One thought I had...most cheesecake recipes want you to put your springform pan in a water bath (even George's recipes, which I love.)

I don't have a pan big enough to do that, so, during the preheat-the-oven stage, I place a small (9 x 9) pan of water on the shelf UNDERNEATH the shelf the cheesecake will be baking on. It works just as well as setting the pan in the water bath and I'm still getting perfect cheesecakes every time (LC or not).

Perhaps your cheesecake will set better if it's not sitting in the water bath. I've had springform pans that leak, so if yours is being naughty, it might be absorbing water FROM the water bath - and thus making your cheesecake a gloppy mess...

If you try this, let us know if it solved your problem!!! I love Geo's New York style cheesecake, and it always turned out for me. In fact, I made it again last night, and took the risk of substituting stevia for splenda - and it still was just as great as always!!