Recipes

Chef Lynn Crawford's Cranberry Gingerbread Cheesecake

If you’re looking for a great way to top off a dinner with friends or family, try Chef Lynn Crawford’s signature Cranberry Gingerbread Cheesecake for an amazing homemade treat.

Serves:
10
Prep Time:
30 min
Cook Time:
90 min

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 1/4 cups ( 315 mL ) finely crushed gingersnap cookies
  • ¼ cup ( 60 mL ) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tsp ( 5 mL ) orange zest
  • ¼ tsp ( 1.25 mL ) salt

Filling

  • 2 1/2 lb ( 1.2 kg ) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups ( 315 mL ) sugar
  • 3 tbsp ( 45 mL ) flour
  • 1 tsp ( 5 mL ) orange zest
  • 1 tsp ( 5 mL ) lemon zest
  • ½ tsp ( 2.5 mL ) vanilla extract
  • 5 whole eggs, plus 2 yolks
  • ¼ cup ( 60 mL ) heavy cream

Cranberry Topping

  • 1 1/4 cups ( 315 mL ) granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp ( 5 mL ) orange zest
  • ½ cup ( 125 mL ) orange juice
  • 1 package (12oz) fresh or frozen cranberries

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Lightly grease a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan.

Gingerbread Crust

  1. In a small bowl, combine crushed gingersnaps, butter, orange zest and salt. Press onto the bottom of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 8-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Cheesecake

  1. Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C). In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, zests, and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition, until smooth. Mix in cream. Pour filling into pan, and bake until top begins to brown, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 200°F (93°C), and bake until just set, about 1 hour more. Transfer to a rack, and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Cranberry Topping

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, orange zest and juice. Heat through, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Add cranberries and cook, stirring occasionally, until berries have popped, about 5 min. Pour into bowl and chill until ready to use. Strain extra liquid before topping cheesecake.
  2. To serve, run a thin knife along cake edge before releasing springform. Top with Cranberry Topping, slice and serve.

Notes

Tip: For the smoothest cheesecake batter, let any refrigerated ingredients come up to room temperature before you combine them into your batter. The ingredients will combine better together for a well-blended end product.