The Cheesecake Factory's Original Cheesecake Recipe Has Apparently Never Changed
Today The Cheesecake Factory is a major restaurant chain with more than 200 locations all over the world, but at one point it was a small local business run by Evelyn Overton, a home baker who sold cheesecakes out of her basement. Overton's signature cheesecakes became so popular that in 1978, her son David decided to open up a restaurant that put them front and center. This ended up being the first of many Cheesecake Factories.
Considering how big The Cheesecake Factory ended up becoming, you'd assume that the original recipe was eventually revamped and commercialized. But even though the restaurant's cheesecakes are no longer made by Overton herself, they're still made with the recipe that started it all. As David revealed in 2016, his mother's recipe still makes up the base of every cheesecake on the extra long menu. The only modifications are the flavors added to make the 30-plus different cheesecake varieties.
The Cheesecake Factory's recipe wasn't an original creation
Despite the fact that The Cheesecake Factory only exists because of one recipe, the recipe in question wasn't entirely an original one. Instead, it was based off a recipe Evelyn Overton came across that was published in a random Detroit newspaper sometime during the 1940s. Overton adjusted the recipe until she believed it was perfect, and it ended up becoming her go-to. She had no intention of profiting from the recipe in the newspaper, but seeing how much her friends and family enjoyed them, she went on to sell her cheesecakes to local restaurants.
Though cheesecakes are a standard at many bakeries today, that wasn't the case in Overton's day, which could easily explain why The Cheesecake Factory was so successful. Even though cheesecakes have technically been around since 500 BC, the modern version wasn't invented until the 1930s. The recipe Overton came up with in the '40s therefore could have been many people's first introduction to what we now consider a classic dessert.
How The Cheesecake Factory makes its cheesecake
The Cheesecake Factory now shares many of its signature recipes on its website, but unfortunately for customers hoping to recreate it at home, the famous original cheesecake isn't one of them. If you were to ask someone who works at the restaurant, they wouldn't be able to tell you either, even if they really wanted to. That's because The Cheesecake Factory's cheesecakes aren't made in-house, but rather at one of the off-site baking facilities. They're then delivered to each restaurant before being served to customers.
Not surprisingly, David Overton did not disclose his mother's recipe in his 2016 interview with Vice, though he did mention that the recipe isn't patented, hinting, "Good cheesecake is just five ingredients. It's just how you mix them." You can also find plenty of copycat recipes online, but the original is safeguarded on a floppy disc, according to Cheesecake Factory VP Linda Candioty. You'll just have to go to the restaurant if you want a taste of the real thing.