Delicious Pairings To Serve Alongside Your Cheesecake

A slice of rich, decadent cheesecake is a dessert that's hard to resist. But what goes well with it? When it comes to drinks, a cup of strong coffee is a classic pairing, and various wines can also complement the dessert. For instance, a sweet Riesling goes well with a plain cheesecake, while a Pinot Noir pairs nicely with a chocolate cheesecake. If you're serving a Bailey's Irish Cream cheesecake, consider a cup of black tea to balance out the sweetness.

As for toppings, the options are endless. Fresh fruit slices like mango, peach, berries, or banana are a great way to add a sweet and tangy contrast to the dessert. For something more indulgent, a dark chocolate sauce or rich caramel sauce complements the cheesecake's sweetness. Chopped nuts, crushed cookies, or candy bars can also add flavour and texture. If you're feeling creative, you can even make a savoury cheesecake with ingredients like ham, bacon, spinach, or caramelised onions.

Fruit

Fresh Fruit Slices

Arranging fresh fruit slices on top of your cheesecake is a great way to elevate its taste and appearance. Mango, peach, blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry slices not only provide a burst of flavour but also add a vibrant touch to your dessert. For an extra touch of sweetness, sprinkle the fruits with powdered sugar. Remember, fresh is best!

If you're not a fan of the tartness of fresh fruits, fruit compotes are an excellent alternative. These thick concoctions offer a sweeter take on the fruity flavours that pair well with cheesecake. Strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry compotes are classic choices, but you can also experiment with other fruits like apples or pineapples. Compotes are typically made by cooking fresh fruit with sugar and lemon juice.

Candied Fruits

For those with a sweet tooth, candied fruits are a delightful option. Whole fruits like cherries or sliced fruits like pineapples and lemon peels are coated in sugar syrup, resulting in a chewy texture that still retains the fruity goodness to complement your cheesecake.

A mixed fruit salad is a refreshing companion to a creamy cheesecake. Combine strawberries, mangoes, raspberries, and apples, or experiment with other fruits of your choice. For an indulgent touch, add a drizzle of whipped cream. This pairing will provide a delightful contrast of textures and flavours.

If you're feeling adventurous, try incorporating fruit directly into your cheesecake. From strawberry and lemon to blueberry and cherry, there are endless options for creating fruity cheesecakes that will impress your guests. These cheesecakes offer a harmonious blend of creamy cheesecake and fruity flavours.

Chocolate

The Crust

The crust is a great place to start when adding chocolate to your cheesecake. You can use chocolate wafer crumbs, chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos), or chocolate cookies as the base for your cheesecake. Mix the cookie crumbs with melted butter and sugar, and press the mixture into the bottom of your pan. You can also bring it slightly up the sides of the pan if you like. Bake the crust for around 10 minutes at 350°F, and then set it aside while you make the filling.

The Filling

For a chocolate cheesecake filling, you'll need cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and of course, chocolate. You can use chocolate chips, or coarsely chopped chocolate bars. Dark chocolate will give the most intense flavour, but you can also use semi-sweet chocolate if you prefer something a little less rich. Melt the chocolate and allow it to cool slightly before adding it to the rest of your filling ingredients. You can also add in some cocoa powder for an extra chocolatey kick.

The Topping

There are several options for chocolate toppings that will take your cheesecake to the next level. You can make a simple chocolate ganache by melting chocolate and pouring it over your cheesecake. You could also make a chocolate whipped cream, or even a chocolate frosting. If you want to add some texture to your cheesecake, you can top it with chopped nuts or crushed cookies.

Serving Suggestions

Coffee

Baking Coffee into a Cheesecake

Baking coffee into a cheesecake is a great way to get a strong coffee flavour. You can use instant coffee powder, or espresso powder, adding it to the cheesecake batter. You can also add coffee to the crust, mixing it with crushed Oreos or chocolate cookies, and melted butter.

Serving Coffee with Cheesecake

If you would prefer to serve a coffee with your cheesecake, there are a few things to consider. Firstly, you want to pair complementary flavours. For example, you wouldn't want to pair a smoky, dark chocolate-flavoured coffee with a citrusy Key Lime cheesecake. Instead, you could pair a light roast, citrusy, Ethiopian coffee with this cheesecake.

As a rule of thumb, pair lighter roast coffees with lighter desserts, and darker roasts with heavier desserts. Lighter roasts tend to have more acidity and bright flavours, whereas darker roasts will be oilier and have a fuller body.

• New York Cheesecake with a medium roast Colombian coffee—the fruity notes and light acidity of the coffee complement the lemon and vanilla in the cheesecake.
• Blueberry Cheesecake with a medium roast Mexican coffee—the stone fruit and roasted nut flavours of the coffee cut through the blueberry flavour of the cheesecake.
• Oreo Cheesecake with a medium roast Honduran coffee—the cocoa and caramel flavours of the coffee go well with the chocolate and vanilla of the cheesecake.
• Maple Walnut Cheesecake with a Papua New Guinean or Sumatran coffee—the full-bodied milk chocolate hints in these coffees complement the maple and walnut flavours of the cheesecake.
• Tiramisu Cheesecake with a Peruvian coffee—the smooth body and acidity of the coffee bring out the creaminess of the cheesecake.
• Key Lime Cheesecake with an Ethiopian coffee—both the cheesecake and the coffee are packed with citrus flavours.
• Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake with a Colombian or Ethiopian coffee—the light, citrusy notes of these coffees complement the tricky combination of tart and sweet in the cheesecake.
• Chocoholic Cheesecake with a Sumatran coffee—the full body and notes of caramel and cherry in the coffee balance out the rich chocolate flavours of the cheesecake.

Other Tips

If you are making a baked cheesecake, don't be afraid of the water bath! It might sound strange, but it is the secret to creating a moist, perfectly baked cheesecake. Also, don't rush the cooling process. This will help to prevent the cheesecake from cracking.

Nuts

For a truly nutty flavour, you can even make your own nut paste or butter to add to the cheesecake batter. To make a nut paste, toast raw nuts and then grind them in a food processor until they release their oils and become a smooth paste. This can be added to the batter, or used as a topping.

If you want to make a nut-based crust, you can use a food processor to blend nuts into crumbs, and then combine with butter and sugar. Press this mixture into the bottom of a springform pan and bake for around 10 minutes.

For a no-bake cheesecake, you can make a nut-based crust by combining ground nuts with melted butter or coconut oil and sugar. Press this into the bottom of a springform pan and chill in the refrigerator.

Wine

When it comes to wine, there are many options that pair well with cheesecake. The general rule when pairing wine with dessert is to go for a sweeter wine than the dessert, but this is not always the case. Crisp and medium-bodied wines can also go well with desserts to offset the sugary notes.

For a classic, plain cheesecake, a good white wine like a sweet Riesling is a perfect pairing. Riesling tends to have a high level of acidity, which cuts through the sweetness of desserts, making for an enjoyable eating experience. With its strong floral aromas, a Riesling will balance out the flavour of a plain cheesecake.

Prosecco, a light and fizzy Italian wine, also goes well with cheesecake. Its bright acidity and varying degrees of sweetness uplift the creamy flavour of the cheesecake and enhance its subtle zing.

If you're looking for a wine to pair with a chocolate cheesecake, fruity and fortified red wines with cherry and berry flavours are a good option. These include Recioto della Valpolicella, Tawny Port, Oloroso Sherry, Marsala, and Bual Madeira. These wines complement the chocolaty flavours of the cheesecake, with their velvety and rich textures. A Pinot Noir, with its hints of strawberry, is also a good choice to pair with a chocolate cheesecake as strawberries and chocolate are a perfect match.

For cheesecakes with a vanilla base, try a wine with hints of apple and pear, such as Old York's Riesling. This off-dry wine will complement the sweetness of the vanilla cheesecake.

If you're serving a black forest cheesecake, a blend of Syrah, Marechal Foch, Landot Noir, and Concord grapes, like Old York's What Exit Red, is a spot-on complement.

For a turtle cheesecake, a dessert wine with traces of honey and tropical notes, like Old York's Southpaw White, exudes a smooth, sweet finish that pairs well with the multidimensional flavours and texture.

A key lime cheesecake pairs well with a crisp, dry Chardonnay, like Old York's Sparkling White. The wine adds some texture and enriches the flavour of this sweet yet slightly tart dessert.

Finally, for a passion fruit cheesecake, a sweet wine like Old York's Raspberry Blush is an enjoyable choice that flawlessly accentuates the flavours of this vibrant dessert.

Frequently asked questions