What cheese is used for cheesecake?

When you think of cheesecake and its list of ingredients, obviously cream cheese is at the top of said list! The major cheese component in cheesecakes in North America is cream cheese, although cheesecakes are made with a variety of cheeses all over the globe!

These are just a handful of the many cheeses that are used to create cheesecake across the world.

Cream Cheese
Cream cheese was developed in the United States in the 1800s. The soft cheese came in a variety of flavors, with numerous local dairy producers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (sound familiar?). In 1873, a dairyman from Chester, New York called William A. Lawrence acquired a Neufchâtel business. Neufchâtel is a soft cheese that has been created in France for generations, but Lawrence chose to add more cream during the process of manufacturing Neufchâtel, which formed a richer, heavier cheese which he termed “cream cheese”.

The rich and creamy texture of classic American cheesecake is due to the use of a cream cheese foundation in the majority of cheesecakes manufactured in the United States and Canada.

Neufchâtel
Most Americans are familiar with Neufchâtel as a lower-fat substitute for cream cheese. However in France, Neufchâtel cheese is a mold-ripened cheese that has been made in Normandy, a region of Franc, and dates back to the 6th century. Neufchâtel is a creamy, somewhat crumbly soft cheese. French cheesecakes are often made with Neufchâtel cheese, but due to the fact it can be a little crumbly, gelatin is often added as a binding agent to make the cheesecake nice and creamy.

Sour Cream
So, sour cream isn’t a cheese. It is a dairy product that is produced by fermenting cream. Due to its smooth and creamy texture and slight tanginess, sour cream is sometimes added to the cream cheese base of cheesecake to make it thicker and creamier. Some types of cheesecake may have a cream cheese foundation and then a sweet sour cream topping. The topping may be basic or incorporate components such as lemon for added taste and tang.

Quark
Quark is often used to create cheesecake in Germany and other European nations. Because of its place of origin, quark cheesecake is also known as German-style or Bavarian cheesecake. Quark is a kind of cheese prepared by fermenting milk. It is creamy and crumbly, and it often contains curds, similar to cottage cheese. Quark is not a real cottage cheese since cottage cheese is manufactured using rennet and sometimes salt, but quark cheese does not.

Ricotta
Ricotta is often used in Italian cheesecake. Yes, besides being a filling for lasagna and manicotti, ricotta cheese is used to make cheesecake. Ricotta pie is another name for Italian-style cheesecake in the United States. Other variations of Italian cheesecake use mascarpone cheese, a soft Italian cheese which is one of the main ingredients of the traditional Italian dessert, Tiramisu.