The Secret to the Richest, Creamiest Cheesecake

Oh cheesecake, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways. From traditional to New York-style, and everything in between, there are cheesecake recipes abound—with something for every palate.

If you need a seasonal spin, you can add flavors of fall with pumpkin or apple, winter with eggnog or chocolate-peppermint, or summer with Key lime or lemon meringue. If you want to go over the top, you can create a masterpiece like this Chocolate Cookie Cheesecake, Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake, or White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. And I'm barely scratching the surface of the dozens upon dozens of recipes on our site alone.

But for me, there is one go-to swap that makes for the richest, creamiest cheesecake no matter which recipe you choose.

Upgrade Your Cheesecake With Mascarpone Cheese

I am a strong believer in using equal parts cream cheese and mascarpone cheese for cheesecake batter. Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese made from heavy cream and an acid like citric or tartaric (or just lemon juice). The cream gets simmered together with the acid to thicken, then is cooled and drained to become the rich, spreadable cheese we enjoy in classic tiramisu, decadent French toast, or savory pasta dishes and creamy potatoes—to name a few dishes.

Because mascarpone is made from heavy cream, it has a higher fat content than cream cheese which is made from whole milk. We're talking 60 to 75 percent vs. 30 to 50 percent, respectively.

As Chef John says in his recipe for homemade mascarpone, it is "very similar to regular cream cheese, except pretty much better in every way. It's not quite as tangy, but it is richer and more decadent." Hence why it makes the perfect addition to cheesecake.

Balancing rich mascarpone with tangy cream cheese makes for a truly ideal texture and flavor in every bite.

Upgrade Your Cheesecake Crust, Too

And speaking of texture and flavor, my other trick is using gingersnap cookies in place of graham crackers for a crust with spice-filled depth and gorgeous color and crunch. If you're not keen on gingersnaps, use your favorite crunchy cookie, like Oreos, pecan sandies, or Biscoff cookies. Or stick with traditional graham crackers and add in nuts like almonds, pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts for a little something extra.

How to Use Mascarpone Cheese in Cheesecake

This small upgrade leads to big results, and it couldn't be easier. Just follow your favorite cheesecake recipe and swap mascarpone for half of the cream cheese. For example, to make this top-rated cheesecake recipe, you'd swap in two 8-ounce containers of mascarpone for two of the four cream cheese packages.

If using the recipe mentioned above, omit the sour cream and instead, add 2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice in addition to the vanilla extract. You can cut back on the sugar slightly too, to about 1 1/4 cups to account for the natural sweetness of the mascarpone. Keep the four eggs for structure. Prepare the crust of your choice and make sure all ingredients are room temperature to avoid lumps or uneven cooking.

When baking, I typically use a water bath as the recipe suggests. A water bath is used to cook the delicate, custard-like filling slowly and evenly, acting as an insulator for the cheesecake. Just be sure to seal the cracks of your springform pan with aluminum foil or water can seep in.

I have seen tips from other Allrecipes users like Esther Cho, who said, "Instead of a water bath, I place a baking dish full of water next to the cheesecake in the oven while it cooks. Comes out perfectly each time with no cracking," though I haven't yet tried this myself.

While I love the silken simplicity of half mascarpone and half regular cream cheese in a plain cheesecake, here are some more cheesecake recipes that feature mascarpone in other magical ways:

• Cannoli Cheesecake
• Cranberry Mascarpone Cheesecake
• Mini Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecakes
• Tiramisu Cheesecake