Eggnog Cheesecake

The holidays are now behind us, and while I am anxious to clean out my refrigerator and start out the new year with light and healthy meals, I find I have a few holiday ingredients hanging around which is a problem that I seem to encounter often. Every year I buy a couple of containers of egg nog as I imagine myself sitting in front of the fire with the Christmas tree lights sparkling, watching the snow falling outside, and a cup of spiked eggnog in my hand. The reality is that I never have a lot of time sitting around during the holidays, and often even forget that I even have eggnog in the refrigerator. This year I ended up with an entire quart of eggnog leftover that I felt too guilty to dump, so I decided to make eggnog flavored cheesecake. Although I don’t really enjoy baking that much, having three grandchildren living close by gives me an excuse to bake whenever the urge to bake strikes, and all three kids love cheesecake.

I find the water bath method of baking cheesecake to work the best for me as it creates a very light, creamy cheesecake and it is the only way I make cheesecakes now. The addition of eggnog plus a little extra nutmeg created a true eggnog flavored cake that would be a perfect holiday dessert. I actually made a raspberry sauce to drizzle over my cheesecake but found it actually distracted from the cheesecake and wasn’t needed. We all enjoyed this cheesecake so much I think it will be on my Christmas menu from now on. The topping adds a special touch to the dessert but really isn’t needed if you wanted to simplify this dessert.

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 2019

Eggnog Cheesecake

Yield: Serves 10 - 12

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

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Ingredients

Crust:

• 2 1/2 Graham Cracker Crumbs
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 5 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

Filling:

• 4 (8 Ounce) Containers Cream Cheese At Room Temperature
• 1 1/3 Cups Sugar
• 3/4 Cup Eggnog
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 4 Large Eggs At Room Temperature

Topping:

• 1 (8 Ounce) Container Mascarpone Cheese
• 1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Eggnog
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
• Ground Nutmeg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and wrap the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter, and nutmeg.
3. Press the crumb mixture on the bottom and halfway up the sides of the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven to cool while you prepare the filling.
5. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
6. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
7. Add the sugar, eggnog, vanilla, and nutmeg and beat until smooth.
8. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between.
9. Pour the filling into the pan and place the pan in a large roasting pan.
10. Fill the roasting pan halfway up the sides of a springform pan with boiling water.
11. Bake for 1 hour, then turn the oven off and let the pan sit in the oven another hour.
12. Remove from the oven and water bath, and cool to room temperature.
13. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
14. To make the topping, place the mascarpone cheese, sugar, and eggnog in a bowl and beat until blended.
15. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form.
16. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture, and then spread across the top of the cheesecake.
17. Sprinkle on a little additional ground nutmeg and refrigerate until needed. (I like to remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator one hour before serving).