The Original Cheesecake
The Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake is the foundational recipe developed by Evelyn Overton in late-1940s Detroit and brought to Woodland Hills, California in 1972—featuring velvety cream cheese custard topped with a baked-on tangy sour cream glaze over a buttery graham cracker-pecan crust. Priced at $10.95 per slice (830 calories, 12g protein), $68.95 for a 10-inch uncut cake, and $70.95 for a 10-inch pre-sliced cake (14 slices), it is the lowest-calorie traditional sugar-sweetened cheesecake on the menu.
The Original Cheesecake Sizes
The Original Cheesecake is available as a single dining-room slice ($10.95, 830 calories, 12g protein) and a 12-to-15-slice 10-inch whole cake ($68.95). Ordering the slice without whipped cream or splitting a single slice in half reduces calories by up to 50%.
What Is in Cheesecake Factory The Original Cheesecake?
Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake features Evelyn Overton's signature three-layer build: a toasted graham cracker-pecan crust, a steam-baked cultured cream cheese custard center, and a sweetened sour cream upper glaze.
- Velvety Cream Cheese Custard Double-whipped cultured pasteurized cream cheese blended with whole eggs and heavy cream
- Tangy Sour Cream Surface Glaze Baked-on cultured sour cream and vanilla bean topping that seals in moisture and prevents surface cracking
- Graham Cracker-Pecan Crust Honey graham cracker crumbs ground with toasted Southern pecans, melted creamery butter & cinnamon
- Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Pure vanilla extract folded into both the cream cheese batter and the upper sour cream glaze
- Water-Bath Steam Bake Slow-baked in a gentle bain-marie thermal bath for a silky custard crumb rather than a dry chalky center
- Piped Dairy Whipped Cream Finished at the bakery counter with two chilled sweetened heavy-cream rosettes per restaurant slice
Bake The Original Cheesecake at Home
Bake Evelyn Overton's 1940s classic with pecan-graham crust, sour cream topping, and water bath technique using the step-by-step Original Cheesecake recipe.
The Original Cheesecake Allergens
The Original Cheesecake contains tree nuts (pecans), milk, egg, wheat, soy, gluten and is prepared in a shared bakery and restaurant environment.
Because crushed pecans and wheat graham crackers are pressed together into the bottom and side walls of the pan prior to baking, the crust cannot be removed for tree-nut or wheat allergies. Cross-contact with wheat, dairy, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts cannot be prevented in shared bakery and restaurant slicing stations.
Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake Nutrition Facts
Portion Basis: 1 restaurant slice with whipped cream (218g) — Verified nutrition facts and daily values.
Nutrition Facts
Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake FAQs
01 Does Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake contain nuts in the crust? ▼
Yes, The Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake contains tree nuts because finely ground toasted pecans are mixed directly into the honey graham cracker crust. Guests with a pecan or tree-nut allergy should review the restaurant food allergens chart before ordering dessert.
02 How is Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake different from New York-style cheesecake? ▼
The Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake uses heavy cream, a water-bath steam bake, and a baked-on tangy sour cream glaze over a graham cracker-pecan crust to create a silky custard texture, whereas traditional New York-style cheesecake is baked dry at high heat without a sour cream topping, producing a denser, drier crumb.
03 Why does Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake have a white sour cream layer on top? ▼
Evelyn Overton developed the signature sweetened sour cream topping in the 1940s to seal surface moisture into the cream cheese custard, prevent thermal cracking as the cake cools, and balance the sweet vanilla filling with a bright lactic tang.
04 How much is a whole 10-inch Original Cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory? ▼
A 10-inch whole uncut Original Cheesecake costs $68.95 (12 to 15 servings, or $4.60 to $5.75 per slice), while the 10-inch pre-sliced Original Cheesecake with 14 parchment-divided slices costs $70.95 ($5.07 per slice) for group catering and family celebrations.
05 Who invented The Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake recipe? ▼
Founder Evelyn Overton adapted a local Detroit newspaper recipe in the late 1940s, perfected the sour cream glaze in her basement bakery, and moved with her husband Oscar to Woodland Hills, California in 1972 to open the wholesale bakery that launched the first Beverly Hills restaurant in 1978.
06 Is Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake gluten-free? ▼
No, Original Cheesecake is not gluten-free because the crust is made with wheat-based graham cracker crumbs. Diners avoiding wheat should choose desserts from the gluten-free menu, such as the Low-Licious Cheesecake ($10.95, 570 calories) or Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake ($12.50, 1,400 calories).
