Difference Between Cheesecake and Cream Cheese

The main difference between cheesecake and cream cheese is that cream cheese is a fresh cheese made from milk and cream, while cheesecake is a sweet dessert made with fresh cream cheese, eggs and sugar.

Cheesecake is basically a sweet dish made using cream cheese as the main ingredient. Cream cheese, on the other hand, is a mild-tasting fresh ingredient that can be consumed fresh. If you have a sweet tooth, these two terms, cheesecake and cream cheese, won’t mislead you. But for a person who is not a sweet lover, knowing the difference between cheesecake and cream cheese would be beneficial.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Cheesecake 
     – Definition, Ingredients, Preparation 
2. What is Cream Cheese
     – Definition, Ingredients, Preparation 
3. Similarities Between Cheesecake and Cream Cheese
     – Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Cheesecake and Cream Cheese
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Cream Cheese, Cheesecake

What is Cheesecake

Cheesecake is a popular sweet dessert that has a thick layer of cream cheese, eggs, and sugar. This cream cheese mixed batter is usually poured over a thinner crust we frequently make with pastry, crushed cookies, graham crackers, and even rarely with sponge cake. Cheesecake usually has different toppings such as fruit pieces, fruit sauces, caramel syrup, sour cream, whipped cream, chocolate or nuts, and sometimes even salty items.

Lots of people love cheesecake. Although it is called cheesecake, it is simply a dessert having the term “cake” in the name. This is because cheesecake lacks some basic ingredients for a cake, such as baking powder and soda. Therefore, cheesecake is more similar to a flan with a crust or pie with a custard filling rather than to a typical cake.

What is Cream Cheese

Cream cheese is a fresh cheese. It is usually made with milk and cream. Cream cheese has a soft and creamy texture. It also has a sweet flavour and a little bit of tanginess to it.

Cream cheese is a popular ingredient used both with sweet desserts such as cheesecakes, frostings and with savoury dishes such as cream cheese spreads and bagels. If you are a cheesecake lover, but if you fail to find cream cheese, the best thing you can do is to start making some yummy homemade cream cheese because preparing cream cheese is not hard and time-consuming as much as it looks.

Famous desserts that contain cream cheese loved by foodies all around the world include Whole Wheat Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Oreo Cheesecake Brownies. Passion Fruit and Cream Cheese Tart, Pineapple Upside-Down Cheesecake, Cheesecake-Stuffed Pound Cake.  Strawberry Shortcake Cookies, S’mores Cheese Ball, and Blueberry Cream Cheese Cookies.

Similarities Between Cheesecake and Cream Cheese

• Both cheesecake and cream cheese are available in regular, light, and fat-free versions.
• They are available in plain or in different flavours.

Difference Between Cheesecake and Cream Cheese

Definition    

Cheesecake is a sweet dessert made with cream cheese, while cream cheese is a fresh cheese made with milk and cream and is used in cooking many sweet and savoury dishes.

Ingredients

Cream cheese is made with milk and cream, while a traditional cheesecake is made with cream cheese, eggs, sugar, crushed cookies and a suitable topping.

Calories

Cheese cake usually has 321 calories per 100g, whereas cream cheese has 342 calories per 100g.

Varieties

Popular cheesecake types include chocolate cheesecake, white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate peanut butter cheesecake, New York-style cheesecake, key lime cheesecake and strawberry cheesecake, whereas frequently used cream cheese varieties include strawberry cream cheese, chocolate cream cheese and garlic and herb cream cheese.

Conclusion

In brief, the main difference between cheesecake and cream cheese is that cream cheese is a fresh cheese made with cream and milk, while the cheesecake is a sweet dessert made with a cream cheese batter. However, cheesecake or fresh cream cheese is available in many markets in regular, light, and fat-free versions. Both cheesecake and cream cheese can be found in plain or in different flavours as well. Therefore, if you do not consume dairy food, you have the alternative of buying fat-free cream cheese or a cheesecake made with fat-free cream cheese.

Reference:

1. “11 Different Types of Cheesecake – Who Knew There Were so Many?” Home Stratosphere, 27 June 2021.
2. Stafford, Gemma. “3 Homemade Cream Cheese Flavors for the Perfect Bagel Bite.” Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking, 30 Apr. 2020.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Toasted bagel with cream cheese” By Brian Boucheron from Rochester, New York, United States of America – Cream Cheesemaking (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Cheesecake with Fresh Fruit” (CC0) via PublicDomainPictures