Nutmeg Cheesecake Recipes

NUTMEG CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans.
• Beat the butter and white sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs in three batches, blending them into the butter mixture fully. Stir in the vanilla.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.
• Pour 1/3 of the flour mixture into the bowl; mix just until incorporated. Stir in 1/2 the buttermilk, mixing gently. Continue adding the flour alternately with the buttermilk, mixing until combined. Spread the batter into the prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert them on a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
• To make the Caramel Icing: In a medium saucepan, heat the brown sugar, cream or milk, and 1/4 cup butter until it boils. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Let cool. Stir in confectioner's sugar and beat until smooth. Add more cream or milk or confectioner's sugar as needed to achieve desired spreading consistency. Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

NUTMEG CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 pounds fresh cream cheese, at room temperature 1 teaspoon fresh cream cheese, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 3/4 cups sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 4 eggs 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs (available at large supermarkets, or pulse whole graham crackers in a food processor)> Thick brush a 9-inch springform pan with half of the melted butter and place in the freezer to harden, about 10 minutes. When hard, repeat to make a thick coating of butter. Adjust your oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the cream cheese in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer) until fluffy and very smooth. Beat in the extracts, nutmeg, sugar, and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Pour into pan. Place the pan on a double-layer sheet of aluminum foil, with at least 3 inches of foil all around pan. Fill a roasting pan large enough to hold the cake pan with hot water to a depth of about 1-inch, then lift the foil wrapped cake into the roasting pan, keeping the foil turned up so that it prevents water from overflowing or seeping into the cake. The foil should not be closed over the top of the cake. Be careful not to tear any holes in the foil. Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and dry to the touch, though still a bit soft in the center, about 1 1/2 hours. It should "shimmy" a bit when you shake the pan; it will firm up more as it cools. Remove the pan from the water bath, remove the foil, and let cool at room temperature 15 minutes. Refrigerate, uncovered, 2 hours before removing the cake from the pan. To remove the cake from the pan, first remove the sides. Cover the surface the with plastic wrap. Place a large plate over the cake, then flip the cake over onto the plate, tapping if necessary to help the cake come away from the pan bottom. Remove the pan bottom and evenly sprinkle the exposed surface with graham cracker crumbs. Place a serving plate over the crumbs and flip the cake again so that the crumbs form the bottom crust and the top is covered with plastic. Refrigerate, lightly covered, at least 3 hours or overnight before serving.