Sunken Cheesecake

A reader has asked: Every time I bake a cheesecake it sinks in the middle, even though a toothpick comes out clean before I take the cake out of the oven. What am I doing wrong?

A: Your cheesecake is sinking because it is over baked. Most cheesecakes can stand to have about 1 inch in diameter in the very center that’s still liquid when you take the cake out of the oven. The heat retained by the cake will finish baking the center and it won’t sink.