Why Was My Banoffee Cheesecake Not Baked In The Centre?

Our answer

Nigella's Banoffee Cheesecake (from KITCHEN) is a banana flavoured cheesecake that is topped with a caramel sauce. The cheesecake is baked in a water bath, which usually gives the cheesecake a smooth texture. Usually the top of a cheesecake cracking is a sign that it has over baked. However, as this cheesecake was underbaked it probably just needed longer in the oven. A water bath is a very gentle way of cooking, which means that it may take longer than the 1 hour and 10 minutes to cook. You should bake the cheesecake until the centre just has a slight jiggle, as it will continue to cook and set in the centre as it cools. Make sure also that the water you use in the water bath is very hot (from a recently boiled kettle), as if the water is too cool it will take longer to heat up and then longer for the cheesecake to cook.

If the cracked top was not caused by overbaking then the other cause could be that the cheecake batter was overmixed. If you process the mixture for too long then it incorporates lots of air into the batter. As the cheesecake bakes the air expands, but then contracts again as it cools, causing cracking. Mix until the ingredients are just combined and no longer.