This gingerbread cheesecake has a gingerbread crust and a creamy swirled gingerbread spiced filling. Decorated with a wreath of gingerbread cookies and sugared cranberries - this gingerbread cheesecake is a delicious showstopper worthy of your holiday celebrations! The cheesecake has so much beautiful creamy gingerbread flavor - perfectly spiced and molasses-ey. The swirl is so easy to make and really elevates the flavor and presentation!
If you love gingerbread as much as I do, pair a slice of cheesecake with a gingerbread latte or make these gingerbread cupcakes.
Jump to:
🎄 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Gingerbread swirl: The cheesecake is swirled with a flavorful vanilla and gingerbread cheesecake swirl - elevating the cheesecake flavor and making it so much more impressive! It's so easy to make the swirl.
- Gingerbread cheesecake crust: The crust is made of crushed gingerbread or gingersnap cookies, adding so much spiced cookie flavor.
- Creamy baked cheesecake: You get the classic ultra baked cheesecake flavor and texture, while still being so creamy.
- Make ahead: Cheesecakes are best made a day or two ahead of time because they need some time to chill - making this the perfect Christmas and Holiday make ahead dessert! Just like this mango swiss roll cake.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
Tip: To get a perfectly smooth cheesecake, let all of the ingredients sit at room temperature for 30 minutes! This will soften them and make them much easier to smoothly incorporate.
- Gingerbread or gingersnap cookies: This will make a gorgeous gingerbread flavored crust. I used store bought gingersnap cookies. You might need to blend them in a food processor, blender or coffee maker because they tend to be crisp and hard. Much harder than oreos or graham crackers. Alternatively, you can use graham crackers or biscoff cookies.
- Cream cheese: Full fat, brick style cream cheese will give you the best cheesecake results. I don’t recommend using low fat cream cheese because the cheesecake will be watery and won’t have enough flavor.
- Molasses: You're looking for unsulphured, baking molasses. Medium or dark will both work great. You do not want to use blackstrap molasses because it's too bitter and not sweet enough. Use leftover molasses to make these gooey gingerbread cinnamon rolls or gingerbread cupcakes.
- Sour cream: This adds a beautiful tangy flavor and creaminess to the cheesecake.
- Heavy whipping cream: 35% cream adds so much creaminess and richness - I love adding some to my cheesecake recipes.
👩🍳 How to make gingerbread cheesecake
Gingerbread cheesecake crust step by step
Prep: Preheat the oven to 355°F or 180°C. Grease a nine inch round springform baking pan (with removable bottom) with a bit of butter or spray.
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine cookies, butter, sugar, and salt. Mix until evenly coated.
Step 2: Transfer into the springform baking pan and spread out evenly to the edges. Press the crust mixture down and up the sides of the pan.
Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool. Don’t turn the oven off! Work on the filling while it bakes and cools.
Gingerbread cheesecake step by step
Prep: Fill up a kettle with water and set to boil.
Step 1: In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix cream cheese together until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl frequently to prevent lumps.
Step 2: Add sugar and salt, and mix together. Scrape down the bowl.
Step 3: Add eggs one by one, mixing just until each egg disappears into the batter. Don’t overmix and make sure to scrape down the bowl frequently.
Step 4: Add vanilla, sour cream, and heavy cream, mixing gently - be careful not to overmix or the batter will be too airy.
Step 5: Remove half of the cheesecake batter and set aside in a pitcher or measuring cup with a spout. Into the remaining cheesecake batter, add molasses and spices. Stir together well to evenly incorporate.
Step 6: Starting with the vanilla cheesecake batter, pour half of it into the cheesecake pan with the crust. Pour half of the gingerbread batter right into the middle. Without spreading any batter out, pour the remaining vanilla batter into the middle. Lastly, pour the remaining gingerbread batter right into the middle. You can use a toothpick to swirl the top - I didn’t because I wanted chunkier swirls.
Step 7: To make a water bath, place the cheesecake pan into a slightly larger pan or shallow pot that it fits into. The tighter the fit the better the results! Place into an even larger pan and transfer into the oven.
See water bath alternatives in the section below.
Pour boiling hot water into the largest pan, so that it comes up at least halfway up the cheesecake pan. You may need to add a few kettles full of boiling water.
Step 8: Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven (355°F or 180°C) for 70-90 minutes. It is ready when the edges are set and the middle is puffed and still jiggly. It will continue baking as it cools.
Leave the oven door open for 20 minutes and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven. Afterwards, remove the cheesecake from the water bath and let cool completely to room temperature.
Step 9: Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Before serving, decorate with sugared cranberries and mini gingerbread cookies.
✔️ Expert cheesecake tips
- Use full fat brick style cream cheese: This will give you the best creamy and set results.
- Don’t overmix the batter once the eggs are added: Only mix the cheesecake batter just enough to incorporate the ingredients! If you mix in too much air it might puff up, crack, and collapse on you.
- Don’t swirl the cheesecake with a knife: I find that just pouring the batter alternatively makes the best swirls that you can see well. If you go in with a knife to swirl it some more, you might lose the swirl because it will mix together too much. You can swirl just the top lightly with a toothpick to get a beautiful design because it looked like there was a giant dot on top.
- Use a water bath: This ensures that the cheesecake bakes evenly and will set to the perfect firm and creamy texture. If you don’t use a water bath, the edges will be overcooked while the middle will stay undercooked.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
Cheesecake is the best make ahead dessert because it needs to chill for at least 8 hours or overnight. Chilling is crucial to getting a firm and set texture and the perfect flavor.
Store leftover cheesecake in the fridge in an airtight container or cake carrier for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 2 months. I don’t recommend freezing the sugared cranberries because they will be soggy after defrosting. Try enjoying the cheesecake frozen or defrosted.
🌊 Cheesecake water bath method options
The best option: Find a round baking pan that is 1” to 2” larger than the pan that the cheesecake is in. This will keep the water out of the cheesecake preventing it from getting soggy. Nest the cheesecake into the larger pan and then into the large roasting tray where the hot water will be. *This is for if the cheesecake is in a springform pan*
If the cheesecake is in a regular round pan (not springform): you can place the pan directly into the water bath because water can’t get in through the bottom edge. Make sure you create a sling out of parchment paper so that you can lift to remove the cheesecake out of the pan after chilling.
If the cheesecake is in a springform pan, and you don't have another larger pan: wrap the outside of the pan tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil. Try to use a wide enough foil to cover the whole bottom and edges. You can also nestle the springform pan into a heat safe sous vide bag instead of the aluminum foil.
❔ How to get a gingerbread swirl
To get the flavorful spiced gingerbread swirl, I divided the batter in half and added molasses and gingerbread spices into one half. Ginger, cinnamon, and cloves are the classically used in gingerbread cookies so they went right into the cheesecake!
Then you alternatively pour the two batters into the crust and they will naturally swirl together. No need to swirl with a knife or it might swirl them too much and you won’t have any distinct flavors.
If you want a prettier swirled design on top, you can lightly swirl the top with a toothpick. Otherwise it looks like rings like in these photos.
📖 Recipe FAQs
You can mix the molasses and spices into the whole batch of cheesecake batter if you prefer. The gingerbread flavor will be diluted and there won’t be much dimension but it should work well.
Make sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature. This ensures they blend well together and create a silky smooth batter. Also make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently because the cream cheese likes to stick to the sides.
Yes, it’s the only way to get an evenly baked cheesecake that sets perfectly. If you don’t use a water bath you risk the cheesecake from being overcooked on the outside and undercooked in the middle. The water bath helps distribute even heat and reduces the baking temperature.
Yes, chilling is absolutely essential in getting a firm and set texture. It will also help develop and improve the cheesecake flavor! It will taste more rich and coat your tongue beautifully.
🎅 More related recipes
Did you make this recipe? I would love for you to rate this recipe and hear what you think in the comments below! Share your creation on Instagram and tag @flouringkitchen. Follow me on Pinterest to save and for more recipe ideas.
📖 Recipe
Gingerbread Cheesecake
Equipment
- eight or nine inch springform baking pan
Ingredients
Crust
- 3 cups gingersnap or gingerbread cookies crushed into crumbs
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Cheesecake batter
- 32 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup sour cream room temperature
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream room temperature
Gingerbread swirl
- 4 tablespoons molasses unsulphured, and not blackstrap
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- Gingerbread cookies for decorating
- Sugared cranberries for decorating
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 355°F or 180°C. Grease a nine inch round springform baking pan (with removable bottom) with a bit of butter or spray.
- In a large bowl, combine cookies, butter, sugar, and salt. Mix until evenly coated.3 cups gingersnap or gingerbread cookies, ⅓ cup unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Transfer into the springform baking pan and spread out evenly to the edges. Press the crust mixture down and up the sides of the pan.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool. Don’t turn the oven off! Work on the filling while it bakes and cools.
Cheesecake batter
- Prep: Fill up a kettle with water and set to boil.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix cream cheese together until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl frequently to prevent lumps. Add sugar and salt, and mix together. Scrape down the bowl.32 oz cream cheese, 1 cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Add eggs one by one, mixing just until each egg disappears into the batter. Don’t overmix and make sure to scrape down the bowl frequently.3 large eggs
- Add vanilla, sour cream, and heavy cream, mixing gently - be careful not to overmix or the batter will be too airy.1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ⅓ cup sour cream, ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Gingerbread swirl
- Remove half of the cheesecake batter and set aside in a pitcher or measuring cup with a spout. Into the remaining cheesecake batter, add molasses and spices. Stir together well to evenly incorporate.4 tablespoons molasses, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon cloves
- Starting with the vanilla cheesecake batter, pour half of it into the cheesecake pan with the crust. Pour half of the gingerbread batter right into the middle. Without spreading any batter out, pour the remaining vanilla batter into the middle. Lastly, pour the remaining gingerbread batter right into the middle. You can use a toothpick to swirl the top - I didn’t because I wanted chunkier swirls.
- To make a water bath, place the cheesecake pan into a slightly larger pan or shallow pot that it fits into. The tighter the fit the better the results! Place into an even larger pan and transfer into the oven. See water bath alternatives in the notes below. Pour boiling hot water into the largest pan, so that it comes up at least halfway up the cheesecake pan. You may need to add a few kettles full of boiling water.
- Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven (355°F or 180°C) for 70-90 minutes. It is ready when the edges are set and the middle is puffed and still jiggly. It will continue baking as it cools.
- Leave the oven door open for 20 minutes and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven. Afterwards, remove the cheesecake from the water bath and let cool completely to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Before serving, decorate with sugared cranberries and mini gingerbread cookies (link gingerbread cookie recipe)!Gingerbread cookies, Sugared cranberries
Video
Notes
- (The best option) Find a round baking pan that is 1”-2” larger than the pan that the cheesecake is in. This will keep the water out of the cheesecake preventing it from getting soggy. Nest the cheesecake into the larger pan and then into the large roasting tray where the hot water will be. *This is for if the cheesecake is in a springform pan*
- If the cheesecake is in a regular round pan (not springform), you can place the pan directly into the water bath because water can’t get in through the bottom edge. Make sure you create a sling out of parchment paper so that you can lift to remove the cheesecake out of the pan after chilling.
- If the cheesecake is in a springform pan, wrap the outside of the pan tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil. Try to use a wide enough foil to cover the whole bottom and edges. You can also nestle the springform pan into a heat-safe sous vide bag instead of the aluminum foil.
- Use full fat brick style cream cheese for the best flavor and texture.
- Let all of the ingredients come to room temperature for 30 minutes to ensure even baking.
- Don’t overmix the batter once the eggs are added.
- Don’t swirl the cheesecake with a knife. You can swirl just the top lightly with a toothpick to get a beautiful design on top, but if you swirl the whole cheesecake it will mix too much.
- Use a water bath to ensure an even bake.
Comments
No Comments