Cheesecake is usually served chilled after preparation. Cooling helps the filling firm up and gives the dessert its characteristic dense, smooth texture.
This is especially important for no-bake cheesecakes, whose cream-cheese or gelatin-based fillings set in a refrigerator rather than in an oven. Baked cheesecakes are also commonly cooled before serving, allowing the eggs and dairy mixture to stabilize and making clean slicing easier. Chilling can also mellow the flavors and improve the contrast between the creamy filling and its crust.
“Chilled” does not mean every cheesecake must be frozen or served directly from a freezer. Frozen cheesecake is a separate preparation or serving choice, while room-temperature cheesecake may be encountered briefly during plating or in some recipes. Hot cheesecake is not the usual presentation, although certain styles, such as Japanese cheesecake, can have a soft, airy texture when fresh from the oven before being cooled.