The biggest concern to most bakers is to bake a cheesecake that doesn't crack, shrink, leak water or "weep", become flat and too dense or dry.

I know because I receive a lot of questions from home bakers wanting to know why. There probably isn't any one reason, but certain baking tips and methods, described below, help.

I'd be willing to bet that 9 out of 10 cheesecake problems stem from the fact that cooks expect cheesecake to act like cake. Why wouldn't they? After all it is cheese CAKE.

But, a cheesecake is actually a baked custard and has to be handled as such. Custards range from being the entire dessert, such as a Cheesecake, Crème Brûlée or Flan, Pumpkin or Coconut custard pies, to being a part of a dessert such as Pastry Cream used when making éclairs and cream puffs. All custards are a thick, rich, creamy and pudding-like dessert made from gently cooking or baking. The ingredients are mixed rather than being beaten together so they don't puff and then fall during baking.

The eggs in custards play a central role. Both egg yolks and whites contain proteins, which change from liquid to solid, called coagulation, when cooked or baked. This means that the liquid egg becomes firmer. As heating continues the egg eventually becomes semi-gelled or fully gelled when cooled or refrigerated, giving you the cheesecake's texture. 

It's the eggs and dairy, such as cream or cream cheese, in custards and cheesecakes that make these desserts hard to prepare. Because cheesecakes contain sensitive-to-heat eggs and cream cheese, they need to be baked "low and slow", with even temperatures. A typical oven temperature to bake it in is usually around 325 degrees F if the cheesecake contains starch, such as flour or cornstarch. If it doesn't, the cheesecake's pan and baked in a waterbath in a 325 degrees F oven. During baking, the water that surrounds the cheesecake is actually at 212 degree F. This allows it to bake evenly with little cracking, sinking or collapsing in the cheesecake's center. 

Cheesecakes are among the most frequently overcooked foods because they are the most deceptive when trying to figure out when they are done baking. When it's done, it never LOOKS done. To test if a cheesecake is done baking, gently shake the pan. The top of the cake should move as one solid piece, but its center should still be wobbly (not soupy) in about a 3-inch circle in the center. You may be removing the cheesecake from the oven a little earlier than the recipe suggests, but baking times are not always exact due to variations in ovens.

HOW TO PREVENT CRACKING CHEESECAKES: The truth is that cheesecakes tend to crack even if you do everything right. Small cracks in my homemade cheesecakes never bothered me, but the large one that occasionally developed through the middle of it meant it was overbaked. However, as long as it tasted delicious, which was 9 times out of 10, I served it anyway.

Cheesecakes with cornstarch or flour do not crack as easily from overbaking. The starch molecules will actually get in between the egg proteins preventing them from over-coagulating. No over-coagulating, no cracks. Some bakers add extra insurance to a cheesecake recipe without starch, by simply adding a tablespoon to a 1/4 cup of cornstarch to the batter with the sugar. 

With today's trend to produce larger and higher cheesecakes and to bake them without the benefit of a waterbath, they tend to overbake at the edge before the center of the cake has reached the temperature necessary to set (coagulate) the eggs. Here, your cheesecake will tend to form deep cracks upon cooling. 

Don't bake your cheesecake at too high a temperature. The egg proteins will overcoagulate from too much heat which eventually shrink when cooled, causing cracking usually in its center or tiny cracks all over its top. If you heat it up to fast or cool it down too fast you're also going to get cracks.

As cheesecake bakes, its moisture evaporates. If moisture evaporates too quickly, cracking will occur on the cheesecake's surface. This problem can be alleviated by increasing the oven's humidity. To do so, place a shallow pan of hot water on the bottom shelf before beginning to preheat the oven or heat an empty pan in the oven. Then, throw ice cubes on it right after placing the cheesecake in the oven. Another way is to bake your cheesecake in a waterbath which insulates the cheesecake from high heat and controls the rate at which that heat moves into the cheesecake and adds moisture, preventing cracking. I recommend baking your cheesecake in a regular cake pan rather than a springform, so the water won't leak into it when placed in the waterbath.

Remove cheesecake from both the waterbath AND the oven when done, not when the recipe says it should. Even though the cheesecake will continue to bake after it is removed from the oven, you need to get it away from direct heat. Place a cheesecake to cool in a warm place away from cold drafts, since it can make a cheesecake cool too quickly, and the rapid contraction will cause cracking. Cool the cheesecake on a wire cake rack next to the oven or put its pan directly on stove burner where the warm heat still radiates from the turned-off oven. To add moisture, I also drape a damp towel, wrung with warm water, over the top of the pan while the cheesecake cools.

ONCE MY CHEESECAKE CRACKS, WHAT CAN I DO?:  If your cheesecake develops one or more cracks, you can gloss over the problem in several ways. Use toppings, glazes, frostings or various fruits to cover the cake. (More topping ideas).

You can prepare a sour cream topping (mix two cups sour cream, one teaspoon vanilla and two tablespoons sugar). Spread over top, filling in the problem areas, and bake in a 325 degree F oven for 10 minutes if warm, 14-15 minutes if the cheesecake is cool. 

Or cover with fruit and sprigs of fresh mint. Remember that they should be applied to a well chilled cheesecake.

Or make a jam glaze. Stir one-half teaspoon cornstarch into one cup apricot, red currant or seedless raspberry jam. Place in medium saucepan and melt on low heat, stirring frequently. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in one tablespoon orange liqueur; strain. Pour over cheesecake. Top with pomegranate seeds, if desired. 

Or slice the cheesecake in the kitchen, avoiding the crack. No one will know.

Should your cake have cracks, after it cools, smooth away cracks and flaws with a warmed, wet, sharp knife. Simply dip the knife in hot water and then make the repairs. When repairing cracks in chocolate cheesecakes, use a warm, dry knife, the water will discolor the chocolate if the knife is wet. Dip knife in water, quickly dry it off and repair!

Or do what I do -- simply serve your homemade cheesecake with pride!

SOLUTION TO A FALLEN CHEESECAKE: You don't want to beat excess air into the eggs in the batter by whipping, as it will cause the cheesecake to puff in the oven and then fall when removed. This leads to a flat cheesecake, the top browning too much and a tough texture. During baking these air bubbles expand, but since there is no flour to support them they burst upon cooling and the center collapses as all soufflés do eventually.

When mixing a cheesecake recipe, always use a low speed with an electric mixer with the paddle attachment or mix by hand, taking special care not to whip air into the batter. 

When the ingredients are just combined, turn off the mixer. Pour in your batter into the crust. Remember to scrape your bowl so that no lumps of cream cheese surprise you in the end! And, also wipe off the paddle. And you can see there's still some chunks of the cream cheese in there.

But, before you go to the oven, run a butter knife through the batter in an "S" shape to help you get all of the air bubbles out. And if any float up to the top but don't break on their own, give them a little bit of help.

WHAT IF MY CHEESECAKE WEEPS WATER?: Because the proteins in the eggs in the recipe denature when cooked, and form a molecular mesh, this is what makes a solid cheesecake possible. The problem is if they get too hot or if they heat too quickly, these proteins over-coagulate. That is they tighten up and they can literally wring all the moisture out of the cheesecake. You can see it if your cheesecake is studded with tiny pinholes, with water coming from it. Not very appetizing! 

WHY IS MY CHEESECAKE SOGGY?: Always be sure to cool cheesecake completely before wrapping in foil or plastic wrap and then refrigerating. Chilling a warm cheesecake will trap condensation in the cake and make it soggy.

MY CHEESECAKE IS TOUGH AND DRY. HELP!: Incorporate your eggs into the cheesecake at the slowest possible mixer speed and only until they're incorporated. Do not overbake, otherwise you'll get a tough or dry cheesecake.

HOW DO I GET UNIFORM CHEESECAKES EDGES, JUST LIKE IN A RESTAURANT OR BAKERY: I chill my cheesecake in its springform pan in the fridge overnight. To remove the next day, I run a thin bladed knife around the inside of the pan then release the sides. This procedure usually gives me clean edges.

You may want to smooth the sides with a hot, wet knife at this point or coat the sides with any leftover graham cracker crumbs. Make up a mixture of the graham cracker crust recipe (maybe half as much or less), spread it on a baking sheet and toast it for 5 - 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Remove form the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Lightly brush side of cheesecake with slightly warmed apricot preserves or other flavors. Let set slightly and press the crumb mixture around the sides to give the cake a uniform appearance. Toasted nuts work just as well, as do cookie crumbs.

WHY DOES MY CHEESECAKE BATTER LEAK FROM THE SPRINGFORM PAN?: It could be because the side was not clamped onto the bottom properly, creating a seal. Also, make sure you always press the crust mixture up the sides of the pan. It creates a wall or dam, holding the batter in and preventing leaks.

MOM SAID IT WAS IMPORTANT TO LEAVE THE CAKE IN THE OVEN TO COOL. IS THAT CORRECT? I don't recommend doing so on my website because the method is controversial; I can't risk someone getting sick from my advice, so I stay away from certain baking topics.  I have to be on the safe side here!  

But many moms, grandmothers and recipes suggest that you can leave a cheesecake in an oven with the heat turned off to cool after baking, which I call the oven cooling technique. The reason it is done is because cheesecakes that are not baked in a waterbath are more susceptible to cracking from temperature changes ie: taking it from a hot oven to cool. Leavening it in an oven that has been turned off will gradually cool the cheesecake and help to prevent cracks. You notice that recipes recommend leaving it in an oven do not make use of a waterbath, which is more delicate heat than an oven and never call for the oven cooling technique. 

YOU SEEM TO SUGGEST THAT THE CHEESECAKE SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE OVEN AS SOON AS ITS DONE. IF I LEAVE IT IN WILL IT GET OVERDONE? If the oven is turned on or it is left in a hot waterbath, yes it will overbake. When done, immediately remove the cheesecake from the waterbath and let it cool in a warm place such as on the oven's turned-off burner. Let the water in the oven cool completely before removing.

YOU SAY THAT ADDING A BIT OF STARCH (CORNSTARCH OR FLOUR) IN WITH THE SUGAR WILL HELP MAINTAIN THE CHEESECAKE'S STRUCTURE. WILL IT ALSO AFFECT THE FLAVOR? The flavor won't be affected, but the texture will be slightly less custard-like.  

WHY DON'T ALL CHEESECAKE RECIPES CALL FOR STARCH IF IT HELPS? Cheesecake recipes are old-fashioned and that's the way in which it was done, even though the world has changed. Cheesecakes are essentially custards and the baking of them is tricky. From my research, I recommend using some starch (cornstarch) because its molecules actually get in between the egg proteins preventing them from over-coagulating. No over-coagulating, no cracks. 

Most bakers today feel that a perfect cheesecake is that made without cracks, recipes now call for help --which comes from starch (cornstarch or flour). Besides, most of us are making a lower fat cheesecake (10-15% fat) as compared to our Grandmother's 30% fat cheesecake, which rarely cracked. (The lower fat cheese cakes are more likely to crack than the higher fat ones.) 

Plus, with today's trend to produce larger and higher cheesecakes and to bake them without the benefit of a waterbath, they tend to overbake at the edge before the center of the cake has reached the temperature necessary to set (coagulate) the eggs. Here, your cheesecake will tend to form deep cracks upon cooling. Starch helps to prevent this.