When it comes to cheesecake, disregarding flavour, there are two choices. Set or Baked?
The answer to this can depend on a number of things from personal taste, what flavours/toppings you want to add, when/where you want to eat it.
The reasons from choosing one over the other really are numbered.
Below we look at some of the key points of what makes a baked or a set cheesecake and some of the big differences between the two (apart from the obvious).
Set Cheesecake
Set cheesecake doesn’t contain any egg and as the name suggests is finished by setting in the fridge.
This stiffens it up and gives it the final consistency, which is often light and mousse like compared to a baked cheesecake which tends to be denser and creamier.
There are a few different methods that are used when it comes to getting a set cheesecake to … well set.
Some recipes call for gelatine, some only use cream and soft cheese whipped together, some use the addition of acid like lime or lemon juice to help stiffen up the cream and others have chocolate in them.
Obviously each of these different methods will give a different end result with either a softer or firmer finished dessert but we think all are equally as delicious.
When it comes to finishing/topping a set cheesecake, again there are a number of different options depending on your personal preference or the desired outcome.
It maybe should go without saying, but I’ve seen it done so feel that I have to add that you obviously can’t pour hot syrup or chocolate sauce over a set cheesecake as it will just melt and make a horrible mess.
“Some haters will say that a set cheesecake isn’t a real cheesecake!”
This however doesn’t mean that you can’t add something like a fruit jelly to the top, or drizzle over some melted chocolate, you just have to be careful with the temperature when adding it.
Other options include things like fresh fruit, whipped cream and nuts.
Some haters will say that a set cheesecake isn’t a real cheesecake!
That’s fine and we believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion, however we feel that for someone who isn’t as confident about baking or just wants a quicker easier option to whip up, a set cheesecake is the way to go.
With no long baking or cooling time you can have a dessert in an hour or two, like with this simple strawberry cheesecake recipe.
Also as mentioned the recipes don’t contain eggs so if someone is looking for a vegan option its always almost easier to opt for the set variety.
Baked Cheesecake
These baked little wonders are great and like the set cheesecake can vary quite a bit depending on the recipe you use.
Some call for the use of ricotta cheese and offer a lighter texture, others require cream cheese and provide a creamier and heavier consistency.
Some are baked with a crunchy biscuit base; others have no base at all.
There are recipes that recommend baking at a low temperature in a water bath while some like the burnt basque cheesecake is baked without a water bath and at a much hotter temperature to give it’s signature appearance and texture.
When it comes to the baking and cooling of a cheesecake, it can be the making or breaking of the dessert, and indeed of the cook if things go wrong.
Bake to hot and it could brown too much before having baked enough to set, cool to quickly and it could pull away from the tin too much and develop huge cracks.
For the most part we have found that the easiest way to avoid disaster is to bake the cheesecake in a bain-marie (deep roasting tin with water in) and allow to cool in the oven for a while before removing and cooling further on the side but still in the water bath.
Unlike a set cheesecake that can be kept in the fridge for about a week without any real difference to the texture once chilled, and particularly once cut you may find that after a day of two the texture of a baked cheesecake may well start to dry out a little and loose some of its silky smoothness even if covered.
Toppings for a baked cheesecake could be anything you could use to top a set cheesecake, in addition however due to its more robust nature you could also finish it with hot syrup or chocolate sauce.
So Which is Best?
We feel that both deserve their own spot in the dessert section and both have a lot to offer.
Really it comes down to personal preference, or if like us you like both types, which one best suits requirements – egg content, time to make etc, and which you feel best compliments the rest of the meal.