Baked vs. Just Refrigerated - How do you like your Cheese Cake?

There are basically two types of cheese cake. The ones you just pour and refrigerate, and the ones you bake; I am not referring to the crust, which is always baked. I am referring to the cheese base. I am a "baked" cheese cake fan, and have been one for as long as I can remember.

I learned to make baked cheese cakes from scratch since I was 13 years old, because New York style baked cheese cake was not available in my home town (only the refrigerated type), and I could only get the good stuff during vacation time while in the US.

Cheese cakes are tricky, messed up the order in which you mix the ingredients, bake at the wrong temperature, or under cook, and you will end up with a big mess. Also, toppings are critical, you cannot just put anything on top of a cheese case, you need the correct mix of flavors that will enhance the creamy cheese flavor, not overshadow it.

Recently I tried a new recipe, a hybrid approach, still baked but temperature ranges and bake time significantly different than the one I typically follow. To my surprise the cheese cake was outstanding! Only a few touches I would add to this recipe, based on my 30+ years of experience baking cheese cake. This recipe uses goat cheese, which is as you know, is very strong in taste. Hence, not all toppings would be appropriate. I have not tried any one topping yet, as I was a little incredulous about the recipe and decided only to try the plain recipe to fully appreciate the flavor without any other components added. Now that this is a recipe that can be repeated, will try a few exotic toppings and find the perfect match for this silk texture phenomenon.