Eggnog Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake

• servings: 16 servings
• active time: 45 minutes
• total time: 1 day 2 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups (350g) crushed Biscoff cookies (substitution: graham crackers)

1/2 cup (113g) salted butter, melted

1 1/4 cups (280g) light brown sugar

1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour

1 tbsp (6g) cinnamon

1/3 cup (76g) salted butter, melted

32oz (4 blocks; 1,000g) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup (220g) granulated sugar

3 eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup (180ml) eggnog, at room temperature

1/2 cup (120g) Greek yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature

3 tbsp (24g) all-purpose flour

1 tsp (2g) ground nutmeg

Large pinch of salt

1 tsp (4g) vanilla bean paste or extract

1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream, cold

1/4 cup (30g) powdered sugar

1/2 tsp (2g) vanilla bean paste or extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9” springform pan or cheesecake pan with butter, then line the bottom with a parchment paper circle. Set aside.

Start by preparing the crust. In a medium bowl, stir together the crushed cookies and melted butter until the crumbs are coated in the butter and resemble wet sand.

Press the crumbs into the bottom and 3/4 of the way up the sides of the prepared pan, using a small measuring cup to flatten and smooth out. Bake at 350F for 12-13 minutes. Then remove from the oven and let cool while you make the cheesecake filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 325F.

In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter until well combined. The mixture should be somewhat crumbly but still soft. Set aside until ready to use.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with a whisk or handheld electric mixer to smooth. Add the sugar and beat for another minute until well combined, creamy and smooth.

Whisk in the eggs, one at time, adding the next egg only after the previous is fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. When adding the eggs, I like to switch to whisking by hand to prevent over-mixing the batter.

Once all of the eggs are incorporated, add the eggnog and Greek yogurt (or sour cream). Whisk until well combined. Then, whisk in the flour, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla until well combined. At this point, the batter should be very smooth and creamy!

Set a medium pot of water on the stove over high heat to start boiling. This will be used later when baking the cheesecake.

Tightly wrap the bottom of the springform pan with at least 2-3 layers of foil. I also like to use a few slow cooker liners and place them around the bottom to really prevent water from seeping into the bottom of the pan!

Pour about 1/3 of the eggnog cheesecake batter into the crust (it doesn’t need to be exact) and use an offset spatula or spoon to smooth it into an even layer. Then, sprinkle about 1/3 of the cinnamon swirl mixture over the top. Pour another 1/3 of the cheesecake batter on top of the cinnamon swirl mixture, smooth it out, and sprinkle another 1/3 of the cinnamon swirl mixture on top of the cheesecake batter. Finish by pouring the remaining cheesecake batter over the top and smooth it out to an even layer. Then, sprinkle the remaining cinnamon swirl mixture all over the surface of the cheesecake batter. At this point, you should have done 3 layers of cheesecake batter and the cinnamon swirl mixture (although it doesn’t have to be absolutely perfect).

Place the cheesecake pan in the center of a larger roasting pan. Then pour the boiling/hot water into the larger roasting pan until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan.

Carefully transfer the cheesecake to the oven. Bake at 325F for 90-100 minutes, or until the edges have set but the middle still slightly jiggles when shaken.

Once done, turn the oven off and prop a wooden spoon in the oven door to keep it cracked. Leave the cheesecake in the warm oven for 1 hour. Then, remove from the oven and the roasting pan, and allow it to cool to room temperature (~1-2 hours). After cooled, cover the top of the cheesecake pan tightly, and place into the refrigerator to chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Once you’re ready to serve, prepare the homemade whipped cream for topping. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the of a stand mixer (or mixing bowl).

Use the whisk attachment or a hand-held mixer, and beat the ingredients together, starting on low speed and increasing to high slowly as it begins to firm up. Beat for 60-90 seconds until stiff peaks form. Stopping once halfway through to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and set aside.

Use a knife to loosen the chilled cheesecake from the rim of the springform pan, then remove the rim.

Spread or pipe the whipped cream on top of the cheesecake. Then slice and serve.

Enjoy!