This gingerbread cheesecake tastes like classic Christmas spices—cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove—in each and every bite. A simple yet stunning holiday dessert.
Just wait until your guests get a glimpse of this stunning gingerbread cheesecake at the Christmas table. They won’t be disappointed and neither will you. The spiced cheesecake is thrice as nice as most cheesecakes thanks to the familiar gingerbread sugar and spice and everything nice-ness playing a role not just in the cheesecake filling but in the cookie crust and the stylish cookie toppers. Originally published November 14, 2014.–Renee Schettler Rossi
Why This Gingerbread Cheesecake Recipe Is Simpler To Make Than It Appears
This gingerbread cheesecake isn’t complicated to make. It simply takes a little planning ahead. The ease with which the recipe comes together has a lot to due with those cute little gingerbread man cookies garnish being made from the same gingerbread dough as the cookie crust for the cheesecake. And since the recipe makes ample cookie dough, you’ll have sufficient to roll out and bake a few extra gingerbread man cookies and send them home with guests. Oh, and if you really must cut corners due to time constraints, you could omit the cookies. But please don’t. They’re pretty darn adorable. And addictive.
Special Equipment: 9-inch springform pan
Gingerbread Cheesecake
Ingredients
- For the gingerbread cookie crust
- All-purpose flour, for the work surface
- 1 recipe unbaked Gingerbread Cookies
- 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- For the gingerbread cheesecake filling
- 2 pounds (four 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap molasses)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, preferably organic (optional)
Directions
- Make the gingerbread cookie crust
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- 2. Place 1/2 gingerbread cookie dough on a generously floured piece of parchment paper and roll it out to a 13-by-10-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Dust off any excess flour. Slide the parchment and dough onto a baking sheet and bake the entire cookie until it’s firm and golden brown, about 14 minutes. Transfer the parchment and cookie to a wire rack to cool completely. Roll, cut, and bake the remaining 1/2 gingerbread cookie dough as directed in the Gingerbread Cookies recipe.
- 3. Break the entire rectangular cookie, when cool, into several large chunks and then pulse them in a food processor until finely ground. Measure 2 cups gingerbread crumbs and dump them into a bowl. Reserve the remaining crumbs for another use (we’re quite fond of simply nibbling them although you could sprinkle them over ice cream). Add the butter and sugar to the crumbs in the bowl and mix until combined. Press the mixture gently and evenly onto the bottom and 1/3 of the way up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with a double layer of aluminum foil. Bake until the gingerbread cookie crust is set, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the gingerbread cheesecake filling
- 4. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (163°C). Bring a small pot of water to a boil.
- 5. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in the sugar and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to low. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the molasses, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and zest.
- 6. Scrape the filling onto the cooled gingerbread crust. Place the springform pan in a large, shallow roasting pan. Pull out the center oven rack and set the roasting pan on the rack. Carefully pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the side of the springform pan and then push the rack back into the oven. Bake the cheesecake until the filling is an even, gorgeous, pale shade of brown and appears set but is still slightly wobbly in the center, 60 to 70 minutes. (We had the best results when we took the cheesecake out at 65 minutes.) Transfer the springform pan to a wire rack and let the cheesecake cool completely.
- 7. When the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, slide it in the refrigerator, uncovered, and come back for it 8 hours later.
- 8. Before serving, run a knife or an offset spatula around the edge of the gingerbread cheesecake to loosen it from the sides of the pan. Carefully remove the pan and arrange the gingerbread cookies, if using, in a ring in the center of the cheesecake.
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I am originally from Philadelphia where they make Ivan’s gingersnaps. As luck would have it I order a few boxes at Thanksgiving every year (on Amazon) and I made the crust with them substituting for the home made gingerbread—for a crunchier crust I also added 1/2 C medium chopped (not processed) New Mexico (where i now live) Toasted Pecans. I did not have unsulphured molasses, so I used Grade B Maple Syrup in the same amount as the recipe—and eliminated the cloves. Why no cloves? They are too darn difficult to make smooth in a filling that is supposed to be smooth and I also don’t think the flavor is that great. Instead of gingerbread men on top I crumbled Amaretto cookies on top and added a dollop of whipped cream flavored with coffee, Amaretto and 10 X. I like crunch and I especially like it against the smooth creamy filling—thus the nuts and the Amaretto cookies. Next week I’m going to try this with an added 1/4 tsp. dried ground Chimayo red chili (remember I’m working in New Mexico). Why chili ? Because everything is better with chili and I think it would elevate the spice profile—like it does with chocolate. I have expensive, professional spring form pans but they all leak. Wrap the pan in a double layer of large format aluminum foil to prevent water leaking into the pan. This cheesecake takes 24 hours t set up in the frig. Don’t even think about cutting it before then, and use a small offset spatula dipped in hot water around the edge instead of a cold knife before you loosen the collar of the pan. You’ll get a prettier edge.
Nice improvising.
I’ve been told that I’m “one of those people who only eats beige desserts.” Well, this beige wonder is like a heaven-sent masterpiece to me! Let’s see, it’s festive, it’s cute (this matters), it includes CHEESECAKE, and many hues of my beloved beige. Looks like a winner to me.
CakeSky, beige is as beige does. And in this case, beige does mighty fine. This cake’s a winner
I made this over the weekend and it is a winner. This will become part of my yearly Christmas baking routine. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Gillian. Lovely to hear the recipe had its intended effect! Thank you for taking the time to let us know.
Yummy!
I couldn’t agree more, Arthur!
Is that photo from the book or is it yours? I ask because I love those plates and would love to know where to get them. The cheesecake is nice, too. LOL!
Aren’t they gorgeous?! The photo is from the book, ruthie (and used with permission from the publisher). And having worked at Martha Stewart Living, I suspect the plates were taken from the props warehouse there, which is, in and of itself, a most glorious place to wander if you’re into tableware and dinnerware.
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!! This is the fourth time I have made this cheesecake and it has cracked every time. This year I took out a little extra “insurance” and added 1 tbsp cornstarch to the batter, along with 8 ounces of sour cream. I also cooled after baking for one hour in the oven with the door open and so far NO CRACKS!! Truly a Christmas miracle.
I do have to say that even though the past attempts have cracked, they all tasted delicious and no one really cared except for me.
Hallelujah, Julie! So happy to hear the cake didn’t crack. Now, if I could only lose 100 pounds by the 25th it will TRULY be a Christmas miracle! Any pictures of this beauty, BTW?