Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <baking><pie><cake><cheesecake>
Title: Is cheesecake a cake or a pie?
Question: Is cheesecake technically a pie or a cake?  I'm curious as to why. Are there solid definitions of what makes a dessert a cake or a pie?

Answers:
sents: text: Alton Brown and an Elvis impersonator called it a custard pie.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/40/Tesserex
score: 20
sents: text: In my opinion, cakes rise, pies have crusts that are filled (and do not rise).
text: By those loose definitions, I would consider it a pie.
text: edit:
text: Wikipedia says it's neither.
text: Many types of cheesecake are essentially custards, which can lead a novice baker to overcook them, expecting them to behave like true cakes.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1236/stephennmcdonald
score: 15
sents: text: Cake Straight sides No fruit (except as an optional topping) Holds its shape when sliced Pie Separate crust Not frosted Doesn't rise (except temporarily while baking)
text: No crumbs Conclusion
text: Who cares, let's just have some cheesecake. :-)
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/2569/Marti
score: 6
sents: text: It is neither; it is a unique dessert category, the cheesecake.
text: It has structural similarities with pies (a custard based body, a mechanically separate crust).
text: However, in the US for whatever reason, it is referred to as a cheesecake
text: (you will note that rarely will someone say, for example "I will bring a cake" and show up with a cheesecake).
text: The unique label doesn't mean that it is a cake in the same way that a pound cake or an angel food cake are, but we have lots of inconsistent labels.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/14401/SAJ14SAJ
score: 4
sents: text: While it has texture and body of cake, I would argue that cheesecake has more pie-like qualities.
text: It has a discrete crust.
text: It is more a filling than a batter.
text: It does not need to be frosted.
text: My vote is "pie."
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/2832/Sean Hart
score: 3
sents: text: Cheesecake is a filling and flavor, like chocolate.
text: You can make it into a pie with crust, you can add it as a filling between layers of cake, or even have an entire cheesecake round as a layer of the cake.
text: Cheesecake does not require a crust for proper preparation.
text: In the US Cheesecake is most often served as a pie with a crust on the bottom, so many will claim it is a pie, but there is nothing about cheesecake itself that makes it a pie, any more than pudding or mouse is a pie merely because they can be served as pies.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/10979/Adam Davis
score: 2
sents: text: My mother made several cheesecakes and cheese pies as I was growing up; there is a distinct difference.
text: A simple cheesecake and a simple cheese pie have, more or less,
text: the same basic filling: everyone knows the flavor/taste.
text: But even these two have a subtle difference (and an obvious one).
text: Obvious: The cheesecake stands taller and is square on the sides (as mentioned elsewhere here).
text: Subtle: A simple cheese pie has more of a custardy texture, whereas a cheesecake is very rich and thick.
text: Beyond that, a cheesecake can be made into many more varieties that a cheese pie typically does not: ice cream cheesecakes, mocha swirl cheesecakes...
text: Cheese pies do not have the body to allow for some of the structures that a cheesecake can offer.
text: This is because cheesecakes are best made with a springform pan, which allows for many different varieties.
text: Please peruse this book if you get the chance.
text: It was my mother's bible as I grew up, and I use it today.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/28767/Jason P Sallinger
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
A cake has straight sides, no fruit and holds its shape when sliced, while a pie has a separate crust, is not frosted and doesn't rise. Cheesecake is really neither of the two, and can be considered its own category of dessert as well as a flavour like chocolate.
Cheesecakes are neither a cake or a pie. They are a category of their own.