Honey-Cinnamon Cheesecake
Cheesecakes are one of those desserts that ingredient combinations are limitless… crust ingredients, toppings, add-ins… I wanted to try a little something fall-ish and not-so-traditional as topped with fruit. The honey and cinnamon was a perfect combo!
My first stab at the crust was a somewhat fail. Ha. Some people really liked the “mushy” texture of the crust, but I much preferred to attempt again and get the crust perfect. Well, my kind of perfect anyway. Why not? That only means more cheesecake!!
I used full-fat cream cheese and sour cream here. You might ask about fat-free or low-fat, but I cannot tell you the results. You’ll have to try that one out for yourself. I always use the full-fat versions of dairy
Another note about your honey…. not your spouse-honey, but your jar from your favorite store. I have tried this cheesecake using organic, raw, strained honey and also an inexpensive, traditional orange blossom honey. The raw honey cheesecake was a little less sweet and subtle. The orange blossom was definitely sweeter and had a more pronounced honey flavor. It basically boils down to personal preference.
I like cinnamon graham crackers for this crust, but you can use original Grahams if you’d like.
Water baths – I’ve never been disappointed with a bain-marie, a hot water bath for cooking delicate custards. The purpose of this setup is to gently and evenly cook, or reheat, foods where direct oven heat could destroy the integrity of the food. That’s why cheesecakes cooked without a water bath tend to crack. The gentle heat and steam evenly cook the cheesecake resulting in a beautifully-topped dessert. I have used my roasting pan and even an oversized lasagna pan because my 9″ springform pan fits into it with space to fill with water. It is definitley worth the assembly and heating of water to get lovely results that are worthy to show off.
To top or not to top… A light drizzle of honey or caramel sauce would be a nice addition if you’re wanting to give it a little aesthetic flair, even though it tastes amazing on its own.
Honey-Cinnamon Cheesecake
Equipment
- 9"springform pan
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups cinnamon graham crackers
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Filling:
- 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/4 cup good-quality honey
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- While the oven is preheating, heat enough water either in the microwave or a tea kettle for your water bath.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.
- Break apart the graham crackers and place them in the bowl of the food processor. Add the sugar and cinnamon. Pulse several times to crush them into semi-fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse again until the crumbs are beginning to come together and are finely ground.
- Dump the crumbs into the springform pan and using your fingers or a flat-bottomed glass, press the crumbs evenly on the bottom of the pan and approximately 2″ up the sides.
- Wrap the springform pan tightly in 2 layers of heavy duty foil.
- Bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven to slightly cool while you mix the filling. Maintain the oven temperature.
- Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (see Notes). Mix on medium-low for about a minute to whip up the cream cheese. Add the honey and mix again on medium-low until combined.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, combining well after each addition. Add the vanilla, sour cream, salt and cinnamon, combining thoroughly.
- With the machine on medium-low, give it another 10 seconds to combine everything together very well.
- Scrape the filling into the baked crust, spreading the top flat.
- Place the wrapped springform pan into a pan or dish that’s larger than the springform and fill with hot water about a third of the way up the sides, being careful not to splash any water into the filling.
- Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to finish cooking for 30 more minutes. The cheesecake should still jiggle slightly in the center. Do not open the door.
- Carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath and allow it to cool at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 8 hours.
- When ready to serve, gently unwrap the foil from the pan. There may be some butter that seeped out the bottom, but you can just wipe that off with a paper towel.
- Unlock the springform pan and gently lift the ring off.
- Serve and enjoy.
- Any leftovers can be stored & covered in the refrigerator.
Amazing!!!! So rich, and all-around perfection!