What can I use instead of creamcheese in a cheesecake?

So at this point, the recipe is a bit different. Her recipes largely consisted of "regular amount of sugar" and "tea cup of that" so I've had to fill in some gaps to get it close to what she used to make. I have very much adapted her way of measuring, just not with baking. And across my family, there are very hotly debated variations. So that being said, here is my hobbled together recipe with variations:

My Grandmother's instructions:

Make the regular pie crust.
My version of the crust:
190 g flour. (My grandmother INSISTED on King Arthur. Not sure it makes a difference, but she would not tolerate any other brand!)

65 g of sugar
1 tsp of baking powder
6 tbsp crisco
2 eggs, lightly beaten

(I have stolen this from an online source, I honestly don't remember what it was, but it was the best one I tried. Sorry to whomever I lifted it from!!!)

The filling:

About 64-96 oz of ricotta (this can vary greatly. You should strain it, over night if possible to strain out as much liquid as possible, so if you start with 64 oz, you'll lose some weight.

PLUS...this is where debate comes in. My grandmother didn't use a crust on the top, but some in my family do. I personally prefer the crust on top. If you are going to do a crust on top, you'll want less filling.

4 eggs
100 g of sugar

Now..more debate. Some in my family prefer grated rind of lemon, others orange. It's really your preference. Some also like a dash of cinnamon, others don't. This is all personal preference.

More debate....some in my family would use a small handful of chocolate chips, my grandmother like to add a small amount of chocolate pudding (from scratch of course) And I mean SMALL. She would just pour in a little, and then use a toothpick to swirl it in slightly. PERSONALLY I prefer the chocolate chips, but my father will wax poetically about how it MUST be chocolate pudding.

Instructions:
For the dough, mix all the dry ingredients in a food processor, then add the shortening. After you mix that together, add in the two eggs last until incorporated. Put on a lightly floured surface, shape it into a ball and refrigerate for at least 30 min.

For the filling, my grandmother insisted on mixing it by hand, and I do as well. Just add it all together and mix with a wooden spoon. (Another insistence by my grandmother!)

I use a 9" pie pan, I use about 2/3 of the dough for the bottom crust roll it out on a floured surface (about 1/4" thick) Dust if needed with flour. Place the dough in the pie plate, pour in the ricotta mixture and then roll out the last 1/3 of the dough add on top and crimp the edges.

Bake for about 50 min- 1 hour at 350F. After it's cooled, dust lightly with powdered sugar.

That's great to know! I am asking for my New Years Eve party I do every year. I cook for about 100 people, and last year I did made a ricotta pie (old family recipe) and made my own ricotta. Very similar actually to what you're describing.

If you've made ricotta, then this will be a walk in the park. It's pretty much the same procedure, really. Technically what you want is a mesophillic culture, which is what your cultured buttermilk will provide. You can purchase a dry form from a couple of cheesemaking supply places on the web- the one I use is New England Cheesemaking Supply. They also sell tartaric acid which you can use to make your own marscapone as well, much cheaper than you will purchase it for. None of the fresh cheeses, like cream cheese, ricotta, or such are hard to make, and most of the time it does take is hands off. Not sure I'm brave enough to make ricotta sufficient for pie for 100 people- but I can tell you that what I make for my family is miles above anything I can buy. The cost savings means we can eat it more often as well. Which may or may not be a good thing.

Thank you for such a thorough list! I was hoping to do all goat cheese, but that may be too much for a whole baked cheesecake.

Phil Capasso...there ARE recipes out there for all goat cheese cheesecake, both as dessert and as savory side.. You can make such a dish.

Great! Thank you! I was thinking mascarpone, but I was worried about it being too sweet. Good tip on the quark! I know the farmers market has it, but it's a small container for a lot of money, so I'd have to take out a second mortgage to get enough for a whole cheesecake! Thank you!!!