New York Cheesecake Vs Regular – What’s The Difference?

By Lindy Van Schalkwyk, last updated on October 8, 2024

Are you wondering how a New York cheesecake vs regular cheesecake compares? Today, we have an in-depth look and answer all your questions!

To better understand the differences, you have to understand what makes them different and what will affect the texture. And we will have a look at exactly that and so much more!

What Does A Cheesecake Contain?

It is first important to understand what a traditional cheesecake is before diving into all the variations you can get. As you may already know, cheesecakes (or at least baked cheesecakes) are made with a mixture of cream cheese, sugar, eggs, flavorings, and a creamy liquid.

This creamy liquid is where most cheesecakes vary. It can be sour cream, heavy cream, buttermilk, regular milk, and loads more. As you can imagine, which dairy liquid you use will have a massive effect on the flavor and consistency of the batter. Ultimately, it will change the final texture of the baked cheesecake.

The ratio of these ingredients and which specific ingredients you use will largely determine what the texture of your cheesecake will be. That’s exactly why there are a surprising amount of variations in recipes!

Furthermore, the mixing method and the way you prepare your ingredients will also have an effect. For example, if you fold in whipped egg whites, your cheesecake will have a much fluffier and airy texture as compared to simply mixing it in un-whipped.

What Is A Regular Or Traditional Cheesecake? New York Cheesecake vs Regular

Regular cheesecakes are often made without any dairy liquid. They rely solely on the ratios of the eggs, cream cheese, and sugar to produce a variety of textures. However, if any liquid is used to thin out the batter, it would be regular cream or sometimes sour cream for a tangier flavor.

The sour cream will, as we have mentioned, ass some tangy flavors. But, it will also create a more tender texture. The acidity helps soften the texture and gives it that light mouthfeel.

Furthermore, these traditional cheesecakes do tend to have a lighter texture as compared to most. And this isn’t necessarily because of whipped and folded in egg whites. It is because of the ratio of cream cheese to liquid. If the batter is thinner, it will automatically create a lighter cheesecake.

And finally, these cheesecakes are almost always served with some type of fruit topping. It can be freshly cut fruit, macerated or fermented fruit, a fruit puree or coulis, or a more complex topping, like fresh fruit frosting.

What Is A New York Cheesecake?

Undoubtedly you have heard about a New York cheesecake. They are world-famous for their incredibly unique texture, thanks to the way they are made and the unique ratio of their ingredients.

New York cheesecakes are made with a much higher ratio of cream cheese as compared to the other ingredients. And, it relies solely on heavy cream to help adjust the consistency of the cheesecake batter.

By using only cream, you won’t be getting an extra tangy cheesecake, like when using sour cream. This also means that the cheesecake will be slightly denser. Sour cream helps tenderize the texture of the products. So, by not adding any, the texture will naturally be more firm and dense.

And, because you won’t be adding so much liquid (as for regular cheesecakes), your batter won’t be as thin. A thicker batter will then also ensure a denser texture.

The other thing that makes a New York-style cheesecake different is its extra addition of eggs and egg yolks. This helps further enrich the cheesecake and gives the texture a smoother consistency. A regular cheesecake probably only contains 2-3 whole eggs. A New York cheesecake will contain 4 or 5, depending on the exact texture you want.

New York Cheesecake vs Regular – What Are The Differences Between These Two?

As you may have already deduced, there are quite a few differences between these two cheesecakes.

First, the more notable difference is that they use completely different ratios of ingredients. A traditional cheesecake often excludes any dairy liquid to help thin the consistency. Whereas a New York-style one does include heavy cream, sometimes even sour cream. This makes a New York cheesecake much more dense, yet still nice and creamy.

The traditional cheesecakes also contain a lot less cream cheese in comparison to New York ones. This heavy increase will create a very creamy cheesecake that is much heavier.

A New York cheesecake also contains more eggs. The addition of these helps create a smoother batter with a tighter crumb. It will also enrich the overall cheesecake by quite a lot.

Overall, a New York cheesecake has a denser texture with a tighter crumb It also has a much richer flavor thanks to the eggs.

Learn more about Italian Cheesecake Vs New York Cheesecake.

Similarities Between New York Cheesecake And Regular Cheesecake – New York Cheesecake vs Regular

Something we haven’t yet touched on is the similarities between these two different types of cheesecakes. Naturally, they use similar ingredients in both, albeit in different ratios.

Both are also made with a biscuit-based crust. Many people argue about exactly which biscuits are traditional for New York cheesecakes, but from what we can tell there isn’t one specific type that stands out. Graham crackers have always been a safe and extremely effective option. And, you can even easily adjust the exact consistency of the crumbs.

And finally, both are made using virtually the same mixing and baking method. The cream cheese is first whipped to make a smooth lump-free base. Then, the sugar is added followed by the eggs, one at a time. Lastly, if applicable, the liquid is added to adjust the consistency of the batter.

Then, when it comes to baking these cheesecakes, you can use similar times and temperatures. They can both also be baked with a water bath to ensure they bake evenly.

New York Cheesecake vs Regular – Conclusion

Hopefully, you have found this informative article on New York cheesecake vs regular useful! Now you can confidently say that you understand the ins and outs of both these types of cheesecakes.

Let us know in the comments below if you have any more questions about this article. Or, if you simply have some other suggestions that we may cover.

FAQs

[rank_math_rich_snippet id=”s-9a64c494-bcd9-4886-af4f-cba151150a18″]