I follow the recipe exactly but for the life of me I can't get a cheese cake that doesn't crack--what am I doing wrong?

Mine always cracks too I just top it with fruit.
Cheesecake, Cracks in Cheesecakes, Questions and Answers (http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/CheeseCakeCrack.htm)

Hello Rosie:

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.

I know it's a homemaker's badge of honor not to have a cheesecake crack! In fact, a cracked cheesecake is probably the norm. The first rule that I always follow with a recipe is to make sure it tastes delicious with a vibrant flavor and great texture; cosmetic problems can always be fixed or camouflaged when serving -- especially with fruit toppings, ala N0help.

excon

Wow, excon said it all!

I find that rhe recommended oven temperature setting is usually too high for most baked desserts. As a professional cook I was called "Betty Crocker." They said that everything took too long to cook. It sure sold fast once it was done.

Cook it low and slow. Play around with pans of water and oven positioning. My cheesecake cracks if it is taken out of the oven too late or if it was cooked too hot.

I'd give excon a greenie but I haven't spread around the greenies enough. Where in the blue blazes did you learn about cheesecake like that? I thought you were only a "con artist" expert. LOL

Excellent advice and I've been cooking 50+ years (since I was a little girl).

Oh I also make cheesecakes. Some are chocolate cheesecakes, some are filled with walnut pieces, some are coffee flavored. I'm on the Atkins Diet and have tried every possible combination under the sun (and some are quite good also) and I have YET to NOT have my cheesecake crack.

Well way to copy and paste excon. Bravo. But there are tons of reasons they crack, and tons of ways to prevent it. Use well greased springform pan. Make sure its water proof and use a baine marie. Or water bath. So place it in a roating pan with a kitchen towl on the bottom to prevent sliding. Then fill while in the oven about halfway up the pan. This prevents the outside from cooking and the inside not. That will help cracking. When done turn oven off pull out rack enough to have access to your cheesecake. Then take a well lubricated knife and cut it from the edge of the spring form pan. The cake as it cool tends to contract and if its stuck to the edge that will make it crack. After you do that turn the oven off if you haven't already and put the cheesecake back in. turn off the oven and let it cool inside the oven with the door open. This slowly cools the cheesecake which also prevents cracking. And last but not least don't over bake or over beat both will cause cracks.