7 Different Types of Cheesecake | Goldbelly (2024)

Published on March 14th, 2024

In this article

  • What is the difference between New York style cheesecake and regular cheesecake?
  • What are the most popular cheesecakes?
  • New York-Style Cheesecake
  • Chicago Cheesecake
  • Italian Ricotta Cheesecake
  • Japanese Cheesecake
  • Vegan Cheesecake
  • Cheesecake Cake
  • Burnt Basque Cheesecake

THE MOST POPULAR CHEESECAKE FLAVORS YOU MUST TRY

Whether you’re looking to make dessert the highlight of dinner, indulging during a bad day or breakup, or want to celebrate with a little something sweet, nothing hits quite like cheesecake.

No matter how you slice it, the go-to dessert of The Golden Girls and Goldbelly food explorers is a creamy, dreamy delight that comes in many styles and flavors.

What is the difference between New York style cheesecake and regular cheesecake?

The difference between New York style cheese and regular cheesecake is the proportion of ingredients and the texture. Cheesecake is made with the following ingredients:

  • Cream
  • Cream cheese
  • Eggs
  • Sugar
  • Vanilla

New York cheesecake uses a larger portion of cream cheese. It is rich and dense. Regular cheesecake uses more cream and has a creamier texture.

There is typically a crust made of graham crackers, but sometimes other cookies like shortbread are used. Some cheesecakes are bottomless or have a cake base layer.

What are the most popular cheesecakes?

The most popular cheesecake style is New York cheesecake; however, cheesecakes come in a variety of popular styles, including:

  • New York-Style Cheesecake
  • Chicago Cheesecake
  • Italian Ricotta Cheesecake
  • Japanese Cheesecake
  • Vegan Cheesecake
  • Cheesecake Cake
  • Burnt Basque Cheesecake

New York-Style Cheesecake

If you’ve had cheesecake, chances are it was a New York-style cheesecake. This iconic cheesecake is dense and often served plain or with whipped cream or strawberries.The famous dessert was invented by restaurateur Arnold Reuben in the 1930s. He is the same person who invented the Reuben sandwich.

Some of the most famous cheesecakes are, not surprisingly, made in New York City. New York-style cheesecake flavors include chocolate, caramel and strawberry.

Junior’s Cheesecake’s Junior’s Original Cheesecake

Junior’s Cheesecake in downtown Brooklyn has been making its famously rich and dense cheesecakes since 1950. Their cheesecakes are famous for their signature sponge cake bottoms and delicious taste. Each Junior’s Original Cheesecake is made with cream cheese, eggs, heavy cream, and vanilla.

Ferrara Bakery’s New York Cheesecake

Just across the bridge in Manhattan’s Little Italy, Ferrara has been making its famous New York Cheesecake since 1892. Each 8-inch cheesecake features smooth and creamy cheesecake nestled on a crushed graham cracker crust.

Read More: The Nuns of New Skete Cheesecake

Chicago Cheesecake

Chicago Cheesecake has a firm exterior, but inside it’s soft, creamy, and fluffier than New York cheesecake. It was invented by Eli Schulman, founder of Eli’s Cheesecake, at the first ever taste of Chicago in 1980.

Eli’s Cheesecake Company’s Original Plain Cheesecake

Eli’s Cheesecake Company is largely responsible for putting Chicago-style cheesecake on the map. Since 1980, Eli’s has been making wonderful Windy City cheesecakes in small batches. One of their most popular flavors is Original Plain Cheesecake that has a signature all-butter shortbread cookie crust.

Eli’s Cheesecake Company’s Original Favorite Cheesecake Sampler

Take your tastebuds on a terrific taste test with Eli’s Original Favorite Cheesecake Sampler. It includes 16 slices of Original Plain, Candy Bar made with Heath® Toffee Bars, Chocolate Chip, and Strawberry cheesecake.

Italian Ricotta Cheesecake

Visit any Italian bakery and you will find sublime slices of Italian cheesecake. Italian cheesecake is made with ricotta cheese instead of cream cheese. It’s lighter and airier than traditional and New York-style cheesecakes.

Italian cheesecake was first made by the Romans in the third century BCE. Ricotta cheese was created in Italy and it was the Romans who first used it in cheesecake.

Veniero’s Italian Cheesecake

Old-world Italian bakery Veniero’s Pasticceria & Caffé in New York City’s East Village has been making Italian pastries since 1894. Veniero’s makes its Italian Cheesecake with honey, orange oil, vanilla and plenty of ricotta cheese.

Settepani Restaurant and Bakery’s Italian Cheesecake

Settepani Restaurant and Bakery’s Italian Cheesecake is a hefty 5 lb. masterpiece. Since 1992, the Williamsburg bakery has been whipping up Italian breads, cakes, and pastries with all-natural, organic ingredients.

Montilio’s Baking Company’s Authentic Italian Ricotta Pie

Montilio’s Baking Company has been baking some of Boston’s most beloved French and Italian cakes and pastries since 1947. Each 7-inch Authentic Italian Ricotta Pie is lightly sweetened with vanilla and encased in a thick and flaky crust.

Japanese Cheesecake

Japanese cheesecake is light and airy and often has a bounce to it. It’s made with cream cheese, eggs, and milk, yielding a soft, melt-in-your mouth and wonderfully creamy mouthfeel.


Japanese chef Tomotaro Kuzuno is credited with creating Japanese cheesecake in the 1960s. He was inspired by German käsekuchen (cheesecake).

Kee Wah Bakery’s Japanese Fluffy Cheesecake

Hong Kong’s Kee Wah Bakery’s Japanese Fluffy Cheesecakes are a mix of sponge cake and cheesecake. Each 5-inch fluffy cheesecake is made with butter, cream cheese, eggs, flour, and sugar.

Keki Modern Cake’s Bouncy Japanese Cheesecake

Keki Modern Cake’s Bouncy Japanese Cheesecake is melt-in-your-mouth cheesecake made with organic grass-fed milk, Amish cream cheese, and organic free range eggs. Each 6-inch cheesecake is stamped with a cute Keki logo and serves 3-4 people.

Vegan Cheesecake

Just because you are on a special diet doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the best cheesecakes ever from America’s best bakeries. These vegan cheesecakes are made with all the cheesecake taste we love without dairy.

East Side Cheesecakes “The Very Vegan Vixen” Cheesecake

Los Angeles’ East Side Cheesecakes was founded during the pandemic. Julia Tokarz and Gregory Lay use non-dairy ingredients to create their The Very Vegan Vixen Cheesecake. Each 9-inch cheesecake is made with cashews, chickpeas, coconut milk, coconut oil, sugar, vanilla, vegan cream cheese, vegan graham crackers, and vegan sour cream.

Eli’s Cheesecake Company’s Vegan Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake

Chicago’s Eli’s Cheesecake Company makes delicious bite-size, 1-inch cheesecake squares or “cuties.” Their Vegan Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake cuties are made with organic GMO-free tofu from Chicago’s Phoenix Bean, lemon “cheesecake” baked on a layer of lemon cake, and house-made raspberry purée.

Cheesecake Cake

Who says you can’t have your cake and cheesecake too? We love cheesecakes that combine rich and fudge chocolate cakes or brownies with luscious cheesecake. It’s a perfect palate-pleasing pairing you just have to try.

PieCaken Bakeshop’s The Red Velvet PieCaken

Since taking Instagram by storm in 2015, Pastry Chef Zac Young’s PieCaken has been a favorite. The Red Velvet PieCaken is a three-layer pie and “turducken of cake” dessert. This red and white sprinkled pie-cake features Chocolate Pecan Pie, Cherry Swirl Cheesecake, and Red Velvet Cake layered with cream cheese buttercream.


Read More: What Is PieCaken and Where to Buy It?

Blue Owl Bakery’s Caramel Brownie Cheesecake

Founded in 1983 in Kimmswick, Missouri, Mary Hostetter’s Blue Owl Bakery has been whipping up pies and cakes. Their Caramel Brownie Cheesecake is a chocoholic’s dream with a fudgy brownie bottom and chocolate cheesecake. It’s topped with a trio of brownie pieces, caramel, and pecans.

Burnt Basque Cheesecake

One of the newest forms of cheesecake was invented in the 1990s in San Sebastián, Spain. As the name suggests, Basque Burnt Cheese has a burnt looking top, but it’s actually caramelized on top because it has been cooked on high heat.

This unique New York-Japanese hybrid, Burnt Basque cheesecake is soft and creamy with a crunchy top that you just have to experience for yourself.

Little Grace Bakery’s Basque Burnt Cheesecake

Since 2020, Little Grace Bakery in New York City has been whipping up custard-y and caramelized Basque Burnt Cheesecakes. Each 7-inch crustless cheesecake is gluten-free and made with fresh, hormone-free milk from Battenkill Valley Creamery.

Chef José Andrés’ Burnt Basque Cheesecake

James Beard Award-winning Chef José Andrés has created the creamiest baked cheesecake with perfectly nutty caramel top. One bite of this Burnt Basque Cheesecake, and you’ll be transported to Spain.

Be cheesy. It’s a piece of (cheese)cake ordering America’s best cheesecakes shipping nationwide on Goldbelly!

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7 Different Types of Cheesecake | Goldbelly (2024)

FAQs

7 Different Types of Cheesecake | Goldbelly? ›

Chicago-style cheesecake

You might wonder if it's a different recipe altogether. Or if more eggs are used to create more fluff? You'd be mistaken. The critical difference between a Chicago-style cheesecake and the New York cheesecake is, in fact, the amount of cream cheese in each recipe.

What is the difference between New York and Chicago style cheesecake? ›

Chicago-style cheesecake

You might wonder if it's a different recipe altogether. Or if more eggs are used to create more fluff? You'd be mistaken. The critical difference between a Chicago-style cheesecake and the New York cheesecake is, in fact, the amount of cream cheese in each recipe.

What's the difference between New York style cheesecake and just regular cheesecake? ›

Regular cheesecake relies on heavy cream and sour cream to thin the batter and create a silkier, creamier texture. New York cheesecake is heavy on the cream cheese which is why it's so dense and rich. Extra cream cheese isn't the only thing that makes New York cheesecake so special.

What is the difference between Sicilian cheesecake and New York cheesecake? ›

The main difference between what we would consider typical New York American cheesecake and Italian cheesecake is that in Italy, cheesecake is made with ricotta rather than cream cheese. It is also a bit lighter and dryer, more cakelike and less cloying.

What was the original cheesecake called? ›

One of the first recorded recipes, dated in the first century and called “libum,” is a far cry from the creamy cake we know today. Calling for two pounds of “well crushed” cheese mixed with flour and a single egg, this version was formed into a loaf and baked in a hot fire under a brick.

What is the world's most expensive cheesecake? ›

Raffaele Ronca's $5,000 cheesecake is the most expensive in the world.

What is the famous cheesecake in New York? ›

WELCOME TO JUNIOR'S!

Take a trip back to Brooklyn. Famous since 1950. Home of the World's most fabulous cheesecake and delicious comfort food. Come visit us!

Why is it called a turtle cheesecake? ›

This cheesecake, using caramel, chocolate, and nuts, is named after Turtles, a confection developed in the United States by Johnson's Candy Company in 1918, so named because the shape of the treat resembles a turtle.

What is Sicilian cheesecake made of? ›

Ingredients
  1. 2 pounds ricotta cheese.
  2. ⅔ cup white sugar.
  3. ⅓ cup all-purpose flour.
  4. 6 eggs.
  5. ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
  6. 2 teaspoons orange zest.
  7. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
  8. ⅛ teaspoon salt.

Why is a London cheesecake? ›

A London cheesecake is a puff pastry dessert filled with a frangipane sponge cake and decorated in icing. It has no cheese in the recipe and its not a cake either! However it is a british dessert that was popular in the 1950s and 60s in London mainly and got its name from the people that remember it!

How is French cheesecake different? ›

A French Style Cheesecake is simple, elegant, and a bit different than the popular one New York Cheesecake. The French one it's creamier and leaves you with a strong vanilla flavor from the first bite.

What is a Biltmore cheesecake? ›

Description:Creamy vanilla cheesecake baked in a graham crust. Also available in a base and dome format for in-store bakeries (Item #107290)

What's the difference between cheesecake and Basque cheesecake? ›

It's main difference from a New York Style Cheesecake is that it is crustless, and has a golden, beautiful caramelized exterior. It also has a much lighter texture and flavor. The cheesecake is baked at a high temperature in order to get that burnt exterior and super creamy interior.

Is baked or no bake cheesecake better? ›

The key difference between baked and no-bake cheesecakes is the former's superior texture. Baked cheesecakes have a dense, fluffy, moist and smooth texture, which is not possible with the recipe for no-bake cheesecake.

What is the difference between French style and New York style cheesecake? ›

A French Style Cheesecake is simple, elegant, and a bit different than the popular one New York Cheesecake. The French one it's creamier and leaves you with a strong vanilla flavor from the first bite.

What is the difference between New York style cheesecake and burnt basque cheesecake? ›

This burnt basque cheesecake originates in Basque Country (hence the name). It's a crustless cheesecake that's starting to become a trend in the US. It's main difference from a New York Style Cheesecake is that it is crustless, and has a golden, beautiful caramelized exterior.

What is the difference between Polish cheesecake and New York cheesecake? ›

Polish Cheesecake – Sernik

It is rich and dense but not as smooth or creamy as the New York style. It's based more on eggs and butter and no cream or sour cream is added. There are many variations of Sernik. Some people add raisins, peaches or candied orange peel.

Why is it called New York style cheesecake? ›

Every restaurant had their version. I believe the name “New York Cheesecake” came from the fact that New Yorkers referred to the cheesecakes made in New York as “New York Cheesecake.” New Yorkers say that cheesecake was not really cheesecake until it was cheesecake in New York.

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