I recently received an email from “A loyal fan, Jen” who is having some issues when making her favorite dessert, cheesecake: “I believe I am following the directions carefully but every time I make a cheesecake, it forms huge cracks in the top toward the end of the baking time and it gets worse as it cools. It tastes fine, but it looks terrible. HELP!”

Well Jen, to start with, have all the ingredients at room temperature, especially the cream cheese. I take everything out of the fridge two hours in advance of preparing the cheesecake.

Cracking is the bugaboo for all of us when baking cheesecakes. It is the result of two things: over-beating, and/or too high an oven temperature. Over-beating incorporates air into the mixture and the trapped air bubbles expand when they are exposed to the oven heat. As they try to escape from the cake they create cracks in the surface.

Try using the medium low speed of your electric mixer and take your time; the lower speed will take a little longer to achieve a smooth batter but will lessen the aeration. And be sure the cream cheese is well beaten and smooth before adding the eggs.

Because the egg/cream cheese filling is quite delicate, baking the cheesecake in a water bath can also help with the cracking. Wrap the outside of the unfilled springform pan with aluminum foil and place it in a roasting pan.

Add the cheesecake filling to the springform pan and then add boiling water to the roasting pan so that it reaches about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Carefully transfer to the oven and bake as directed. This allows the cheesecake to cook more slowly and evenly.

Another trick I’ve learned to help with cracking is if your recipe does not contain flour, try adding 1 Tbsp. of cornstarch when you add the sugar. The starch molecules get in between the egg proteins and prevent them from over-coagulating, another cause of those pesky cracks.

As for the oven temperature, cheesecakes are usually baked at 300°F but should never be baked any higher than 325°F. After you remove your cheesecake from the oven, remove it from the water bath and place on a wire rack.

Run the tip of a sharp paring knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake a bit. Let it cool to room temperature away from drafts and then refrigerate. When chilled, loosen the latch on the springform pan and remove ring.

Amaretto cheesecake

For the crust:

• 1-3/4 cups vanilla-wafer crumbs (you’ll need about 40 cookies)
• 1 cup sliced almonds, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 4 pkgs. (8-oz. each) cream cheese, softened
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups sour cream
• 1/3 cup Amaretto liqueur

For the topping:

• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 3 Tbsp. sugar

To prepare the crust: Combine crumbs, almonds and sugar in a small bowl. Add butter and mix well. Press firmly in bottom and 1 inch up sides of a lightly buttered 10-inch springform pan. Chill.

To prepare the filling: Place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl; beat on medium low speed of electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well.

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Add sour cream and Amaretto; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes; turn oven off. Leave in oven with door closed for 4 hours.

To prepare the topping: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add almonds and sugar; cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes or until almonds are golden. Cool; spread over top of cheesecake and refrigerate several hours or overnight before cutting. Yield: about 20 servings.

Triple chocolate cheesecake

For the crust:

• 1-1/2 cups fine chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (about 30 cookies)
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• FOR THE FILLING:
• 2 pkgs. (8-oz. each) cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the topping:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 3 tsp. superfine sugar

For the garnish:

• 1/2 oz. semisweet chocolate

To prepare the crust: Combine cookie crumbs and almonds in a small bowl. Add butter and mix well. Press onto bottom and up sides of a 9-inch springform pan coated with butter. Refrigerate.

To prepare the filling: Beat cream cheese and 2/3 cup of sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each one. Add melted and cooled chocolate mixing until combined.

Add whipping cream, melted and cooled butter, and vanilla. Beat just until smooth. Pour into prepared crust and place pan in a water bath. Bake in a preheated 325°F oven for 55-65 minutes or until edges are set. (Note: The center of cheesecake will be soft.)

Cool in pan 5 minutes; run tip of sharp knife around edges to loosen. Release and remove ring when cool.

To prepare the topping: Combine sour cream with vanilla and sugar, mixing well. Spread over top of cooled cheesecake.

To prepare the garnish: Melt chocolate over low heat. Drizzle over sour cream topping; refrigerate several hours or overnight before cutting. Yield: 16 servings.

Savory blue cheesecake appetizer

For the crust:

• 1 cup fine bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 1/2 lb. bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, peeled and minced
• 4 pkgs. (8-oz. each) cream cheese (total of 32 oz.)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 lb. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (or Roquefort or Stilton)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 3-4 drops hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco)

To prepare the crust: Combine crumbs and Parmesan in a small bowl. Add butter and mix to combine. Press onto bottom and up sides of a buttered 8-inch springform pan wrapped in aluminum foil. Set aside.

To prepare the filling: Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove from pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Measure out 1 Tbsp. bacon drippings and return to skillet; discard remaining fat.

Add onion to skillet and cook over medium low heat for 2-3 minutes or until tender but not brown. Remove pan from heat and let cool.

Place cream cheese in a large bowl and beat on medium low speed of electric mixer until creamy. Beat in cream; add eggs one at a time, beating after each.

Add cooled onion, bacon, crumbled blue cheese, salt, pepper and Tabasco. Beat just until combined and pour into prepared pan. Set cheesecake pan inside a roasting pan and pour boiling water 2 inches deep into larger pan.

Bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Turn oven off oven and leave cheesecake in oven (with door closed) for 1 hour. Remove pan from water and place on wire rack to cool. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Remove from pan and place on a bed of red leaf lettuce with an assortment of crackers. Yields 50 appetizer servings.

Paula Anderson is a freelance journalist specializing in food, entertaining and nutrition. She writes for several newspapers, as well as Maine Food & Lifestyle Magazine. She divides her time between Scarborough and Big Pine Key, Fla., where she lives with her husband Peter. Correspondence can be addressed to her at the Boothbay Register, P.O. Box 357, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538 or the Wiscasset Newspaper, P.O. Box 429, Wiscasset, ME 04578. You can also write to her directly via email at pander@maine.rr.com.