baking tip

A cracked cheesecake can happen as a result of your mixing, but more often than not it is because of your baking and/or cooling. A baked cheesecake is like my husband in winter… If you suddenly pull the duvet off him in the freezing morning hours, he WILL crack.

Cheesecake has a sensitive soul. Respect that and all will be well. For this reason, it needs to be cooled very gently and gradually.

• When baking, let the cheesecake bake in peace for at least one hour before opening the door and turning it or checking it.
• As soon as my cheesecake is perfectly baked, I turn the oven off and leave the door closed for 5 minutes.
• Then I leave the oven door ajar. Let the cheesecake hang out in the (switched off) oven for another 90 minutes to be safe.
• Remove it from the oven and let it rest on the kitchen counter for 1 hour.
• You may now place it in the fridge overnight for the cheesecake to fully set and get a perfect texture. Cool your cheesecake gradually if you want it to be perfect and crack free. There is no way around this. And besides, it is once again PASSIVE time. You can do other things while it cools!