That Cheesecake Flavor

[GlorifiedRice]

Watching various people all over the world on YouTube making cheesecake anything, Im always struck

by the lack of real cheesecake flavor these creations must have.

Some "cheesecake" creations are made solely of mascarpone or yogurt. Neither of which, I consider to be true "cheese".

I think the true Cheesecake flavor has to have a rich fermented cultured flavor and a hint of citrus, like lemon, to cut thru the richness..

Cream cheese, ricotta and sour cream are all acceptable to me, but it must have citrus.

 

What say you?

[chromedome]

I'm not a huge fan, mostly because I hate the mouthfeel and cloying flavour of 'em when made with cream cheese. I'm okay with quark, mascarpone or ricotta. 

 

Yeah, I do prefer a bit of acidity. Doesn't have to be citrus, necessarily. 

 

[Paul Fink]

I'm not sure about the citrus. I am sure that the quality of the cream cheese makes all the difference. 

[shain]

I like the flavor profile that results from mild quark style cheese, sour cream, and at least for me, vanilla is a must. 

I also like ricotta, often with citrus, but I don't consider it cheese cake flavor. 

[cakewalk]

I'm not a big cheesecake fan, but it has much more to do with texture than flavor. I prefer the dense, cream cheese, NY style cheesecake. I'll also eat the ricotta cheesecakes, which are entirely different. I don't care if they're citrus or vanilla flavored, or whatever. But cheesecake in any of its forms will never be my first choice of dessert, because the general "non-solid" texture is not what I usually go for. I sometimes opt for cheesecake because I'm curious, I want to see if "this one" will be different. They're often well made and "good" cheesecakes, but still, not my thing texture-wise.