A cheesecake should be relatively problem free, but occasionally problems do arise. Over the years, we have been asked the following questions.

“What’s the easiest way to make crumbs for my crust?”

Many people use a food processor; we didn’t bother. We used a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag and flattened the cookies with a rolling pin, a few at a time. We save the plastic bag for the next crust. If we’re in a hurry, we just use packaged graham cracker crumbs instead of cracker crushes.

“I have lumps in my cheesecake. How can I prevent them?”

The lumps are most likely globules of cream cheese in the batter. Before adding any of the other ingredients, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar until just blended. The sugar crystals will go through the cream cheese and break the globules. In the heat of the oven, the sugar will melt further breaking up the pieces.

If your recipe calls for chocolate, either white or dark, the clumps could be chocolate. When the chocolate mixes with the cold mass, it solidifies and forms lumps. To avoid that, make sure your melted chocolate is hot, well above melting point. With the mixer running, drizzle the hot chocolate into the batter. With hotter chocolate, it will disperse before settling.

“I baked my cheesecake for the time specified in the recipe and the center is still soft. What am I doing wrong?”

You’re probably not doing anything wrong. Baking times in recipes are always estimates and can be affected by oven temperature (calibrated temperatures are rarely correct), depth of dough, whether the pan is light or dark (dark pans bake faster ), how cold the dough is, and other factors. Don’t worry about the time and bake it until it’s done. (See next question.)

“How do I know when my cheesecake is ready?”

There are three ways. You can gently shake the cheesecake. If only the center is still moving, you’re done. This isn’t very accurate, but with practice, you can get good at this method.

The most common way is to stick a knife into the dough an inch from the center. If it’s done, it’ll come out clean.

The most accurate way to tell when a cheesecake is done is with an instant read thermometer. Stick the probe in the center of the cheesecake and see what you read. A cheesecake is ready when the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. That’s when the proteins in the eggs coagulate.

“How do I keep my cheesecake from cracking?”

A crack-free cheesecake top seems to be the ultimate measure of success. should not be. A crack does not affect the taste. Many cheesecakes are topped with the topping covering the cracks.

There can be a number of reasons for cracks:

– Too much air incorporated in the filling can cause cracks.

– Too much baking time will over bake the filling and is a common cause of cracking.

– Uneven baking can be a cause. If you are using light gauge reflective pans, consider switching to heavier gauge dark pans.

– Too high heat can cause cracks. Consider baking at 325 degrees instead of 350 degrees.

– If your cheesecake cools too quickly, it may develop cracks. Don’t let your cheesecake cool in a draft.

Cheesecakes with starch in the filling are less likely to crack.

“My crusts fall apart when I try to serve my cheesecake. What am I doing wrong?”

It is the butter that acts as the mortar that holds the crumbs together. The butter should be well mixed with the crumbs. There has to be enough butter, a minimum of four tablespoons per base. The mix must be compacted with firm pressure. We use a pastry tamper or heavy cup to compress the bottom and press down the sides.

Always cut and serve your cheesecake cold. That way the butter is a solid. If the cheesecake gets too hot, the butter melts and the crust falls apart.

You don’t need to bake a crust, but it does tend to hold the crust together. Sugar melts when baking and tends to hold things in place once it cools and solidifies.

“I always seem to mess up my slices when I cut my cheesecake. What’s the best way to cut cheesecake?”

Use the right knife, a sharp knife with a thin blade. Do not use a serrated knife as the filling and crumbs tend to stick to the serrated ones.

Cut with downward pressure, dragging the knife as little as possible. After each cut, wash and dry the knife so that you have a clean blade cutting through the cheesecake.

“My slices seem to stick to the base and are hard to remove. Is there an easy way to gently remove my slices?”

There is an easy way to make the slices slide off the bottom of the pan. Heat a damp kitchen towel in the microwave. Spread the towel out on the counter and place the cheesecake directly on the hot towel. In a couple of minutes, the heat will soften the butter against the base and the slices will slide off easily.

It is helpful to have a springform pan with a smooth base.