Beloved cheesecake is a timeless dessert that’s loved for its creamy richness and sweet-tart flavor notes. Cream cheese often features as one of the main ingredients, although other types of cheese can be used too, like mascarpone or ricotta. Each change to the ingredients impacts the flavor and texture of the dessert, creating interesting variations.
Of course, there’s more to the cheesecake than the creamy filling. Many versions also have a crust that offers a fantastic texture contrast and brings the whole dessert together.
One of the most delightful things is all the differences between cheesecakes. Every aspect can be changed in multiple ways, including the crust, the topping, and the flavors in the cheesecake itself. Even the cooking approach can change, with some recipes skipping the baking step entirely.
Things get even more interesting once we start talking about the different types of cheesecake, such as the basque cheesecake, New York cheesecake, Japanese cheesecake, sernik, and fiadone. These versions of cheesecake have some interesting and unusual properties that make them truly stand out.
Yet, despite all the potential differences, cheesecakes are easily recognizable and remain very popular. No matter which version you try, you’ll undoubtedly get a dessert you love.
P.S. If you’re looking for variation, why not try a cheesecake of the month club? These send out new cheesecakes to you every month, often with interesting flavors and styles.
Types Of Cheesecake
Classic Cheesecake
To begin with, we have the classic cheesecake (often just called a cheesecake). This isn’t a type of cheesecake per se. Instead, it’s simply a cheesecake made however you like.
There are absolutely no rules for this type of cheesecake, allowing you to experiment with crust types, flavor ingredients, toppings, and more. As a result, these cheesecakes can be dramatically different from each other, with some being simple and others being much more complex.
The products from The Cheesecake Factory are a great example of this approach, as these are often packed with flavors and extra ingredients. This includes options like the Cookie Dough Lover’s Cheesecake with Pecans and the Cinnamon Swirl Cheesecakes. These certainly don’t fall into a traditional cheesecake style, but they’re still certainly cheesecakes.
New York Cheesecake
The New York cheesecake is an American classic and one of the most famous types of cheesecake. They typically rely on cream cheese and heavy cream, which give them their characteristic flavor and texture.
The combination of ingredients means that this is an incredibly rich and creamy dessert, one that’s more decadent than many other types of cheesecake. In fact, if you’re served a light and fluffy New York cheesecake, then you’ve been misled, as a light cheesecake isn’t a New York cheesecake at all.
The creamy filling is contrasted by a traditional graham cracker crust, which helps cut through some richness of the cheesecake filling.
Traditionally, the cheesecake is tall and largely unflavored (except for perhaps some lemon juice for contrast). However, some recipes do call for toppings and even flavor ingredients within the cheesecake itself. Whether these versions are authentically New York cheesecakes is up for debate. The answer simply depends on who you ask.
Chicago-Style Cheesecake
Then there’s the Chicago-style cheesecake. This version tends to be lighter and fluffier than the New York cheesecake, partly because it uses more cream cheese than the New York version.
A graham cracker crust is common with this style of cheesecake, just like with the New York cheesecake. However, other types of crust might be used instead, like cookie crumbs and perhaps shortbread.
The Chicago-style cheesecake also isn’t as famous as the New York version. Because of this, there isn’t such a strong focus on a ‘right’ way to make the cheesecake, opening the door for countless variations.
Ricotta Cheesecake
Cream cheese is a common cheesecake ingredient, contributing to the dessert’s distinct texture. However, you can use another type of cheese, including ricotta.
Ricotta is especially common in Italian-style cheesecakes, although you can certainly try the approach in your own recipe. Using ricotta noticeably changes the texture of the cheesecake, making it lighter, less creamy, and even a little drier.
However, these differences don’t make ricotta cheesecakes less appealing. They simply leave you with a different style of cheesecake, one that remains incredibly delicious. This might even be the perfect approach if you feel that regular cheesecakes are too creamy and dense.
Crostata di Ricotta
Crostata di ricotta is a particular type of Italian ricotta cheesecake that’s sometimes categorized as a tart. It lives up to the name by relying heavily on ricotta cheese, but the change in cheese isn’t the only thing that makes this cheesecake interesting.
The filling here is similar to a ricotta cheesecake, making it lighter than a traditional cheesecake. The crust differs though and is often made using shortcrust pastry. There may be a lattice crust or even a full crust on top as well.
There are many variations to the recipe, often featuring different flavor profiles. For example, some versions lean into sweet citrus flavors, while others are more chocolate-focused instead.
Cheesecakes With Other Types Of Cheese
We’ve already talked about cream cheese and ricotta as cheesecake ingredients. So, it makes sense that other types of cheese are an option too. The effects vary depending on the type of cheese you choose.
Mascarpone cheese is one option here. It is smooth and rich, making your cheesecake even more decadent than it would normally be.
German cheesecakes often feature a German cheese called quark. This is similar to ricotta and creates cheesecakes that are light and airy.
There are plenty of other options too, like the French cheese neufchâtel, cottage cheese, or goat cheese. Even blue cheese can be used to create a truly unique cheesecake.
No Bake Cheesecake
Not surprisingly, no bake cheesecakes don’t require any baking at all. They do this by skipping the eggs used in regular cheesecakes, then using whipped cream or gelatin to provide structure.
These differences make no bake cheesecakes lighter and fluffier than their baked counterparts. They’re also less decadent, making them useful if you prefer a light dessert.
No bake cheesecakes are also fast and easy to prepare. You don’t need any previous experience, so even complete kitchen novices can make this dessert. This is a stunning feature, as regular cheesecakes can be a little tricky.
Basque Cheesecake
The basque cheesecake is famous for its signature burnt top, which isn’t really burnt at all. Instead, it’s mostly caramelized with just a few slightly burnt patches. The caramelization creates a delicious flavor that bleeds through into the rest of the cake and is tough to beat.
This is also an incredibly simple cheesecake. It’s often made with just a handful of ingredients: cream cheese, sugar, eggs, cream, and a little flour.
The technique is really what makes this cheesecake stand out, as it’s baked at a higher temperature than normal. The extra heat means the exterior parts of the cake brown, creating a crust, while the inside remains soft and jiggly.
This approach to cooking makes the basque cheesecake a rough and ready dessert. Still, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes this approach is exactly what you need.
Japanese Cheesecake
Japanese cheesecake is another distinctive treat, one that’s well worth trying for yourself. This dessert goes by a few names, including soufflé-style cheesecake and cotton cheesecake. The names are perfect, as this is a very light and airy cheesecake.
In fact, the texture is surprisingly close to that of a sponge cake. This is achieved by using whipped egg whites in the batter, creating a truly remarkable dessert.
Because cream cheese is used in the recipe, this cheesecake still tastes much like the versions we all know and love. However, it does use less sugar, so the cheesecake isn’t nearly as sweet.
Vegan Cheesecake
Vegan cheesecakes sound like a contradiction in terms, given that cheesecakes traditionally use some type of cheese for their texture. Indeed, vegan cheesecakes simply get their name because they’re designed to look and taste much like regular cheesecakes.
Recipe creators need to be creative to obtain the desired effect. This often involves using cashews that have been soaked and then blended or blending silken tofu (making this a great use of raw tofu). Both approaches create a creamy texture without any dairy-based ingredients.
The cheesecakes can also be made using vegan cream cheese as a base ingredient. However, you won’t be able to make a straight substitution because vegan cream cheese doesn’t behave exactly the same way as regular cream cheese. Because of this, it’s best to find a recipe that’s designed specifically for vegan cream cheese (like this one from Nora Cooks).
Interestingly, vegan cheesecakes can be healthier than regular cheesecakes, as they often use less sugar and more natural ingredients. Plus, because they’re not relying on cheese, there’s less saturated fat. Still, it’s important to check the recipe, as some vegan treats are healthier than others.
Savory Cheesecake
Cheesecakes are almost always sweet, yet there are some savory versions out there too. These may still use cream cheese as the base ingredient, then add other types of cheeses for complexity and savory notes.
There’s little sugar in the recipe. Savory ingredients are used to provide flavor instead, including options like dill, basil, paprika, and roasted peppers. Smoked salmon cheesecake is one of the most popular styles here, which isn’t surprising, as smoked salmon always pairs well with cream cheese.
Sernik
Sernik is the Polish version of cheesecake and it is incredibly flexible, particularly when it comes to the crust. Some versions are crustless, others have just a bottom crust, while still others might have both a top and bottom crust.
The crust tends to be crumbly and often uses shortcrust pastry, which contrasts beautifully with the body of the cheesecake. Here, twaróg is the cheese of choice. This is a Polish farmer’s cheese that is a little crumbly and includes some savory notes.
Sernik is often denser than American cheesecakes and isn’t excessively sweet. Many different versions exist, including more modern recipes that mix in ingredients like fruit or chocolate, use a different type of cheese, or even use sponge cake as the base.
Käsekuchen
Next is Käsekuchen, which is a German cheesecake. This one uses a fresh cheese called quark. Because quark contains less fat than cream cheese, Käsekuchen tends to be lighter than American cheesecakes. At times, the texture is so airy that it resembles a souffle.
The cheesecake is often topped with fresh fruit or simply powdered sugar, both of which work well with the other flavors.
As with our other entries, the recipe here can be varied considerably. Some option additions include rum-soaked raisins, candied citrus peel, or even a streusel topping.
Fiadone
Finally, we have Fiadone, which is a Corsican cheesecake. It’s thinner than many other cheesecakes and doesn’t have a bottom layer, so it’s more like a flan than a traditional cheesecake.
Fiadone also tends to be crumbly, partly because it relies on a whey cheese known as brocciu. Flavoring ingredients are also kept to a minimum, allowing the taste of the cheese filling to take center stage.
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