i never knew why cakes cracked in the middle like that before. Now i know its about the eggs and sugar seizing up due to overly hot temperature. I know that baking it in a water bath helps aid the baking process as well. This is right, right? Dear Amanda: Baking in a water bath increases the window of opportunity to get the cake's cooking stopped at the right time by smoothing out the rate at which temperatures rise and fall. It's like trying to make a right turn at 5 miles an hour vs. 50. Susan

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