I love orange flavor as it brings so many great memories. I wanted to make orange cake for a while and thought that it would go well with gingerbread spice. Therefore I decided to make this beautiful and festive orange and gingerbread cheesecake.
Why orange? Well, I will always associate orange with Christmas. When I was a kid, Christmas was the only time when we got oranges in Poland. This is something I will never forget! My brothers and I and the smell of freshly peeled oranges - our hands wet and sticky, covered in orange juice. Our parents would obviously tell us to go and wash our hands right away, but we never did. If I could turn back time... Ok, I do not want to sound too nostalgic, so let's focus on the recipe. I hope you will give it a try and that it will bring some of your memories back as well.
Making a good cheesecake is easy but making a great cheesecake is an art of love, passion and planning. My friends always ask me, what should they do to make a wonderful cheesecake and I tell them this:
What can I say? This cheesecake tastes lush! The consistency is creamy with some chunky bits of homemade candied orange peel. The flavor is bursting with zesty and sweet orange from orange curd, orange peel, extract and fresh orange on top, briefly speaking from orange overload. The gingerbread layer adds some chunky texture to cheesecake and warm spices balance the sweetness.
Store cheesecake in a fridge for up to a week. I would recommend keeping it under a cover so the cake does not absorb any other flavors from fridge.
This Christmas dessert can be frozen. Place this cheesecake in a freezer-friendly container with a lid and store it for up to 6 months. In order to defrost it, remove it from freezer and let it sit at room temperature for at least one hour.
If you are looking for more cheesecake recipes, I can recommend you the following:
Gingerbread cheesecake with salted caramel
Hot chocolate baked cheesecake with toasted marshmallow fluff
Chocolate and mint baked cheesecake
Click here to see the best recipes for cheesecake
I hope you will make my recipe and if you do, please leave a comment below and let me know your feedback. You can also find me on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Gab and Gettr. Please say hi and do not forget to tag me in if you make my recipe. I love seeing your creations.
Recipe source – my own
Enjoy!
Creamy and smooth orange cheesecake loaded with gingerbread flavor. A perfect dessert to serve during a Christmas party.
IMPORTANT: all ingredients should be at room temperature
Please read recipe post as well. It includes storage direction and other useful information.
I always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh ingredients as it helps to achieve the best results. The US measurements in cups are the estimate and I can not guarantee the best results.
I used 21 cm round baking tin with removable bottom. Line you tray with baking paper and grease the sides. You may use smaller baking tin but it will affect baking time , you would have to bake your cheesecake for longer.
In a medium bowl add cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, sour cream, orange curd, half candied orange peel, orange extract, potato starch and powdered sugar - mix until all ingredients are combined. You are aiming for a smooth consistency.
Add eggs and mix the mixture slowly until just combined. In this stage you do not want to incorporate too much air.
When the cheesecake mix is ready, tap the bowl on the counter few times so you can get rid of some air bubbles. Set the bowl aside.
Preheat an oven to 150C fan. (302F).
Take any baking tray or dish and fill it in with water. Place it on the bottom of the oven. It will help cheesecake to achieve creamy consistency.
Arrange gingerbreads on the bottom of your baking tray. Make sure you have few gingerbreads left to place on top.
Pour the cheesecake mixture on gingerbreads and sprinkle coarse sugar on top.
Bake cheesecake for about 60 -70 min.
Do not worry if cheesecake cracks as you will add toppings later on.
Cheesecake is ready when it has a slight wobble when you move it and is golden on the sides. If you think your cheesecake is ready, turn the oven off and slightly open the oven door. Let the cheesecake sit there for about 3 hours. Then take it out and place on a counter and let it cool down completely.
I would advise to make cheesecake the day before you want to serve it and store it in the fridge overnight. Cheesecake needs time to set properly.
Peel and fillet an orange and arrange pieces of orange according you your liking.
Take a vegetable cutter or a small cookie cutter and cut different shapes from gingerbread. Arrange it on top of the cheesecake.
Add candied orange peel and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Enjoy!