Is there any other cheese which can be used in cheesecake other than cream cheese? Unfortunaltely cream cheese is not available where I live. Thank you!
Our answer
Cream cheese is a soft cheese with a fat content of around 33%. It is particularly popular for cheescakes as it gives a smooth texture and although it may be seen as a "sweet" cheese it has a very slightly acidic tang which helps to stop cheesecakes from tasting too cloying. Probably the closest substitute is mascarpone though this has a fat content of 40% and doesn't have the same acidic tang as cream cheese, so will give a very rich cheesecake.
Otherwise a curd cheese would be a possible alternative. The type of curd cheese needed for a cheesecake is the firm type, such as quark, farmer cheese or paneer, and not the type with small curds, such as cottage cheese. However these cheeses have a much lower fat content, typically 20% or below, so they may not give the best flavour or texture if used as a straight substitute for cream cheese. Instead we would suggest making a cheesecake from a recipe specifically uses curd cheese. Nigella's Old Fashioned Cheesecake from Kitchen (p173) would be a good one to try.
uses full fat cream cheese (sometimes labelled as soft white cheese) in all of her cheesecake recipes and this is the type of cheese that we would prefer to use in cheescake recipes. Neufchatel in Europe is an aged cheese with a slightly crumbly texture and a rind, sometimes sold in a heart shape.
As Chef John says in his recipe for homemade mascarpone, it is "very similar to regular cream cheese, except pretty much better in every way. It's not quite as tangy, but it is richer and more decadent." Hence why it makes the perfect addition to cheesecake.
If your soft cheese is the same then it will taste fine but won't be as rich as if full fat cream cheese were used so the texture will be slightly lighter. Don't worry: a home made cheesecake is always a treat! Stick to Philadelphia.
Most cheesecakes made in the United States and Canada are made with a cream cheese base, giving traditional American cheesecake its rich and creamy texture. Most Americans know Neufchâtel as a lower-fat alternative to cream cheese.
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. It also includes extra eggs and egg yolks to provide and smooth consistency.
No mascarpone and cream cheese are not the same, they are both dairy-based and do have some similarities but they are made in different ways. They have a similar texture so can very often substitute each other but Philadephia is more savory while mascarpone is milkier in taste.
You can use either mascarpone, or Philadelphia cream cheese (or the supermarket version), but it MUST BE full fat cream cheese. I'm based in the UK, so we have double cream. It has a rough fat content of around 45% and this is what helps it set.
Neufchâtel cheese may be substituted for cream cheese in equal amounts. It can be used one-for-one in uncooked recipes, and will slightly reduce the fat content in these dishes (such as chilled dips and spreads).
Great Value cream cheese is cheaper than other brands (it's less than $2 for eight ounces) but manages to deliver on all our criteria. This cream cheese was super smooth and spreadable—perfect for stirring into any recipe.
In the UK the fat content of cream cheese can theoretically be as high as 55% which may be why the UK tends to opt for the term "soft white cheese", but most people still think of this as cream cheese and the higher fat content cream cheese tends to be flavoured with garlic and herbs.
Since it's probably the most popular and beloved kind of cheesecake (at least by name), let's start with New York cheesecake. In general, New York cheesecake is ultra-dense and rich, firm yet creamy, and relies on lots of cream cheese for tang and texture, bolstered by heavy cream, eggs, and sugar.
Goat cheese, aged Gouda, blue cheese, fontina, havarti, mascarpone, Emmentaler, pecorino, fresh ricotta and brie all make wonderful dessert cheeses. You'll find flavored varieties, too, such as chocolate goat cheese; white Stilton with pear, apple, mango, or ginger; and chevre with blueberries, cranberries or cinnamon.
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