Cheesecakes to Die For
A carefully chosen collection of the best and most exciting cheesecakes Denis Lewinsky has tested over many years, with one guiding rule: it should always be easy and quick to make an amazing cheesecake.
Born from a long love affair with one cake
Cheesecakes have been a passion of Denis’s ever since his first bite, many years ago. For a long time he simply enjoyed a slice here and there, until family travels across the United States convinced him this was the cake with more varieties than any other in the world.
Around seven or eight years before the book, he began baking his own. He started simple, with the classic New York cheesecake, then let his imagination run wild, and his friends and family happily taste tested every creation.
“Spending several hours baking a cake is a waste of time, when you can make a cake that alters the universe, and your tastebuds, in less than 30 minutes.”
He also made one deliberate choice: no calorie counts, fat percentages or food values. A cheesecake, he insists, is for enjoying, better to simply exercise a little more.
Made for every kind of baker
- Anyone who loves cheesecake but never quite grasped how to make one.
- Home bakers who want to create desserts that genuinely impress.
- Confident cooks looking for new inspiration and adventurous flavours.
- Anyone who believes a great cake shouldn’t take all day.
Inside the pages
- Over thirty cheesecakes, from timeless classics to creative combinations.
- The four simple layers behind every great cheesecake.
- Practical tips on bases, fillings, toppings and avoiding cracks.
- The story of cheesecake, from ancient Greece to the New York deli.
- Original photography of every cake by Jakob Mydtskov.
Selected pages from the book
Every recipe is paired with original photography that captures the flavour, texture and personality of the cake.
Photography and taste testing by Jakob Mydtskov.
From Ancient Greece to the New York Classic
The cheesecake has been travelling for nearly three thousand years. Here is the short version, drawn from the book.
- 776 BC
Ancient Greece
Cheesecake is believed to have been served to athletes at the first Olympic Games, thought to give them energy.
- 2nd c. BC
Rome
The Roman writer Cato records an early recipe in “De Re Rustica”. The Romans called their version “Placenta”.
- 1000 AD
Across Europe
The Roman army carries cheesecake along on its campaigns, spreading it to the rest of Europe.
- 1545
An English Recipe
A cookbook records “a tarte of Chese”, a recipe already recognisable as a modern cheesecake.
- 19th c.
Käsekuchen
German and Eastern European kitchens make cheesecake for the Jewish holiday Shavuot and beyond.
- 1872
Cream Cheese
American cream cheese is invented, inspired by the French Neufchâtel.
- 1912
Philadelphia
James L. Kraft invents the pasteurised Philadelphia cream cheese we still use today.
- 20th c.
The New Yorker
New York delis, Reuben’s and Lindy’s among them, turn the New York cheesecake into an icon.
Bring the complete collection home
From timeless classics to unexpected flavour combinations, Cheesecakes to Die For helps home bakers create impressive desserts with confidence.