The Egg Mistake That's Making Your Cheesecake Grainy (And How To Fix It)

Cheesecake is meant to be a relatively easy dessert to whip up. The ingredients are common, there are endless recipes to follow, and there's even an entire restaurant chain dedicated to it (looking at you, Cheesecake Factory). But you can run into problems when baking. A big one when it comes to cheesecake is a grainy texture. If this has been happening to you, don't get frustrated; it's simply down to the eggs in the mix overcooking. Thankfully, there's an easy fix.

When eggs cook for too long, their proteins start to contract and tangle together. As the proteins continue to tighten, they expel moisture. This can cause your cheesecake mixture to leak from the pan and turn sandlike (and it explains cracking). The first port of call for preventing it is to make sure you're using a water bath, or bain-marie. A bain-marie helps control the internal temperature of the cheesecake, ensuring it heats slowly and evenly. To create a water bath, just wrap the outside of the cheesecake pan tightly with foil and place it in a larger dish of water. You want the water to come up at least to the halfway mark of the cheesecake pan.

If you're still having trouble, try turning the oven down. Even 25 degrees Fahrenheit can make a difference, especially if you have a convection oven. You might need to leave the cheesecake in for a little bit longer, but it's worth the wait. The best way to tell when your cheesecake is done is to jiggle the pan. The middle should have a slight wobble and the edges should be just set. Many recipes call for a cheesecake to be cooled slowly in the oven, which lets it finish setting. The eggs and cream continue to cook during this time, so make sure the cheesecake looks slightly underbaked at this point. If the edges are coming away from the pan and the top is brown and dense, the eggs are likely overcooked.

Finally, make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin baking. It's the secret to making an evenly baked cake and it helps you perfect a classic New York-style cheesecake (or baked ricotta cheesecake). If all else fails, there's always a Philadelphia no-bake cheesecake!