Gingerbread Cheesecake Recipe

Gingerbread Cheesecake – the only thing better than cheesecake is cheesecake with gingerbread!

Gingerbread houses and ginger biscuits are traditionally a favourite over the festive season; this inspired the Saxon Pastry team to add a gingerbread crumble base and gingerbread decorations to the classic Saxon Cheesecake.

The recipe below provides for a single round Gingerbread Cheesecake, for the images we prepared it in the single serving size as we would usually do at the hotel. Also note that the cheesecake and mousse are best made the day before you plan to serve it.

Gingerbread Cheesecake

For the base – Gingerbread crumble:
120g Flour
65g Sugar
80g Butter (cold, cubed)
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
2tsp Ground Ginger
½ tsp Ground Nutmeg
½ tsp Salt

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
2. Rub in the butter with your fingertips.
3. The mixture should resemble breadcrumbs.
4. Grease a 20cm spring form tin, line the base only with a circle of baking paper.
5. Sprinkle the crumble to cover the base, patting down firmly and evenly.
6. Bake at 170˚C for 12-20 minutes, until golden brown.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

For the cheesecake:
500g Cream Cheese
165g Castor Sugar
10g Cornflour
5g Vanilla Paste
1 Whole Egg
1 Egg Yolk
165g Buttermilk
15g Lemon Juice
The zest of one lemon

1. Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer, then beat with a paddle on a medium speed until smooth and soft.
2. In a separate small bowl mix the cornflour and the castor sugar (this prevents the cornflour from clumping) then add it to the cream cheese mixture.
3. Beat for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl intermittently.
4. Add the vanilla and the lemon zest and mix well.
5. Place all the wet ingredients in a jug: egg, egg yolk, buttermilk and lemon juice, and mix well.
6. Once the cream cheese is smooth and aerated, slowly add the wet ingredients on a low speed, ensuring that it is well combined with no lumps.
7. Pour the mixture onto the pre-prepared gingerbread base.
8. Bake in the oven on 100˚C for 40 mins to an hour.
9. When baked, the cheesecake should have no colour and be firm to the touch. The cheesecake should have a slight wobble when shaken gently.
10. Remove from the oven and leave to cool at room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.

For the mousse:
(Baker’s note: if you can’t find Valrhona Dulcey chocolate, a good quality milk chocolate would also deliver equally great results. Also note that there are two quantities of cream in this section of the recipe.)
125g Fresh Cream
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Ground Cardamon
200g Valrhona Dulcey Chocolate
175g Fresh Cream

1. In a small bowl, break or chop up the chocolate into small chunks.
2. Whip up the 175g quantity of cream to medium peaks and set aside.
3. In a small pot heat the 125g quantity of cream and the spices, bringing it to a boil.
4. Strain the heated cream and pour it directly over the chocolate chunks.
5. Stir with a spatula to form a smooth ganache, allow to cool for a couple of minutes.
6. Gently fold the whipped cream into the ganache.
7. Set in an airtight container in the fridge overnight.

To assemble (the next day):

• Remove the cheesecake from the tin and smooth the edge with a hot knife.
• Remove the mousse from the fridge, allowing it to soften a bit at room temperature.
• Pipe or scoop the mousse on top of the cheesecake and garnish with gingerbread men/biscuits, maybe some berries and chocolate shavings.

Notes:

• The cake and mousse are best made the day before you plan to serve it.
• Instead of making your own base you can also crush ginger biscuits.
• The mousse is optional, the cake will also go well with berries, meringues or plain whipped cream.