the cream cheese into cubes to speed it up. It should yield easily when pressed.
Low speed, scrape often
Beat the cream cheese alone on low speed until completely smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl and the beater. Add the sugar and beat until smooth again. Then add the sour cream, lemon and vanilla. Add the eggs last, one at a time, on low speed, mixing only until each disappears. Eggs trap air easily, so this is where overmixing does the most harm.
Full-fat block cream cheese
Use full-fat cream cheese sold in 8-ounce blocks. Spreadable cream cheese in tubs contains more water and stabilizers, which give a softer, sometimes gummy texture. Reduced-fat versions set less firmly and are more likely to crack.
Why a Water Bath Cheesecake Bakes Evenly
Cheesecake is a custard: its structure comes from eggs that set as they heat. Like any custard, it is best cooked gently. Overheated, the egg proteins tighten too much, the texture turns grainy and the edges puff and crack.
A water bath surrounds the pan with water that cannot rise above 212°F (100°C), even in a 325°F oven. That limits how hot the sides of the pan get, so the outer ring of filling cooks at nearly the same pace as the center. It also adds humidity to the oven, which keeps the surface from drying and cracking.
Springform pans leak, so wrap the outside of the pan in two layers of wide, heavy-duty foil before setting it in a roasting pan. An alternative that avoids leaks entirely is to set the springform inside a slightly larger cake pan or a 10-inch oven-safe skillet, then put that in the water.
Knowing When It Is Done
The most reliable sign is the wobble. Gently nudge the pan: the outer 2 to 3 inches should look set, and the center should jiggle as a whole, like firm gelatin, not ripple like liquid. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the center should read about 150°F (65°C). It firms up much more as it cools and chills.
Turn off the oven, prop the door open a few inches with a wooden spoon, and leave the cheesecake inside for 1 hour. Sudden temperature changes make the filling contract quickly and crack. After the first 10 minutes, run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the filling from the sides; as it cools and shrinks, it can then pull away cleanly instead of tearing across the middle.
Storing and Freezing Cheesecake
Because cheesecake is designed to be made ahead, storage is as important as baking.
In the refrigerator
Refrigerate the cooled cheesecake, uncovered, for 4 hours, then cover it loosely with plastic wrap so condensation does not drip onto the surface. It needs at least 8 hours in total to set, and keeps for up to 5 days. Cream cheese desserts should not sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Freezing
Cheesecake freezes better than most desserts. Chill it fully, then freeze it whole or in slices on a sheet pan until firm, wrap tightly in plastic and then foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, still wrapped, so condensation forms on the wrapping rather than on the cake.
Slicing
Use a long, thin knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry before each cut. Unflavored dental floss, pulled taut and drawn down through the cake, gives perfectly clean slices.
If It Cracks Anyway
Even careful bakers get the occasional crack, and it does not affect the flavor. A crack that appears during baking usually means the oven was too hot or the batter had too much air. A crack that appears while cooling usually means the cake cooled too fast or stuck to the sides of the pan.
There are easy ways to hide one. Spread a thin layer of sour cream topping over the cooled cake: stir 1 cup of sour cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, spread it over the top, and bake at 325°F (165°C) for 10 minutes before chilling. It sets into a smooth white layer that covers any cracks and adds a pleasant tang. A layer of fruit sauce or fresh berries does the same job without the extra baking.
If the top is browned in patches, the oven may have hot spots or the cake may have sat too high. Bake on the center rack and consider an oven thermometer; many ovens run 15 to 25 degrees away from their setting, which matters a great deal for custards.
Crust Variations
Graham crackers are traditional in American cheesecake, but any crisp, dry cookie works. Crushed vanilla wafers give a buttery, lighter crust; chocolate wafer cookies make a dark crust that contrasts sharply with the pale filling; gingersnaps add spice that suits a pumpkin or lemon variation. Use the same weight of crumbs, about 150 grams, and adjust the sugar to taste, since many cookies are already sweet. Press the crumbs firmly with the flat bottom of a measuring cup so the crust holds together when sliced.
New York Cheesecake or Classic
New York cheesecake is typically denser and richer, often made with extra cream cheese, egg yolks and heavy cream, and sometimes baked at a high temperature first to brown the top. The version here is a classic baked cheesecake: dense and creamy but slightly lighter, with sour cream for tang and a smooth, pale top. For a closer New York style, replace the sour cream with 1/2 cup heavy cream and add 2 egg yolks with the eggs.
The Classic Cheesecake Recipe
Makes one 9-inch cheesecake, 12 slices. Total time includes the oven cool-down and an 8-hour chill.
The recipe
Classic Cheesecake
A dense, creamy cheesecake on a graham cracker crust, mixed on low speed, baked in a water bath at 325°F, cooled slowly in the oven and chilled overnight.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 15 min
- Total
- 11 hr 45 min
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
Crust
Filling
Method
- Prepare. Set the cream cheese, sour cream and eggs out for about 2 hours. Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan in two layers of heavy-duty foil. Put a kettle of water on to boil.
- Crust. Mix the crumbs, sugar and melted butter, press firmly into the bottom of the pan and bake 10 minutes. Cool while you mix the filling.
- Mix the filling. With a mixer on low speed, beat the cream cheese until completely smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping often. Beat in the sugar, flour and salt until smooth, then the sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time on low, mixing just until each is incorporated.
- Water bath. Pour the filling over the crust and tap the pan gently to release bubbles. Set it in a roasting pan and pour hot water into the roasting pan to come about 1 inch up the sides.
- Bake. Bake 60 to 75 minutes, until the outer 2 to 3 inches are set and the center jiggles as a whole like firm gelatin (about 150°F / 65°C).
- Cool slowly. Turn off the oven and prop the door open a few inches. After 10 minutes, run a thin knife around the edge. Leave in the oven 1 hour, then cool on a rack 1 hour more.
- Chill. Refrigerate uncovered 4 hours, then cover loosely; chill at least 8 hours in total, or up to 5 days. Release the ring and slice with a hot, dry knife.
Notes
- Total time includes slow cooling and an 8-hour chill.
- Freezes up to 2 months, tightly wrapped; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Oven temperatures are for conventional ovens; for convection, reduce by about 25°F (15°C).
Serving
Serve plain, with fresh berries, or with a simple fruit sauce: simmer 2 cups of berries with 1/4 cup sugar and a squeeze of lemon for 8 to 10 minutes, then cool. Spoon it onto each slice rather than over the whole cake, so leftovers stay neat.