When we have dessert, it’s frequently something simple like cookies or fresh fruit. However, when we want something extra special or a little fancier, we love this gingerbread cheesecake. Its spiced crust goes perfectly with the creamy cheesecake center and is a nice variation on the usual holiday desserts.
Top it with a little cinnamon whipped cream and… perfection!
Creamy Gingerbread Cheesecake: The Perfect Holiday Dessert
Most cheesecakes have a graham cracker crumb crust, but for the most part I avoid grains and refined sugars whenever possible. This recipe uses my grain-free gingerbread cookie recipe for the crust, made with almond flour and sweetened with dates and blackstrap molasses.
Bonus: The cheesecake doesn’t use the whole batch of dough, so you can also bake up some plain gingerbread cookies or store the dough in the fridge for another day!
No holiday required… the warm ginger and clove spices in this cheesecake are a perfect way to brighten up a gray winter day! Since I frequently make my own spice blends, I used my homemade pumpkin pie spice, additional cinnamon, and vanilla.
Cinnamon Whipped Cream on Top
The topping for this gingerbread cheesecake is super simple to make and also entirely optional. I just whip a little heavy whipping cream with a teaspoon of cinnamon. You could also use whipped coconut cream.
If you want your dessert to look extra fancy, bake a few gingerbread cookies from the leftover dough from the crust and use them as a garnish!
Gingerbread Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
Crust
- 1½ cups gingerbread cookie dough
Filling
- 3 (8 oz pkg) cream cheese (softened)
- ¼ cup blackstrap molasses
- ¼ cup honey (or more to taste)
- 1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
Topping, (optional)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
For the crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan, or simply grease a pie pan with coconut oil.
- Melt a little coconut oil on your hands and press the prepared cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes.
For the filling
- Beat the softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
- Whisk in the molasses, honey, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Pour into the prepared crust and bake at 350°F for 35 minutes or until the edges are fairly firm and there is just a slight wobble to the center.
- Cool at room temperature for 1 hour before placing in the refrigerator to cool completely.
For the topping, (optional)
- Combine the whipping cream and cinnamon in a mixer bowl and whisk until light and fluffy.
- Top the cheesecake, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
More Festive Holiday Desserts
- Chew Chocolate Cookies
- Holiday Apple Wreaths
- Pecan Pie
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Pie Spiced Cushaw Squash
- Pumpkin Spice Meltaways
- Snow Cream
Do you have any favorite winter desserts? I’d love to hear about them!
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