Clinton Hill Foodie: Eggnog Cheesecake

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Eggnog Cheesecake

by Brian

I'm out in Vegas for Christmas this year, and decided to contribute an eggnog cheesecake to our festivities. I'd already made this once before, giving one to Liv's family for Thanksgiving, but since I was in a rush when I made it, I never posted about it.

Well, I'm here to rectify that.

This recipe was a bit of an amalgam of my last few cheesecakes, with a little bit of improv as well. As of this writing, I haven't actually tasted it–it's currently cooling in the fridge–but I'll update the post when I do.

Eggnog Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon

Filling
3 8oz packages cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup eggnog
1 tbsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

For crust:

Preheat the oven to 350º and place a casserole dish half-full of water on the bottom rack. In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients and mix together with a fork until combined.

Wrap the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan in parchment paper and spray the sides with cooking spray (I use Pam for baking!). Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan and cover evenly. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from the oven. Set aside.

For the filling:

Let the cream cheese sit until room temperature. In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat. Add the yolks and beat. Add the eggnog, the vanilla and spices. Beat.

Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 45 minutes. Turn the oven down to 200º and bake for 30 minutes more. I took this opportunity to sprinkle a little extra nutmeg on the top. After 30 minutes, turn off the oven, open the door and let the cheesecake sit for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cheesecake sit for another hour to slowly cool before putting it in the fridge.