Cheesecakes

The term cheesecake is something of a contradiction in terms, for cakes containing any quantity of cheese totally lack the crumbly texture of a cake. Textures vary from the fluffy smoothness of some Italian and German cakes to the dense richness of American cheesecake, but all are soft and moist. Cheese is so heavy that when eggs are added to the batter, they set in the oven’s heat, rather than making the cake rise. A few cheesecakes are set with gelatin and chilled rather than baked.

So that the flavor of the cheese does not conflict with that of the sugar, a light fresh cheese such as cream cheese, curd cheese, ricotta or even yogurt is used as the basic ingredient. There are, however, many types of fresh cheese to choose from, each with a different moisture and butterfat content, not to mention flavor, and it is essential to use the type specified. (For example, some American recipes will not work in Europe without the stabilizers used in American commercial cream cheese.)