Spiced white chocolate and cherry cheesecake recipe | Sainsbury`s Magazine (2024)

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What is the oldest cheesecake? ›

Over 4,000 years ago in the fifth century BC, the ancient Greeks on the island of Samos created the earliest known cheesecake. This rudimentary cheesecake was made with patties of fresh cheese that were then pounded smooth with flour and honey.

The delicate balance and textures of flavors are amazing. The sweetness and the salt going perfectly together is what makes this dessert so unique and is the main reason behind the popularity of cheesecakes.

The most expensive cheesecake sold for $4,592.42 (£3,496.44; 3,955.57€) and was made by chef Raffaele Ronca (USA) at Ristorante Rafele in New York, NY, USA on October 30, 2017.

Cheesecake typically has about the same calories as an iced chocolate cake and roughly 30 per cent fewer calories than a chocolate mud cake. It also has on average 2-3 times as much calcium, less sugar and more protein than either kind of chocolate cake.

New York is not the only place in America that puts its own spin on cheesecakes. In Chicago, sour cream is added to the recipe to keep it creamy. Meanwhile, Philadelphia cheesecake is known for being lighter and creamier than New York style cheesecake and it can be served with fruit or chocolate toppings.

The ancient Greeks, by the fifth century BC, made the earliest known rudimentary cheesecakes (plakous meaning “flat mass”), consisting of patties of fresh cheese pounded smooth with flour and honey and cooked on an earthenware griddle.

Eggs and milk have high protein and moisture content, and they're the primary ingredients in cheesecake, so when cheesecake is left at room temperature, conditions are ripe for bacteria to multiply. According to the USDA's Food Keeper App, cheesecake should be consumed within 5 to 7 days of refrigeration.

“Soft cheeses such as cream cheese, cottage cheese, shredded cheeses, and goat cheese must be refrigerated for safety,” according to the USDA. And, according to the USDA FoodKeeper chart, cheesecake should be consumed within five to seven days after baking—or opening a pre-bought cheesecake.

One of the first recorded recipes, dated in the first century and called “libum,” is a far cry from the creamy cake we know today. Calling for two pounds of “well crushed” cheese mixed with flour and a single egg, this version was formed into a loaf and baked in a hot fire under a brick.

David M. Overton, the company's founder, opened the first Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, California, in 1978. The restaurant established the future chain's pattern of featuring an eclectic menu, large portions, and signature cheesecakes.