Page 210 - Pie It Forward: Pies, Tarts, Tortes, Galettes, and Other Pastries Reinvented

A NOTE FROM THE SWEETIE PIE

Cheesecakes crack from time to time. It’s just the danger of
working with such deliciousness. But there are ways to avoid
crackage. The first is to use a water bath. That’s a method

wherein you bake the cheesecake surrounded by a wall of warm
water. This regulates the heat beautifully within the baking
cheesecake and prevents the possibility of fissures. However, you
need a watertight baking vessel for this to work. The vessel most
often used to bake cheesecakes is a springform, and there are
myriad ways for water to seep into the seams. Common practice
is to surround the springform with aluminum foil, but you’re still

courting damp cheesecake. I choose to bake it at a low heat in a
cake ring. Cake rings are bottomless, so a water bath is
completely out; low heat’s the only option. Once the cheesecake
is set, with a slight wobble in the center, turn the heat in the oven
off, open the door slightly to let the heat escape, and allow the

cheesecake to cool slowly in the oven. Cooling too quickly can
shock the batter and cause cracks. This takes an awfully long
time—hours—but the results are absolutely worth it.