Holidays around here always include traditional flavors: peppermint, pumpkin, and eggnog! I loved eggnog as a kid, and while my family is pretty split on the drink, they adore the flavor baked into things. They love my Eggnog Muffins, Eggnog Fudge, and now this eggnog cheesecake! It is so delicious! The subtle cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla flavors are complemented perfectly by a cinnamon graham cracker crust. It totally reminds me of Christmas, and is the perfect dessert for any holiday gathering.
Tips for Perfect Cheesecake Filling
Always use room-temperature, full-fat cream cheese. It blends smoothly with the other ingredients and you’ll never have lumps. It is also helpful to use name-brand cream cheese like Philidelphia. I’ve found that store generic brands don’t work as well. Use room-temperature eggs. When all the ingredients are at room temperature, they mix together more smoothly. Don’t overmix your batter or mix at too high of a speed. Let your cheesecake sit in the oven. Turn your oven off after about 35 minutes and allow the cheesecake to remain in there for another hour until it’s completely set. This helps prevent it from cracking. Start this recipe the day before. You want to make sure it has plenty of time to cool and be in the refrigerator for at least four hours before serving.
Storing Cheesecake
This cheesecake recipe should be made the day before you plan to serve it so that it has time to cool and be in the refrigerator for at least eight hours. Keep your cheesecake in the refrigerator when you are not serving it. It should be eaten within four to five days of making it.
Make the crust. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar together until it resembles wet sand. Press it into the bottom of the springform pan and bake for six to eight minutes. Make the cheesecake filling. Blend the cream cheese until smooth in the bowl of a stand mixer. Then beat in the sugar and flour. Add the other filling ingredients. Beat in the eggs one at a time followed by the eggnog until smooth. Then beat in the rum, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bake the cheesecake. Pour the mixture into the baked crust and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven off and with the door closed, leave the cheesecake in there for one hour. Remove the cheesecake and allow it to cool on the counter for an hour. Chill the cheesecake. Transfer it to the refrigerator and refrigerate for eight hours or overnight. Make the whipped topping. Beat the powdered sugar, heavy cream, gelatin, and cinnamon together until peaks form. Pipe it onto the chilled cheesecake and grate a cinnamon stick over the top using a zester. Enjoy!
First, we add flour to the bater. A small amount of flour prevents the eggs from solidifying which helps keep the cheesecake from shrinking and cracking. Second, we allow the cheesecake to cool incredibly slowly. It first cools in the oven it was just baked in with the door shut. Then it cools on the counter. Allowing it to cool slowly also prevents shrinking and cracking.
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