Gingerbread Cheesecake is an easy-to-make creamy cheesecake recipe mixed with molasses, warm spices and a spiced wafer crust. This rich, decadent dessert will bring a beautiful, nostalgic flavor to your desert table. It’s especially wonderful for Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations.
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Gingerbread is such a classic holiday flavor, especially during Christmas time. Although, I am always surprised by the fact that my Gingerbread Cupcakes recipe goes absolutely crazy right before Thanksgiving and continues to into the new year. I guess I’m not the only one who can’t get enough of this delicious flavor.
Now that I have seen how many of you love gingerbread as much as I do, I am planning on making more easy, delicious gingerbread recipes.
This Gingerbread Cheesecake is the latest addition to my gingerbread repertoire.
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe carries the classic, traditional flavor of gingerbread throughout the creamy filling and into the spiced wafer crust. Every single bite will be filled with rich, warm and perfectly spiced flavor. I used Irvin’s Spiced Wafers for the crust but you can also use Sweetzels – both are East Coast staples during the fall.
It’s the perfect dessert to serve during the holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. This cheesecake is beautiful when displayed on a dessert table and will fill your home with the nostalgic scent of gingerbread.
You can make this recipe ahead of time. In fact, it’s recommended to make it at least one day ahead of time so that it has time to fully chill before serving.
Cheesecake has an unfortunate reputation of being difficult to make, but it’s actually not that hard at all. I will walk you through how to easily bake the perfect cheesecake in the recipe instructions below.
How To Make Gingerbread Cheesecake
Ingredients
- Be sure to set your cream cheese and eggs out to come to room temperature at least an hour before you are ready to begin making this recipe.
- You can make spiced wafer crumbs by adding the cookies to a food processor and pulsing a few times until they resemble crumbs. You can also add them to a large zip top bag and gently tap them with a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet.
- Don’t have spiced wafers? Simply replace them with graham crackers or another spiced cookie of your choice.
The entire recipe and instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can also print the recipe from the card, if needed.
Prep!
Set your cream cheese and eggs out about an hour before you begin so that they have time to come to room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Create!
Melt the butter and stir into the spiced wafer crumbs until moistened. Press into the bottom of a 9 or 10-inch springform pan, pressing any extra up onto the sides of the pan. Set aside.
Chef’s Tip: if you would like a thicker cheesecake, use a 6 or 7-inch springform pan. You will need to increase the bake time by 10-15 minutes.
In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy.
Add the brown sugar and vanilla extract.
Then add the eggs, 1 at a time until fully incorporated.
Add the molasses, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
Pour evenly into the pan.
Wrap the bottom of the pan in aluminum foil and place into a baking dish. Fill the outer baking dish with about an inch of water.
Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the edges are set and the center is still jiggly.
Chef’s Tip: do not open the oven door while the cheesecake is baking as it will change the temperature inside and may alter how the cheesecake bakes. If you notice any cracking on top of the cheesecake, turn off the oven and begin letting the cheesecake cool as instructed below.
Turn off the oven, but leave the cheesecake inside. After 15 minutes, crack the oven door open and allow the cheesecake to gently cool inside the oven for another hour.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven, cover, and transfer to the refrigerator to cool for 6-8 hours minimum before serving.
Present!
Serve cheesecake topped with whipped cream, holiday sprinkles, or a dash of cinnamon, if desired.
Chef’s Tip: for clean cheesecake slices, keep a damp towel nearby and clean the knife off between cuts.
Tips and Techniques for the Perfect Cheesecake with No Cracks!
- Be sure to use room temperature cream cheese and eggs and do not over mix the cheesecake batter.
- Bake the cheesecake in a water bath. Simply wrap the bottom of the springform pan in aluminum foil to prevent any water from leaking in, then place in a larger baking dish filled with about an inch of water. The steam from the water will keep the cheesecake moist and prevent it from cracking.
- Do not over-bake the cheesecake. Cheesecake is done baking when the edges are just set, but the center is still wobbly. It will continue to set as it cools.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool gently in the oven, with the door cracked open, for at least an hour.
- Chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 6-8 hours before serving.
- For clean cheesecake slices, keep a damp towel nearby and clean the knife off between cuts.
FAQ’s
What is the difference between New York style cheesecake and regular cheesecake?
New York style cheesecake uses more cream cheese in the filling resulting in a richer, denser cheesecake. A regular cheesecake uses a combination of cream cheese and sour cream which will give you a lighter, creamier texture with added tang.
This recipe is New York style.
Can You Make Cheesecake Without a Spring Form Pan?
Cheesecake can be made in a cake pan or pie plate over-lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil so some sticks up over the rim of the pan. This will make it so that the cheesecake be easily be removed once it’s done chilling.
Can You Bake a Cheesecake Without a Water Bath?
While you can bake a cheesecake without a water bath, it is not recommended to skip this step. Using a water bath will keep your cheesecake moist and prevent cracking and browning.
More Cheesecake Recipes
If you enjoy this Gingerbread Cheesecake, you may also want to try:
Love this Gingerbread Cheesecake recipe? Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for more!
If you try this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would please leave a comment and star rating. Thanks!
Gingerbread Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 2 cups spiced wafers (crumbs - from about 1 sleeve of cookies)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (melted)
- 4 8-ounces packages cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 eggs (at room temperature)
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Stir the spiced wafer crumbs into the melted butter until evenly moistened. Press into the bottom of a 9 or 10-inch springform pan, pressing any extra up onto the sides of the pan. Set aside.
- Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy.
- Add the brown sugar and vanilla extract.
- Next, add the eggs, 1 at a time until fully incorporated.
- Add the molasses, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
- Pour evenly into the pan.
- Wrap the bottom of the pan in aluminum foil and place into a baking dish. Fill the outer baking dish with about an inch of water.
- Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the edges are set and the center is still jiggly.
- Turn off the oven, but leave the cheesecake inside. After 15 minutes, crack the oven door open and allow the cheesecake to gently cool inside the oven for another hour.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven, cover, and transfer to the refrigerator to cool for 6-8 hours minimum before serving.
Notes
Tips and Techniques for the Perfect Cheesecake with No Cracks!
- Be sure to use room temperature cream cheese and eggs and do not over mix the cheesecake batter.
- Bake the cheesecake in a water bath. Simply wrap the bottom of the springform pan in aluminum foil to prevent any water from leaking in, then place in a larger baking dish filled with about an inch of water. The steam from the water will keep the cheesecake moist and prevent it from cracking.
- Do not over-bake the cheesecake. Cheesecake is done baking when the edges are just set, but the center is still wobbly. It will continue to set as it cools.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool gently in the oven, with the door cracked open, for at least an hour.
- Chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 6-8 hours before serving.
- For clean cheesecake slices, keep a damp towel nearby and clean the knife off between cuts.
Kate says
Your gingerbread cheesecake recipe looks very yummy. It will be on our menu very soon. I am really looking forward to it as I got hungry reading the recipe. 🙂
Kate says
Many thanks for sharing your gingerbread cheesecake recipe. It looks very yummy. I am looking forward to trying it very soon.
Stephanie S says
Made this for Thanksgiving dinner. It was fabulous! I thought maybe there wouldn’t be enough ginger in it, but I was wrong. The gingerbread flavor came through loud and clear. Easy to make as well. Instead of wrapping aluminum foil around the bottom of the pan, I place my springform pan in an oven baking bag and folding down the sides of the bag to be sure they were below the edge of the pan (so they wouldn’t accidentally fall into the batter while it was cooking). I’ve tried to wrap my springform pans in foil before and was never fully successful in keeping the water out. The cooking bag worked like a charm! I’m already planning on making this again for Christmas dinner.