To me, the the Christmas season isn’t complete without eggnog. So I added it to a cheesecake! This Eggnog Cheesecake has a smooth and creamy eggnog filling combined with the sweet spice of a gingersnap crust.
Baking a cheesecake is a labor of love. They can be a little (ok alot) finicky. But the final product is worth every step. A few things to note to help your cheesecake turn out perfect.
– Use a water bath. I’ve seen many recipes that tell you it’s not necessary, but personally I wouldn’t chance it. Using a water bath is one of the best ways to ensure that your cheesecake doesn’t brown too much around the edges or crack at the top.
– Make sure all of you ingredients are room temperature. This is important in most cakes, but extremely important in a cheesecake. You need all of the ingredients well blended so that your mixture is mixed will throughout. Improper mixing may cause the filling to not set.
– Wait before you slice. I know it’s tempting, but the wait times are important. The filling needs to set. Not waiting will have you scooping into a soupy cheesecake.
– Don’t overbake. You will know your cheesecake is done when the edges are set and the center has a slight jiggle. There’s no need to bake any further than that. The center of the cheesecake will continue to cook as it cools. So you’ll end up with a perfect texture throughout.
Eggnog Cheesecake
Ingredients
Gingersnap Crust
- 3 c crushed ginger snap cookies
- ½ c melted butter
Eggnog Cheesecake
- 32 oz softened cream cheese
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 c eggnog
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
Instructions
Gingersnap Crust
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan with parchment paper in the bottom and grease the sides.Combine the crust ingredients in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan.Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.Cover the outsides of the pan with aluminum foil so that water from the water bath cannot get in. Set prepared pan aside.
Eggnog Cheesecake filling
- Reduce oven to 300°F (148°C).In a large mixer bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar and flour until well combined (Use low speed to keep less air from getting into the batter, which can cause cracks). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.Add the eggnog and nutmeg and mix on low speed until well combined.Add the eggs one at a time, beating slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.Pour the cheesecake filling into crust and spread evenly.Place springform pan (covered with aluminum foil) inside another larger pan. Fill the larger pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. The water should not go above the top edge of the aluminum foil on the springform pan.Bake for 90 minutes.Turn off heat and crack oven door. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for about 30 minutes.Remove cheesecake from oven and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.Move cheesecake to the refrigerator and chill until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.