Gingerbread Cheesecake
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- Yield Serves 10
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 1/4 recipe of the dough for Molasses-Gingerbread Cookies
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsulfured 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
- 6 gingerbread men (see above)
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap exterior of a 9-inch springform pan in 2 layers of foil.
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On a generously floured piece of parchment, roll dough to a 13-by-10-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Brush off excess flour. Slide dough and parchment onto a baking sheet. Bake until firm and golden brown, about 14 minutes. Let cool completely on sheet on a wire rack. Break into large pieces, then pulse in a food processor until finely ground.
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Combine butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and 2 cups cookie crumbs in a bowl. Press mixture firmly and evenly into bottom and one-third of the way up sides of prepared pan. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Let cool on rack.
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Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and the vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping sides of bowl as needed. Beat in molasses, salt, spices, and lemon zest. Pour filling into cooled crust.
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Place cheesecake in a large, shallow roasting pan. Transfer to oven, and carefully add enough hot water to roasting pan to come about halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake until cheesecake is set but still slightly wobbly in center, 60 to 65 minutes. Carefully remove springform pan from roasting pan, and let cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 8 hours (preferably overnight).
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Before serving, run a hot knife around edges of cheesecake to loosen, and remove sides of pan. Arrange gingerbread cookies in center of cake in a circle (with heads facing inward and arms touching, alternating light and dark).
I made this cheesecake today :) I followed the recipe exactly, it was flavourful and delicious. However, I think it should be baked a few mins longer, it was very gooey and it was a lot of prep time making the cookies first. I also think it could've used some more sugar, the taste of cream cheese and molasses was a little overpowering. I'll tweak the recipe a bit next time, but it was a very good cheesecake :) also it didn't crack!!
I made this cheesecake today :) I followed the recipe exactly, it was flavourful and delicious. However, I think it should be baked a few mins longer, it was very gooey and it was a lot of prep time making the cookies first. I also think it could've used some more sugar, the taste of cream cheese and molasses was a little overpowering. I'll tweak the recipe a bit next time, but it was a very good cheesecake :) also it didn't crack!!
I made this cheesecake for Thanksgiving and it was amazing it was packed with flavor! I used gingersnaps instead of making my own gingerbread and I topped each piece with a little whipped cream and some crushed gingersnaps. The time seemed really off to me in the recipe I ended up cooking it for an extra 35mins but it turned out perfect.
I made this cheesecake for Christmas 2010. It was very tasty. When I make it again, and I will, I'll try the honey gingerbread crust. The molasses gingerbread was great, I'm just curious to see what the honey gingerbread would taste like. It did make a load of crust crumbs. Wasn't sure what to do with rest of crumbs as they were baked. Could've sprinkled on top, but didn't. Filling fit in 9" pan fine. Cooked 18 minutes longer. Had cracks near edge, but it's a cheesecake...and it tastes great!
This cheesecake is amazing! It does need to be baked a little longer than the recipe says - for me it took about 10-15 min extra. Also, I used a 10" pan and I think that works better, not sure how all of the filling would fit in a 9' pan. For a shortcut, use store-bought ginger snaps for the crust. Everyone raved about this cheesecake and begged to take a piece home. This will become a go-to Christmas recipe for me!
Just took mine out of the oven after 20 extra minutes (entire cake was wobbly prior to that time). Unfortunately despite using a water bath the cheesecake cracked. It also rose above the pan, weird and dissapointing. I will let it cool as instructed and see if I can creatively cover the cracks. Hope it tastes as good as it smells.
Just took mine out of the oven after 20 extra minutes (entire cake was wobbly prior to that time). Unfortunately despite using a water bath the cheesecake cracked. It also rose above the pan, weird and dissapointing. I will let it cool as instructed and see if I can creatively cover the cracks. Hope it tastes as good as it smells.
I made this cheesecake for a party this week..it was WONDERFUL! A friend said it was absolutely the best cheesecake he's ever had. It does need to bake a little longer--at least 10 min. I'm making another today--will probably cook at least 15 min longer, as it was not quite solid in the center. But the flavor is amazing!!
I have been making this cheesecake every Christmas since it was featured in the 2007 magazine. I made 4 of them one year! It has become a family favorite and a very impressive dish to bring to parties. Love, love, love it!
Just a quick update - my cheesecake was a total hit. My family ate up every last bite. I kept mine in the fridge overnight and cooked it the recommended time and everything turned out just fine. Looks like I was a lucky one!
Yikes. I made this for Christmas dinner dessert ... horrible, would never make again. I added extra bake time as suggested, otherwise followed this recipe to a "t". Normally love Martha's recipes, but this one was a real dud and remained largely un-eaten by my normally-voracious family. So many better cheesecake recipes on this site.
Delicious! I had gingersnaps handy, so I used those for the crust (yum!). I had it in the oven about 65 minutes. This one is a new favorite!
I skipped the step on making the dough and just bought some pre-made ginger bread cookies and crumbled them in a food processor. I have not tried mine yet but am a little concerned about the doneness and also some water got into my foilwrap and I fear leaked into the cake! Keeping my fingers crossed for Crhistmas day tomorrow...
Yup, this one is a keeper! I did leave it in the oven an additional 30-45 min and it set up beautifully. I brought it to a holiday party for work and wow did people love it. I added some pumpkin pie spice mix and ground my own cloves. Yum!
I loved this! The first time I made it, I didn't have a big enough baking pan to fill with water and bake the spring form in. It didn't set in the middle, but still was delicious on the outside. Last week, I found the right sized baking pan, and it turned out perfectly! I had so much gingerbread left over (for the crust) that I baked and crumbled it, and put it in the freezer for future cheesecakes.
The cooking instructions for this cake are incorrect. I left it in for an additional 40 min. using an oven thermometer. I tested the center of the cake to 150F. with a thermometer reader to ensure doneness, as instructed from another cooking show. It turned out beautiful, and was appreciated by all.
The first one I made was perfect. I made sure to leave it in long enough because I recently had some runny pies and it came out just right. A major hit. Everyone who tried it loved it! I made another one last night and didn't leave it in long enough. It definitely needs an extra few minutes (especially in our old oven). Make sure the top is golden brown and it seems pretty firm when it comes out of the oven. When cooked correctly it is definitely worth the time. De-lish!!
This cheesecake did not set, even after baking it an extra 30 minutes it was gooey on the inside. I could not serve it. It was a waste of time and money.
I made this cheesecake for Christmas dessert. I was not able to serve it. I have been making cheesecakes for years and this was the worst experience. I followed the recipe exactly - the inside was completely runny! Martha REALLY needs to quality control and test her recipes! I am very dissapointed that I wasted money and two days of baking. I will only visit this site for ideas and will stick with tried and true Debbie Fields.
Very Yummy!! Worth the time. Cookies are fun too! How do I modify for an 8 inch spring form pan?
I made this cheesecake for a dinner party and it was a BIG hit !!! Came out beautifully, great flavor, creamy
This recipe is a bit time consuming, but the cheesecake is amazing!