Culinary uses and challenges for different types of cheesecakes

Almost all modern cheesecakes in the United States use cream cheese; in Italy, cheesecakes use ricotta cheese and Germans use quark cheese.

The type of cheese not only affects texture and taste but the ability to incorporate certain types of ingredients. When cheesecake batter is too thin many cheesecakes will not be structurally sound and fall apart at the table. One way to get around this is to use unflavored gelatin or a little cornstarch beaten with the eggs.

Some types of cheesecake are custard pie, rather than a true cake, which leads many novice bakers to cheesecake failure.

A sour cream-style cheesecake uses close to a 1:1 volume ratio of cream cheese to sour cream to make the traditional texture that crumbles like a good roquefort cheese with a distinctive sunken center and a golden-colored top from the Maillard reaction. An extra egg white brushed on the top can achieve the same effect in less time if you desire the cheesecake to be "gooey" when set.

Uncooked fruits that contain live protein eating enzymes such as papaya, pineapple or mango should be avoided as cheesecakes containing them will not set.