Cheesecakes Large and Small

Cheesecake and I have a love-hate relationship. I adore Cheesecake and yet, any recipe I have tried to bake comes out looking like a miniature Grand Canyon. A truly great Cheesecake should be creamy, sweet, and delicious. A perfect Cheesecake will have no cracks on the top.

Cheesecakes must be baked at a very low temperature, typically recipes will run anywhere from 200 degrees to 275 degrees. I have also heard many many times that if you place a pan of water in the oven with the Cheesecake this will reduce cracking. Alton Brown suggests baking at a low temp. then turning the oven off, opening the oven door for a moment then closing the oven door and allowing the Cheesecake to cool in the warmish oven.

Still I have had no luck with crack-free Cheesecake. My challenge to you dear reader is to submit a recipe for delicious Cheesecake that doesn't crack when baked. No-bake Cheesecake is cheating... so forget it.

Recipes may be emailed to me by clicking the link at the top of the page. Just label your email "Cheesecake Recipe" so I won't think you're Spam. Submitted recipes will be tested and any that pass the CheeseBabe test (delicious with no cracks!) will win a Fabulous prize!


update: despite the promise of a fabulous prize I have had no takers of this challenge. Did I mention you can win a fabulous prize?? Alright then, let's up the ante. I'm now offering my copy of The Artful Cupcake and a jar of either my homemade Watermelon Pickles or a jar of my homemade Fabulous Lady Applesauce (whichever you choose). The rules listed above still apply.