Cotton/Souffle Cheesecake (Japan)

No other international cheesecake has been a roaring success more than the fluffy, jiggly, airy, pillowy Japanese cheesecake.  Introduced to the world through social media, the Japanese cheesecake quickly became a must-have for city-dwellers and suburbanites alike. Japanese cheesecakes differ from other cheesecakes traditionally offered in bakeries in Lafayette, LA in many ways. First on the list is their lack of crust. Secondly is their souffle-like texture created by whipping the egg whites and yolks separately before adding to the more traditional mixture of sugar, vanilla extract, and cream cheese. They also use less sugar than traditional cheesecakes and are enjoyed warm so that the cake melts in your mouth. 

Basque Burnt Cheesecake (Spain)

This is another cheesecake that has taken the culinary world by storm.  People who bake cheesecakes or simply enjoy them know that the proper cheesecake in Lafayette, LA is creamy, sweet, and NEVER EVER cooked past a slightly golden top. This cheesecake turns that on its head.  The Basque burnt cheesecake is a Spanish concoction with a dark, caramelized exterior and gooey center.  The originator of this type of cheesecake originally used a San Millan cream cheese, which is a saltier type of cream cheese when compared to American Philadelphia cream cheese.  The burnt exterior gives a slightly bitter, caramelized flavor, and because it is baked at a high temperature the inside remains perfectly creamy and delightful.

Kasekuchen Cheesecake (Germany)

Kasekuchen cheesecake looks similar to traditional American cheesecakes but varies in the cheese used to make the batter.  This cheesecake uses a cheese called quark cheese, which unlike cream cheese, is a fresh, unripened cheese with a small curd. If a bakery in Lafayette, LA wanted to make a Kasekuchen cheesecake and couldn’t find quark cheese, a close relative would be American cottage cheese.  The main difference between quark cheese and cottage cheese is that the curds in cottage cheese have a chewier, toothier texture.