My neighbor's 3-word comment about my cracked cheesecake changed how I bake

Last month I brought a cracked cheesecake to a block party in Austin and this older lady, probably 70s, just pointed at it and said 'that one's got character.' I thought she was being nice, so I started explaining my water bath setup and how I still got fissures. She cut a slice, ate it, then said 'nobody at this table remembers a perfect cake, they remember the one that made them laugh.' That stuck with me way more than any recipe tip. So which side are you on, do you chase the flawless top or embrace the cracks as part of the bake?

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1 Comment

rosew371mo ago

A cracked top means it was taken out too fast or the temp swung, that's physics not character. A perfect cheesecake takes effort and control, and that's worth something too.