Cheesecake is a beloved, classic dessert that dates back as far as ancient Greece. With a fairly basic set of ingredients, it’s a dessert that can be modified and elaborated upon in many creative ways.
However, even with flavors like peanut butter, strawberry, or chocolate, plain cheesecake is beloved in many parts of the world. But what is it really made of? And what cheese makes for the perfect cheesecake?
Cheesecake is a dessert of one or more layers, usually consisting of a crust with a thick custard-like layer made from a fresh, soft, unsalted cheese like cream cheese, cottage cheese, or ricotta. With the chosen cheese as a base ingredient, you can modify the other ingredients to achieve either a baked or raw cheesecake.
With so many different types of cheeses out there, it’s easy to get a little confused as to how a sweet dessert can contain cheese without tasting funny or being outright savory.
Most likely, the first cheeses that come into your mind would not be suitable for a cheesecake and that’s why we are here to discuss the many different options that can help you create an amazing cheesecake.
What Cheese Is Used in Cheesecake?
I know that the first things to come to my mind when I see the word cheese are types like brie, parmesan, or cheddar. While yummy to snack on with some crackers or bread, these aged cheeses are not the kinds that you would want in your cake. A great cheesecake requires a fresh, mild cheese to achieve that lovely creamy filling.
This includes cheeses like ricotta, cottage cheese, and, most famously, cream cheese. The version of cheesecake you likely know is made out of cream cheese.
It’s also one of the younger versions of cheesecake because cream cheese wasn’t invented until 1873 by an American man named William A. Lawrence.
The difference in cheese type is mostly a regional thing. In Italy, cheesecake is made from ricotta or mascarpone. You may encounter cheesecake made from camembert in France.
German cheesecake contains a type of cheese called quark and in some places, you’ll find cheesecake made with sour cream, even though that’s technically not a cheese.
Is Cream Cheese Really Cheese?
Cream cheese certainly falls into the category of a real cheese though it does not involve any kind of an aging process like many other kinds of cheese.
It is made from a combination of unskimmed milk and cream and therefore has a high fat content. It’s firmed through the addition of lactic acid and does not have a very long shelf life, even in the fridge, so it’s best when consumed fresh.
As I briefly mentioned before, cream cheese originates from the United States and was made by a dairy farmer who was actually attempting to open his own production of Neufchâtel, a creamy French cheese.
Lawrence’s version came to be through the addition of extra cream to the Neufchâtel recipe which resulted in a richer product. His original trademark was sold a few times and eventually became what we know as Philadelphia Cream Cheese by Kraft.
Best Substitutes for Cream Cheese in Cheesecake
Ricotta
Ricotta cheese is a mild, slightly tangy cheese that is most often found in lasagna but is also a popular option in Italian cheesecake. Using ricotta cheese will leave you with a texture that’s quite different to cheesecake made with cream cheese as it is a little grainier and firmer but just as delicious!
Mascarpone
Mascarpone is an Italian cheese with a high fat content. It’s made from heavy cream and citric acid. Using it instead of cream cheese will give you a cheesecake with a more velvety and indulgent texture. This is probably the closest substitute to cream cheese when it comes to taste but it is definitely not the healthiest one!
Neufchâtel
Seeing as how making Neufchâtel was the intention that resulted in the supposedly accidental creation of cream cheese, it is worth mentioning it as a substitute. It isn’t the most common option but, with a lower fat content than cream cheese, it could be considered a healthier choice.
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is another completely fresh and mild cheese. It’s made from yogurt and has a lower fat content than cream cheese but similar flavor. It does, however, have a significantly chunky texture and needs to be combined with heavy cream in order to achieve a silky cheesecake filling.
Quark
Quark is a German cheese made from buttermilk and heavy whipping cream. It’s similar to cream cheese with a mild flavor and creamy texture but it is slightly more sour. It also has a lot of protein and calcium. Quark cheesecake is very popular in Germany and other parts of Europe
Sour Cream
Sour cream is a surprisingly popular substitute for cream cheese and some people consider it to be the superior ingredient for cheesecake. It’s made from coagulating cream and is a good substitute for cream cheese if a little more acidic. It’s a lower-calorie substitute and will make your cake more airy.
Silken Tofu
For a dairy-free cheesecake, the most popular and effective substitute for cream cheese is a soft and silken tofu. And this may sound like a strange ingredient, but tofu is already created through a process similar to cheese making and silken tofu has the perfect texture and mild flavor to make for a creamy, plant-based cheesecake filling. The results are satisfyingly similar to the original, non-vegan version.
Which Cream Cheese Is Best for Cheesecake?
Philadelphia Original Creamcheese is without a doubt the most famous cream cheese brand and is at the center of the origin story for cream cheese.
This is the brand that will give you the most “classic” taste if you’re looking to make an American cheesecake. Philadelphia cream cheese is the most well-loved cream cheese brand for cheesecake so it is definitely the most reliable choice.
Dutch Farms Original cream cheese is a great option for those who would prefer a cake with no tangy taste as it is a much milder version.
Prairie Farms makes a cream cheese that is much firmer than others and is perfect for a no-bake version of cheesecake if that’s what you prefer.
How Did the Cheesecake Get Its Name?
While we may easily associate cheesecake with New York, that is not where it originates from and it, in fact, comes from a time before New York and the U.S. even existed.
The earliest we can date cheesecake back to is some 4,000 years ago to the Greek island of Samos. It was first referred to as “libuma” and fed to Olympic athletes as a source of energy.
The Romans inherited the recipe for this type of cake from their conquest of Greece and called it “placenta.”
Due to Roman influence, the cheesecake began to gain popularity and resulted in a variety of recipes from different places. It wasn’t until the 15th century that cheesecake became known by the name we call it today.
The earliest versions of cheesecake varied in their ingredients but were made primarily with only fresh cheese, flour and honey with later versions (around the 25th century) beginning to add butter and eggs.
It’s around the 18th century that we begin to see recipes for cheesecake that resemble the treat that we know and love today.