Gingerbread Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce

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Don't fancy a Christmas Pudding this year? Why not try something slightly different but just as Christmassy?! We love Gingerbread Cheesecake around the festive period. With a bit of heat from the gingernut biscuit base and spices in the filling, this is a wonderfully creamy and warming dessert! And what better way to serve this festive cheesecake than with a sweet caramel sauce?

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Alternative Christmas Dessert?

Over the recent years, I have seen many recipes for Christmas Pudding Cheesecake. As much as I love Christmas Pudding, cheesecake will always get my vote when it comes to dessert.

I know a few people who absolutely detest Christmas Pudding though, so it made me think about what other winter flavours could be put into a Christmas Cheesecake. Seb's immediate suggestion was: 'Gingerbread Latte!' (not surprisingly that's his choice of a coffee flavour over the festive period). So I started experimenting with spices and ginger and caramel and here's my final result - our Gingerbread Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce.

And if you prefer chocolate to caramel, try equally festive Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake or our no-bake Toblerone Cheesecake! Similarly, if you have leftover cake or pudding, try our Christmas Cake Cheesecake!

Ingredients and Substitutes

Don't be disheartened by a long ingredients list for this gingerbread cheesecake recipe. We assure you, they are all widely available inexpensive ingredients that you will find in your local supermarkets or even your own home. You will need:

• butter: unsalted.
• gingernut biscuits: also known as gingersnap biscuits in the US. Alternatively, make a digestive biscuit or a graham cracker crust! But cheesecake with ginger biscuit base tastes extra festive!
• cream cheese: at room temperature and ideally, full fat.
• Greek yoghurt: or another thick and creamy type of yoghurt. At room temperature too.
• caster sugar: can be replaced with white granulated sugar, but make sure to beat the mixture for a little longer to make sure sugar granules dissolve.
• plain flour: also known as all-purpose flour.
• zest from one orange.
• spices: ground cinnamon, ground ginger and mixed spice.
• eggs: small in the UK, medium in the US.
• brown sugar: we used light brown sugar, but you may use dark sugar for the deeper-coloured caramel with more molasses flavour.
• double cream: also known as heavy cream.
• ball of stem ginger: thinly sliced (optional).

NOTE: This Cheesecake is deliberately made using less sugar so that we can pair it with caramel without making it overly sweet. If you are not making the caramel sauce and you have a very sweet tooth, you may want to increase the sugar.

I have also opted to use Greek yoghurt instead of traditional double/ heavy cream or sour cream/ creme fraiche. Whilst still really rich, yoghurt lightens the cheesecake a bit, whilst still retaining all the creaminess you'd expect.

Why Is My Tin Wrapped in Foil?

I cook my cheesecake in a water bath (bain-marie) in order to prevent it from cracking (I know some say it's a myth, but it is what works for me!). The foil stops the water from sipping into the cheesecake. The water that surrounds your cheesecake creates a moist and steamy atmosphere that keeps the cake from drying out and, therefore, cracking. Here are the main things to know about bain-marie for your cheesecake:

• Use hot water. This will ensure the temperature in your pre-heated oven doesn't drop too much and the cheesecake will bake at the right temperature from the start.
• Don't overfill the tray with water, you don't want it to splash into the cheesecake when it comes to the boiling point in the oven.
• Make sure you wrap your cheesecake tin with foil high enough up the sides and ensure your foil doesn't tear. You really don't want any water seeping in (and most springform cake tins aren't exactly leak-proof). I highly recommend Kirkland Signature Foil (the price may look steep, but it's 200m of foil!)

For other tips and tricks on how to bake a perfect cheesecake, have a look at How To Prevent Cheesecake from Cracking?

Method: How to Make Gingerbread Cheesecake?

Grease the bottom and sides of an 18cm (7in) springform cake tin with butter. Line the base with a circle of baking paper. Preheat the oven to 140°C Fan.

Make Ginger Biscuit Base

Crush the gingernut biscuits to fine crumbs in a food processor (we love Kenwood) or with the end of a rolling pin. Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan (or in a microwave). Once melted, pour it into the crushed biscuits and stir to combine. Press a thin layer of the mixture into the base of the tin. Using your fingers, press the remaining buttery biscuit mixture up the sides and pop it in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.

Make The Filling

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, Greek yoghurt, spices, flour and sugar for approx 2 minutes. The mixture should become thin, then thicken again slightly.

Gently whisk in the eggs (don't over-whisk at this stage, or your cheesecake may crack). Stir in the orange zest.

Wrap the tin of the cheesecake with foil, so that the base is fully covered and the foil goes up ¾ up the sides of the tin. Place the tin in a baking tray with higher rims (we will use it as a water bath).

Bake and Cool

Pour the filling over the ginger biscuit base. Pour 2cm of boiling water into the tin around the cheesecake. Bake for 35 minutes until the sides are set but the middle 6-7 cm are still wobbly.

Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven to slowly cool and finish cooking in the residual heat for 1 hour. Then open the oven door halfway and leave it like that for another hour. Finally, take it out of the oven and cool it down to room temperature (you can take it out of the water bath at this point. Finally, cover well with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or ideally overnight.

Make The Caramel Sauce

30 minutes before serving, make the caramel sauce by melting the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. When the sugar dissolves, add the double cream, turn up the heat and stir. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat and cook for 3-4 minutes until thickened slightly. Leave it to cool down for 20 minutes.

Drizzle the caramel sauce over the top of the chilled gingerbread cheesecake and decorate it with thinly sliced stem ginger. Alternatively, you can chill the caramel until thicker and then pipe it into decorative shapes. Unclip the cheesecake from the tin and slice into portions!

How To Store Gingerbread Cheesecake?

For full instructions, visit our article on How To Store Cheesecake in The Fridge and How To Freeze It. But in short:

Store the cheesecake in the fridge with an upsidown bowl on it to prevent it from absorbing any other smells form the fridge. It also helps to prevent from the surface drying out and forming the crust. Decorate the cheesecake with caramel not long before serving.

If you wish, you can freeze slices of cheesecake (without caramel sauce). Simply arrange slices of cheesecake onto a flat board and place it in the freezer for approx 1 hour to firm up. Once the cheesecake is solid, wrap each slice individually in clingfilm and store in airtight containers in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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Other Alternative Christmas Desserts

For other Christmas desserts, have a look at our favourites below:

• White Chocolate and Cranberry Macarons
• Mulled Wine Poached Pears
• Lime & Passionfruit Charlotte Royale
• Christmas Chai-Spiced Panna Cotta
• Galette Des Rois

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