From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cheesecake is a dessert consisting of a topping made of soft, fresh cheese on a base made from biscuit, pastry or sponge.^[1] The topping is frequently sweetened with sugar and flavored or topped with fruit, nuts, fruit flavored drizzle and/or chocolate.

Savory cheesecakes also exist, served sometimes as hors d'oeuvre or with accompanying salads.

History

The earliest author who mentions cheesecake is Aegimus, who wrote a book on the art of making cheesecakes (πλακουντοπουκόν σύγγραμμα).^[2] Cato the Elder's De Agri Cultura includes recipes for two pies for religious uses: libum and placenta.^[3] Of the two, placenta is most like modern cheesecakes having a crust that is separately prepared and baked.^[4] In 1872, William Lawrence from Chester, NY, along with other dairymen, came up with a way of making an "un-ripened cheese that is heavier and creamier by accident, actually looking for a way to recreate the soft, French cheese, Neufchatel.^[5] Lawrence distributed the cheese in foil, becoming a brand that is familiarly recognized as "Philadelphia". Later on in 1912, James Kraft invented a form of this cream cheese, but pasteurized it- this is now the most commonly used cheese for cheesecake.^[6]

Styles

Cheesecakes can be broadly categorized into two basic types: baked and unbaked. Each comes in a variety of styles determined by region:

United States

The United States has several different recipes for cheesecake and this usually depends on the region the cake was baked in as well as the cultural background of the person baking it. These cheesecakes are typically baked before serving.

• New York-style cheesecake relies upon heavy cream. Usually, cheesecake is made from cream cheese, eggs and egg yolks to add a richness and a smooth consistency. It is baked in a special 13–15 cm (5–6 inches) tall springform pan in many restaurants. Some recipes use cottage cheese and lemon for distinct texture and flavor or add a drizzle of chocolate or strawberry sauce to the basic recipe.

• Sour cream-style uses sour cream instead of heavy cream. This makes the cheesecake more resilient to freezing and is the method by which most frozen cheesecakes are made.

• Pennsylvania Dutch-style cheesecake uses a slightly tangy type of cheese with larger curds and less water content, called pot or farmer's cheese.

• Philadelphia-style cheesecake is lighter in texture, yet richer in flavor than New York-style cheesecake.

• Farmer's cheese cheesecake is the contemporary implementation for the traditional use of baking to preserve fresh cheese and is often baked in a cake form along with fresh fruit like a tart.

• Country-style cheesecake uses buttermilk to produce a firm texture while decreasing the pH (increasing acidity) to extend shelf life.

• Lactose-free cheesecake may be made either with lactose-free cream cheese or as an imitation using vegan recipes combining non-dairy cream cheese alternatives with other lactose-free ingredients.

• Gooey butter cake is a St. Louis variant that has a layer of regular cake with a cheesecake top.

British, Australian and New Zealand

In the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, cheesecake is typically made with a base of crushed biscuits and butter and topped with a fruit compote. The most common filling is a mixture of cream cheese, sugar and cream and it is not baked - gelatine may also be used to keep the filling firm. One can also find it today made with banoffee flavor, coffee, tea, chocolate, Irish cream ,white chocolate and even marshmallow.

Bulgarian

• Bulgarian-style cheesecake uses cream cheese in a New York-style filling and Smetana for a top layer. Often, ground nuts are added to the crust mixture.

Italian

• Ancient Roman-style cheesecake uses honey and a ricotta-like cheese along with flour and is traditionally shaped into loaves. Some recipes call for bay leaves, which may have been used as a preservative.^{[citation needed]}
• Italian-style cheesecake uses ricotta or mascarpone cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and sometimes barley flakes. This type of cheesecake is typically drier than American styles. Often, small bits of candied fruit are added.

French

• French-style cheesecakes are very light, feature gelatin as a binding ingredient, and are typically only 3 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches) tall. This variety gets its light texture and flavor from Neufchâtel cheese.

Greek

• Greek-style cheesecake commonly uses mizithra.

Swedish

• Swedish-style cheesecake differs greatly from other cheese cakes. A Swedish cheesecake is not layered and is traditionally produced by adding rennet to milk and letting the casein coagulate. It is then baked in an oven and served warm. Since the process of curdling milk is somewhat complicated, alternative recipes intended for home cooking instead use cottage cheese as a base to simulate the texture of the dessert. Swedish-style cheesecake is traditionally served with jam and whipped cream or ice cream. There are two different types of Swedish cheesecake, from different regions in Sweden. To avoid confusion with other cheesecakes, Swedish cheesecake is usually called ostkaka, its Swedish name.

Central European

Käsekuchen - German-style cheesecake uses quark cheese

• German-style cheesecake (Käsekuchen, Quarkkuchen, Matzkuchen; Topfenkuchen in Austria) uses quark cheese. The Käsesahnetorte (cheese cream tart) adds cream and does not get baked. Germany is famous for its unique cheesecake recipes that add a bit of sweet and sour taste, said to “melt in your mouth”.
• Dutch/Belgian-style cheesecakes are typically flavored with melted bittersweet chocolate. Belgian cheesecake also includes a speculaas crust (speculaas is a traditional Dutch-Belgian biscuit).
• Polish sernik (cheesecake), one of the most popular desserts in Poland, is made primarily of twaróg (quark), a type of fresh cheese.

Latin American

• Brazilian-style cheesecake usually has a layer of guava marmalade (goiabada).
• Argentina: Is usually served with strawberry or another berry marmalade on top.

Asian

Asian-style cheesecake flavors include matcha (powdered Japanese green tea), lychee and mango. Asian-style cheesecakes are also lighter in flavor, and are sometimes light and spongy in texture. Compared to its counterparts, it is also considerably less sweet.

Japanese

Japanese white chocolate cheesecake

• Japanese-style cheesecake relies upon the emulsification of cornstarch and eggs to make a smooth flan-like texture and almost plasticine appearance.

Culinary uses and challenges

Almost all modern cheesecakes in the United States use cream cheese; in Italy, cheesecakes use ricotta; Germany and Poland use quark cheese. Cheesecakes are most easily baked in a Springform pan.

The type of cheese affects not only the texture and taste, but also the ability to incorporate certain types of ingredients. When cheesecake batter is too thin, many cheesecakes will not be structurally sound and fall apart at the table. One way to get around this is to use unflavored gelatin or a little cornstarch beaten with the eggs.

A common difficulty with baking cheesecakes is its tendency to “crack” when cooled. This is due to the coagulation of the beaten eggs in its batter. There are various methods to prevent this. One method is to bake the cheesecake in a hot water bath to ensure even heating. Other methods include blending a little cornstarch into the batter or baking the cheesecake at a lower temperature and slow cooling it in the oven, turned off, with the door ajar. If these methods fail, a common practice is to cover the top of the cheesecake with toppings such as fruit, whipped cream, or cookie crumbs.

Alternatively, cracks can also be reparied by simply using a flat knife and some warm water. After the cake has been chilled for a few hours, simply dip the knife in warm water and mold the cheesecake as if sculpting. Cracks and unevenness can easily be taken care of in this fashion. This method also works well for repairing the sides and giving the final cheesecake a flawless look. For crater size cracks, try using the bits that are stuck on the side of the pan to help repair the damage.

Another common problem, particularly with baked cheesecakes, is that the biscuit base becomes too soft. For extra crunch, replace around a quarter of the crushed biscuits with Grape Nuts.^[7]

Many types of cheesecake are essentially custards, which can lead a novice baker to overcook them, expecting them to behave like true cakes.

A sour cream-style cheesecake uses close to a 1:1 volume ratio of cream cheese to sour cream to make the traditional texture that crumbles like a good roquefort cheese with a distinctive sunken center and a golden-colored top from the Maillard reaction. An extra egg white brushed on the top can achieve the same effect in less time if you desire the cheesecake to be "gooey" when set.

Gallery

Green tea-flavored cheesecake, served with green tea ice cream	New York style Cheesecake with strawberries	"South-African Rose" cheesecake	Polish cheesecake (sernik)
"No bake" cheesecake with orange jelly

Popular culture

• In 1999, at one of the weekend-long Phish festivals, Big Cypress, held at the Seminole Indian Reservation in southern Florida, New Years Weekend, ABC Nightly World News broadcast a performance of "Heavy Things".^[8][9] In an attempt to confuse viewers, members of the band requested that instead of applause at the end of the song, the audience chant "cheesecake" over and over. It became a running joke for Phish to reference cheesecake throughout the duration of the show. During a performance of "You Enjoy Myself", the band went into a trademarked, vocal jam in which each of them sang "cheesecake", types of cheesecake, and so forth. This has since been commonly referred to as the "Ben Milan Jam".
• In the United States July 30 has been unofficially declared National Cheesecake Day.^[10] The origins of this unofficial holiday are unknown but in the last few years it has gained in popularity as food blogs have embraced it and The Cheesecake Factory has taken advantage of it to promote its namesake product.^[11][12]
• The band King Missile has song called 'Cheesecake Truck'. The song lasts for just over one minute, but the word 'cheesecake' is mentioned fourteen times. The song is humorous mainly due to the incredible number of cheesecakes (an entire truckload) that the protagonist claims to eat during the first day of his job driving a cheesecake truck.
• In the 1955 film Guys and Dolls, Frank Sinatra's character Nathan eats cheesecake when he first meets Marlon Brando's character Sky. (The references to cheesecake were inspired by Lindy's deli in New York City.^[13]) Brando, a practical joker, knowing how much Sinatra hated cheesecake, flubbed each take so that Sinatra would have to eat piece after piece of cheesecake. After filming repeated takes of the scene, Sinatra said he could not take one more bite.
• Cheesecake was the favored dessert of The Golden Girls during their late-night talks around the kitchen table.

See also

• Ostkaka
• The Cheesecake Factory
• Eli's Cheesecake

References