Holiday Spice Cheesecake Recipes

HOLIDAY SPICE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Place graham crackers and walnuts in a food processor; cover and process until nuts are finely chopped. Add butter and cinnamon; process until blended. Press onto the bottom and 2 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan; set aside., For filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugars until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in the sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Pour into crust. Place pan on a baking sheet. , Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. , For topping, in a small bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Transfer to a pastry bag with a star tip. Pipe around edge of cheesecake; sprinkle with cinnamon.

NO-BAKE SPICED CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• For the crust: Place the cookies and brown sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground, about 1 minute. With the processor running, slowly pour in the butter. Process the mixture until it is the texture of coarse sand, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to an 8-inch springform pan. Using a measuring cup, press the crust into the bottom and about 2 1/2 inches up the sides of the springform pan. Press firmly to pack and make an evenly thick crust. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
• For the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until softened and smooth, about a minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the granulated sugar; beat to combine. Add the sour cream, confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and apple pie spice. Beat to combine until very smooth, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
• In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream and vanilla extract with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. Add a third of the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and gently fold in with a rubber spatula until completely combined. (Scoop the mixture from the bottom of the bowl and fold over the top to combine the mixture, without letting all of the air out of the whipped cream). Add the remaining two-thirds of the whipped cream and continue to gently fold until completely combined.
• Remove the crust from the freezer and add the filling. Gently push into an even layer and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to overnight.
• Loosen the cheesecake from the springform pan by running a knife along the edge, then opening the clasp. Slice and drizzle with the caramel sauce to serve.

HOW TO MAKE A HOLIDAY SPICE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and cinnamon until well blended. Press onto the bottom and 2-inches up the sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan; set aside.
• For the filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugars until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in the sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Pour into crust. Place pan on a baking sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 - 65 minutes or until the center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen; allow to cool to room temperature then refrigerate overnight.
• For the topping, in a small bowl, beat heavy whipping cream until it begins to thicken. Add powdered sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Transfer to a pastry bag with a star tip. Garnish each individual serving with whipped topping; sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve immediately.

HOLIDAY CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the crostini, cut the baguettes into 1/4-inch thick slices. Using a pastry brush, brush the baguette slices with olive oil. Place on 2 foil-lined baking sheets and bake until crisp and golden, about 12 to 15 minutes. Reserve 25 of the crostini slices for the cheesecake. Cool the remaining crostini, then store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
• To make the cheesecake crust, put the 25 crostini slices in a food processor and run the machine until crostini are like bread crumbs, about 1 minute. Add the melted butter and pulse a few times to combine. Press the bread crumbs into the bottom of the cheesecake pan. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• To make the cheesecake, wrap the outside of the cheesecake pan with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Place the ricotta, cream cheese, and goat cheese in a food processor. Pulse to mix. Add the eggs, sugar, and salt and pulse a few times until well mixed. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the red pepper, basil, and thyme.
• Pour the cheese mixture into the cheesecake pan. Place the cheesecake pan in a roasting pan. Pour enough hot water in the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden at the edges and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour (the cake will become firm when it is cold.)
• Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
• To serve, combine the jam and the hot water in a small bowl and stir until the jam is liquefied. Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan by running a knife around the inside of the rim and unlatching the pan's ring. Then, run a long metal spatula under the cheesecake and gently slide onto a serving plate. Drizzle the jam mixture over the top of the cheesecake, encouraging some of the jam to run down the sides. Serve with the reserved crostini alongside.

SPICED CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Oven to 325 degrees F.
• Wrap the bottom of the springform pan tightly in foil.
• CRUST: Finely grind the nuts and sugar in a food processor- be careful- don't overprocess.
• Just until the nuts are in very, very small pieces, not a paste!
• Turn out into a bowl, add the melted butter and mix until it comes together.
• Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until it looks"dry".
• Cool to room temperature.
• FILLING: In your mixer bowl, combine the cream cheese, mascarpone and sugar.
• Using the paddle attachment on med-low speed, beat just until smooth.
• Add the remaining ingredients and mix on low speed until well combined.
• Pour the filling over the crust.
• Place the cheesecake in the larger pan, and place that pan on the middle rack of your oven.
• Pour water into the baking pan until it comes half-way up the sides of your springform pan.
• Bake until the sides of the cheesecake are set, but the center is still a little jiggly (like fresh jello).
• This should take about 45-55 minutes.
• Do not overbake!
• Don't worry about the jiggle- the cake will firm up while chilling.
• Carefully remove the cheesecake from the larger pan, and run a very thin knife around the edge of the pan to prevent the cake from sticking to the sides.
• Let cool completely to room temperature, then refrigerate for several hours, or overnight before serving.
• NOTE: This cheesecake freezes very well for several months if you wrap it tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap.
• It is best if if made the day before you serve it.

GINGER SPICE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• 1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Wrap aluminum foil around the outside of a 9-inch springform pan.
• 2. Stir the cookie crumbs, butter and 3 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan.
• 3. Bake for 10 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. Remove the pan from the oven. Let the crust cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
• 4. Beat the cream cheese and remaining sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is creamy. Beat in the soup, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Pour the batter into the pan.
• 5. Bake for 55 minutes or until the center is almost set. Let the cheesecake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

CITRUS-AND-SPICE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 10-inch springform pan. In a bowl, combine cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter; press into bottom of pan. Bake until firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Reduce oven to 325°.
• Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Beat cream cheese and sour cream on medium speed until smooth. Beat in 3/4 cup sugar, spices, and salt. Add eggs and beat until smooth.
• Wrap bottom half of springform pan in foil. Pour in filling and place inside a roasting pan. Transfer to oven and pour boiling water into roasting pan until it's halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake until cake is just set in center, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer springform pan to wire rack; let cool completely. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup water; let soften 1 minute. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar, lemon juice, and 1 cup water; cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in gelatin mixture until dissolved. Let cool completely.
• Arrange citrus segments over cake. Gently pour gelatin mixture on top. Refrigerate overnight.
• To serve, unmold cheesecake and place on a platter. Cut into slices with a serrated knife, using a sawing motion to cut segments; dip knife in warm water and wipe clean between cuts.

CHAI SPICE "CHEESECAKE"

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Stir together graham crackers and brown sugar in a small bowl, then drizzle with oil and stir. Add just enough milk to make crumbs stick together. Press very firmly into bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes. Keep oven at 350 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, blend cheesecake-batter ingredients in a blender until completely smooth and no bits of cashew remain, giving blender a rest every minute or so and scraping down sides with a rubber spatula. Batter should be completely smooth and not grainy: This takes about 1 minute with a high-powered blender (such as Vitamix) or about 5 minutes with a standard blender.
• Spray inside springform pan (above baked crust) with cooking spray. Pour in batter and jiggle to spread evenly over crust. Bake until top is lightly puffed and edges are golden, 45 to 50 minutes.
• Cool to room temperature on a rack, about 1 hour. Chill, covered, at least 3 hours or, even better, overnight.
• Slice cake with a thin, sharp knife dipped in water. Dollop each slice with whipped topping, dust with cinnamon, and sprinkle with candied ginger.