Cheesecakes

Cheesecakes are one of the earliest baked desserts — it is thought that the ancient Romans were the first to bake cheese into small cakes. It was the Americans who developed one of the versions popular today — a pastry or biscuit crumb base filled with a creamy cheese (usually cream, cottage or ricotta cheese) and egg mixture. The New York cheesecake, one of the most famous versions, is made with cream cheese and cream or sour cream. Usually cheesecakes are baked, but sometimes gelatine is added to the mixture and the cheesecake is left to set in the fridge. Before the cheesecake is set, it may be flavoured with cocoa, fruit purée or caramel, or fruit such as pears, apples or berries may be added.