A cheesecake is a sweet, cheese-based dessert.
Cheesecake is one of the most common desserts in the world and perhaps one of the oldest involving dairy other than milk. The first recorded mention of cheesecake was during the ancient Grecian Olympic games in the occidental world. Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Elder) wrote of cheesecake preparation in his farming manual 'De agri cultura'.
Cheesecakes can be made of ricotta cheese, havarti, quark, twaróg, or more usually, cream cheese. Other ingredients such as sugar, eggs, cream and fruit are often mixed in, too. Flavorings such as vanilla or chocolate may be added, and a fruit topping, like strawberry is frequently added. Typically, the cheese filling or topping covers a crust, which may be pastry, cookie or graham cracker-crumb. Sometimes the base is a layer of cake.
CheesecakeThe word cheesecake is also used to describe the creamy, cheesy flavor of the cake. In this usage, there are cheesecake yogurts, ice creams, brownies, and cookies.
There are also savory cheesecakes, often flavored with blue cheese and served as hors d'oeuvres or accompanying salads.