Is it possible to replicate the texture of cheesecake without using cream cheese?
I really love the texture of cheesecake and I really love its aesthetic.
But I just really dont like the sour taste of cream cheese which destroys the entire experience of eating cheesecake for me.
So I'm trying to look for an alternative.
I'm thinking about, replacing all the cream cheese with just heavy cream, maybe add some cooked cornstarch to thicken it to try to replicate the consistency of cream cheese. My hypothesis is that it should hold perfectly like regular cream cheese/ be runnier but should have a lighter taste which should make it 100x more suited to my tastebuds.
But I also want to hear your opinions/alternatives you might have. I want to have the best chances of success
Best Answer
Cheesecake is essentially a baked custard with that substitutes cream cheese (and often some sour cream) for the dairy ingredient.
After all, a basic custard recipe is just milk, sugar, and eggs with some kind of flavoring added.
The cheese is the thing that gives cheesecake it's distinctive texture. Substituting cream and corn starch is going to end up with a much more pudding-like consistency.
All that being said, there are a number of recipes that substitute the much milder Mascarpone cheese in place of about half of the cream cheese. This may be sufficient to get you a milder sour flavor without drastically altering the texture. You could also give it a try with all Mascarpone, but you might be pushing into that pudding texture again.
Also, be prepared for the added cost with Mascarpone, which tends to cost 2-3 times as much as cream cheese.