The Cheesecake Bible Review + 2 Delicious Free Cheesecake Recipes! (2024)

FAQs

What is the oldest cheesecake? ›

Over 4,000 years ago in the fifth century BC, the ancient Greeks on the island of Samos created the earliest known cheesecake. This rudimentary cheesecake was made with patties of fresh cheese that were then pounded smooth with flour and honey.

A water bath helps cheesecakes cook evenly, ensuring the edges don't bake faster than the center. The process gently bakes the custard slowly, ensuring a smooth and creamy filling. Otherwise, the dessert may get a rubbery texture. It also prevents cracking along the surface and browning on the top.

cheesecake, a dessert consisting of a thick, creamy filling of cheese, eggs, and sugar over a thinner crust and topped with sweet or sometimes salty items.

In Greece, cheesecake was considered to be a good source of energy, and there is evidence that it was served to athletes during the first Olympic games in 776 B.C. Greek brides and grooms were also known to use cheesecake as a wedding cake.

Created by chef Raffaele Ronca of Ristorante Rafele in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, this cheesecake costs a remarkable US$5,000 (S$6,570), and has been certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the most expensive in the world.

Eggs and milk have high protein and moisture content, and they're the primary ingredients in cheesecake, so when cheesecake is left at room temperature, conditions are ripe for bacteria to multiply. According to the USDA's Food Keeper App, cheesecake should be consumed within 5 to 7 days of refrigeration.

But it's less possible to bake an excellent cheesecake without one. Big, showstopper cheesecakes baked without a water bath are more likely to overbake, which will give them a curdled texture, cracks in the surface, and lopsided tops.

Q: Can you double a cheesecake recipe and cook them in 2 pans at the same time? A: Yes, you can bake two cakes at the same time BUT only with fan assist so the heat can circulate around them. If you are using a conventional oven with a fan, bake them on two racks; one on the middle rack, the other on the bottom rack.

A water bath, also known as a bain marie, is the baker's secret to creamy cheesecake perfection. It's also a wonderful way to bake custard or bread pudding. All you need for a water bath is a deep roasting pan and foil.

Beginning in the 1940s, pictures of pin-up girls were also known as cheesecake in the U.S. Betty Grable's famous pin-up photo from 1943.

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

When most people refer to Philadelphia-style cheesecake, experts say, they're talking about a version marketed by the cream cheese brand. New York style typically has sour cream or heavy cream in the mix. Philadelphia style doesn't. Which means it doesn't have anything to do with Philadelphia, the city.

Cheesecake is now often thought to be part of American cooking, but it has a long history. Cheese making began around 2000 bc, and scientists who study people in the past have found cheese molds almost as old. Cheesecakes are known to go back to at least Greece.

Adding richness and a smooth texture, the proteins in the eggs set up during the gentle baking process, solidifying the dense network of dairy and sugar into a sliceable whole. Too many eggs will create a cracked and sunken cheesecake with an overly firm texture. Too few eggs and the cheesecake won't set well.

Cheesecake is called "cheesecake" because does not typically contain yeast, and has a crust. Whether it's baked or not, cheesecake is really a form of pie with a crust on the bottom. Most baked cheesecakes use custard as the filling made up of eggs, milk, sugar, salt, vanilla or other flavors.

Cheesecake is Technically a Tart

A cheesecake does not technically need to be baked to be safe to eat. After careful examination of all the evidence, we believe we can conclude that cheesecake is, in fact…a tart.

And, according to the USDA FoodKeeper chart, cheesecake should be consumed within five to seven days after baking—or opening a pre-bought cheesecake.

The first recorded evidence of a cheesecake-like dessert dates to ancient Greece, where it was made with simple ingredients such as cheese, wheat, and honey. The Greek physician Aegimus even wrote a book on the art of making cheesecakes in the 5th century AD.

Mr. Overton created the namesake concept and opened the first The Cheesecake Factory restaurant in 1978 in Beverly Hills, California. He has grown The Cheesecake Factory® into an international brand and created three other concepts, Grand Lux Cafe®, RockSugar Southeast Asian Kitchen® and Social Monk Asian Kitchen®.