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Slice of gingerbread cheesecake with caramel sauce.
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Gingerbread Cheesecake

This gingerbread cheesecake is deliciously creamy with warm spices and a hint of molasses. It tastes like Christmas in cheesecake form, and makes for a unique holiday dessert.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Ginger Molasses Cheesecake, Gingerbread Cheesecake
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cooling & Chilling 7 hours
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Servings 14 pieces
Calories 411kcal

Equipment

  • 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan
  • large roasting pan (big enough to fit the springform pan inside)
  • Aluminum Foil

Ingredients

Ginger Snap Crust

  • 1 ½ cups gingersnap crumbs use a dry, crispy cookie
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • cup unsalted butter melted

Gingerbread Cheesecake Filling

  • 24 ounces full-fat, brick-style cream cheese* softened to room temperature
  • ½ cup brown sugar I used dark
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch or flour
  • ¼ cup molasses do not use blackstrap molasses
  • cup sour cream* use full fat
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs*
  • boiling water for the water bath

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

  • ½ cup whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • salted caramel sauce for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325F degrees and lightly grease a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan. Wrap the outside of the pan in aluminum foil at least 4 times so that each seam is

Gingersnap Crust

  • Stir together the cookie crumbs and brown sugar. Then slowly stir in the melted butter - note that you may not quite need all the butter, depending on how dry your gingersnap cookies are. It should feel like damp sand.
  • Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then remove from the oven and keep the oven turned on.

Cheesecake Filling

  • In a very large bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft.
  • In a separate bowl, stir together the brown sugar, white sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and corn starch so that there are no lumps.
  • Beat the sugar mixture into the cream cheese until smooth.
  • Mix in the molasses, followed by the sour cream and vanilla extract.
  • With the mixer on low speed, mix in the eggs 1 at a time. Only mix until the eggs are incorporated.
  • Place the springform pan (still wrapped in foil) in the middle of a large roasting pan.
  • Spoon the cheesecake filling into the pan and smooth the top. Then pour about ½ -1 inch (1-2 cm) of water into the roasting pan.
  • Place the whole thing in the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the top looks just set and if you give the pan a gentle nudge there's a slight wobble in the cheesecake, but it doesn't seem liquidy.
  • Turn off the oven and open the oven door. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven (with the door open) for about 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and continue cooling until it reaches room temperature.
  • Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan (keeping it in the springform pan) cover with aluminum foil and place in the fridge to chill for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream & Serving

  • In a large bowl beat the whipped cream, powdered sugar and cinnamon until stiff peaks form.
  • Remove the cheesecake from the fridge and trace around the outside edges of the pan with a sharp knife. Unclamp the outer ring of the springform.
  • Optionally, pipe whipped cream rosettes around the edges with a piping bag.
  • Slice the cheesecake with a sharp knife making sure to go all the way through the crust.
  • Top each piece with a dollop of whipped cream (if you didn't pipe around the edges) and optionally a drizzle of salted caramel sauce.

Notes

  1. I used Ginger Nut cookies for my crust. You want to choose a ginger cookie that's crunchy as opposed to soft and chewy for the crust. Alternatively, you could substitute gingersnap crumbs with graham crumbs.
  2. Make sure the cream cheese, sour cream and eggs are room temperature before getting started.
  3. I do not recommend using blackstrap molasses. Molasses labelled cooking molasses or fancy molasses works well.
  4. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 
  5. Nutrition information is an estimate only and based on 1 slice with whipped cream but without any caramel sauce, assuming the cheesecake is sliced into 14 equal pieces.

Nutrition

Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 250mg | Potassium: 248mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 1039IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 2mg