The Cheese

• New York cheesecake and French cheesecake contain different types of cheese. French cheesecake is typically made with Neufchatel cheese, a soft unripened cheese that originated from Neufchatel-en-bray, France. New York cheesecake is made with cream cheese, a ripened cheese that is richer, thicker and creamier than Neufchatel cheese.

Density

• New York cheesecake is thicker and denser than French cheesecake. To make sure the cake is thick, recipes usually call for full-fat cream cheese and egg yolks. The French version is lighter because not only is it made with a lighter cheese, but also gelatin. French cheesecake recipes use gelatin to bind the other ingredients together and give the cake a lighter, less-dense texture.

Decorations

• Known as "pure, unadulterated cheesecake," according to What's Cooking America, New York cheesecake usually doesn't have fancy decorations or fruit toppings. On the other hand, the French version can be seen topped with a variety of different fruit glazes or drizzled with chocolate or other syrups.

Origins

• Neufchatel cheese, a key ingredient in French cheese cake, was developed in 1543 in the Saint-Aman Abbey (of Rouen) where the cheese was named Neufchatel, according to What's Cooking America. Cream cheese, the key ingredient in New York cheesecake was created in 1872 when a New York dairy farmer trying to replicate Neufchatel cheese, accidentally created cream cheese, according to Cheesecake.com.