Cracks In New York Cheesecake

Our answer

Nigella's New York Cheesecake (from HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS) is a traditional baked cheesecake with a slight twist in the method. The egg whites are separated and whisked, then folded into the cream cheese batter. Some cheesecakes can crack slightly on top but if the cracks are large then there are a few possible reasons.

First make sure that all of the filling ingredients are at room temperature before you start. This will enable them to mix together easily and reduces the possibility of any lumps of cream cheese in the batter. Also try not to beat the cream cheese mixture too much when you add the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour (cornstarch) and cream. Make sure also that the egg whites are thoroughly incorporated into the batter, as any lumps of white will expand during baking to make air pockets in the batter and contract when the cheesecake cools, causing cracks. You may prefer to fold the whisked egg whites in in two stages, a quarter first to "slacken" the filling and then the remainder of the whites. Overbaking can also cause a cheesecake to crack and the cheesecake should be baked to the point where it is not quite set in the middle. As all ovens vary we would suggest very carefully checking the cheesecake after one hour. The cheesecake should be set on the sides but still slightly wobbly in the centre. If the whole filling looks to be fluid underneath the surface then cook for another 10 minutes and check again. However when checking be very careful that you open the oven door slowly and as little as possible, as a sudden gush of cold air can also cause cracking.