Eggnog Cheesecake with Bourbon
Make this Eggnog Cheesecake with Bourbon & Nutmeg in a Gingersnap Crust and both family and friends will love you forever!
I am a pill about cheesecake. I like them simple. I want them to taste like cheesecake, not a Snickers Bar or Oreo Cookies or any number of other derivations you can find today. I’ve made a couple that veer from tradition, but lemon and raspberry is still preferable to me than making it a big candy bar. This Eggnog Cheesecake with Bourbon and Nutmeg was right up my alley.
For the most part this Lemon Cheesecake has been my go to forever. It’s just so perfect. Lightly flavored but definitely lemony and just the perfect taste and texture. So when I decided to veer off course I certainly had to retain some of those elements I loved. Most specifically the topping that is added after the cheesecake bakes. I’m so used to having it be a part of the end result that I knew I needed to modify it to work with this recipe too.
It’s not just the flavor boost either; nope. Truth be told, cheesecakes have a horrible tendency to split when baking. While many might try to circumvent this with a water bath, I much prefer to simply cover the top with a luscious topping. Easier and tastier wouldn’t you agree?
My birthday was this past Sunday and I enjoy making something for myself. I started this on Saturday with the intent of finishing it up Sunday morning and inviting several neighbors over to celebrate with me. Lucky for me, one neighbor called before I had invited everyone and asked if I would like to visit her parents for lunch for my birthday. How quickly plans can change!
Her mom and dad live a bit south of me and not only have the most gorgeous home but the view is breathtaking. Literally. Their deck overlooks nothing but pine and rock formations common in the foothills leading up to the Rocky Mountains with the mountains in the distance.
The last time I was there, a deer and her fawns leisurely enjoyed some grass outside their floor to ceiling glass windows in the dining area and I was smitten. They are also great cooks so we enjoyed steak, potatoes, and pineapple from the grill, sauteed mushrooms, some gorgeous popovers, Brussels sprouts, and I had a crowd to enjoy this dessert. Perfect.
I imagine I could try some superlative adjectives to convince you but seriously just look at it. It turned out so perfectly beautiful and the taste measured up to the visual. The crust is a combination of both graham cracker and gingersnap crumbs which happened because I was lacking enough of either and it was the perfect marriage. Not overpoweringly ginger at all, no, just right.
The cheesecake is flavored with eggnog from a local dairy so I have to urge you to get equally good version for yours; it needs to be rich to do it’s magic and flavor this cheesecake. I’ve modified the topping I love on my lemon version to work on this one too, using a combination of sour cream, bourbon and eggnog; I had to be careful I didn’t just devour that with a spoon!
Finishing it all off is bourbon whipped cream with a sprinkling of nutmeg. It will remind you of that first adult glass of eggnog you were served by mom and dad but with a light enough hand it’s not overpowering or restricted just to adults. Of course I decorated it with sugared cranberries (recipe in this post). It seems that I am unable to make a holiday dessert without them!
I recently bought a new cheesecake pan; not to be confused with a springform pan. It’s not as wide as my springform so it made a beautiful tall cheesecake; just be sure to read the recipe notes if you use a similar size; it takes an extra step to fit everything in but it’s easy and so worth it. I love the cheesecake pan; even though I added some whipped cream garnish to the bottom of this cake it did exactly as I had hoped…the bottom of the pan is basically invisible; no more big thick metal springform…YAY!!
Make this. You will not be disappointed! Here’s to the happiest of holidays!
More Cheesecakes!
- Luscious Lemon Cheesecake
- White Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake with Salted Caramel
- Pumpkin Cheesecake with Walnuts and Bourbon Caramel Sauce
- Baklava Cheesecake
PIN IT! ‘Eggnog Cheesecake with Bourbon and Nutmeg’
Eggnog Cheesecake with Bourbon and Nutmeg
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 ÂĽ cup graham cracker crumbs about about one sleeve of crackers
- 10-12 gingersnap cookies or enough to make 3/4 cup of crumbs
- ÂĽ cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
For the Filling
- 32 oz. cream cheese softened
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups refrigerated eggnog
- 2 Tbsp Bourbon
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
For the Sour Cream Topping
- 1 Âľ cup sour cream
- ÂĽ cup eggnog
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tsp bourbon
For the Whipped Cream Garnish
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Bourbon
- Ground nutmeg
Instructions
To Make the Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray the inside of the cheesecake pan or springform pan with non stick cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Surround the bottom of the pan with double layers of foil and scrunch up to the rim of the pan (to prevent leaking).
- Combine graham cracker and gingerbread crumbs, sugar and butter. Press into bottom and 1/2" up sides of a springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Let cool before adding filling.
To Make the Filling:
- Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl or stand mixer on medium speed until smooth, scrape down the sides.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Gradually add the eggnog and bourbon.
- Sift the confectioners' sugar, flour, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl, then fold it into the cream cheese mixture and pour the filling mixture into the prepared pan with crust.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes depending on the size of your pan (See
To Make the Topping:
- Blend sour cream, eggnog, sugar and bourbon until smooth.
- Remove cake from oven. Gently spread sour cream over top of cake. Return to oven and bake for 12 additional minutes.
- Shut off the oven and bake for 60 additional minutes with the door closed.
- Remove from the oven and transfer cheesecake to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, remove from pan to serving plate and transfer to the fridge to chill for 8 hours or overnight for best results.
To Make the Garnish:
- Just before serving, whip the heavy cream, light brown sugar, and bourbon until stiff peaks form. Pipe whipped cream onto cheesecake and dust with ground nutmeg.
- Decorate with sugared cranberries if desired (optional)
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe for Eggnog Cheesecake I made this for Christmas and it was a huge hit. This is the first time that my cheesecake didn’t crack. The only thing I did different was I used vanilla instead of bourbon because none of my family drinks andit was the most scrumptious delightful cheesecake I have ever made. I will definitely be keeping this for special occasions.
Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know Karla; it is my absolute favorite too!
And perfect substitution; I would do exactly the same thing if serving it and had guests who did not drink alcohol.
Happy New Year!
I have a question. Can you add and bake the sour cream topping the next day?
I only use a high wall cake pan for baking cheesecake. Because of this, the cheesecake would need to cool in order for me to flip it over and remove from the pan. Thanks
Hmm…wish I could give you a definitive answer but since I’ve never done it, I’m just guessing. My first thought is sure, why not. Would you add it then without the cheesecake being in the pan? You might not get the same depth but should be able to add it and heat it in the oven to set it without a problem. Best of luck!
I made this for New Years Eve dessert and it was absolutely divine! I had so many compliments!
I love hearing that Lynette; thanks for taking the time to share with me. I made it for NYE too and people begged for slices to take home; next year maybe I need two! 🙂
I have a question regarding the smaller pan and baking times. I only have a 9″ pan, and wont pour all of the batter in to bake. But when I do bake it do I bake it 60 minutes, turn oven off for an hour, then add topping? Or, do I not let it sit in “off” oven for an hour before adding topping?
I would check it at 50 minutes Michele and if the center just jiggles slightly, it should be good at that stage. If it looks too liquid still, let it go the full 60 minutes. I’ve not done one that size so keeping an eye on it will be important. You’ll still need to let it sit in the ‘off’ oven for about as long before adding the topping. Make sure when you fill it to leave some headspace, the cake will rise and you’ll need room for the topping too.
Merry Christmas…and enjoy!
I used a 9 inch pan. I covered it at 60 mins loosely with foil and cooked an additional 20 minutes then followed the direction in the notes. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the feedback Kelly; it’s always helpful to get different baker’s experiences!
I assume this is baked in a water bath since the pan is covered, but you don’t actually say this?
I don’t use a water bath but you can. I know it can help with cracks but when I do a cheesecake like this with the sour cream layer, it covers any that might occur so I don’t bother.
Are the powdered sugar and flour sifted first then measured, or measured and then sifted? Thank you!
Everything is measured first and then sifted together.
This cheesecake sounds amazing! I have two 6 inch springform pans. Do you think this recipe would fit in them, and what about cooking time? I want to make smaller versions for gifts.
I could not find information on the volume of a 6 inch springform but this page comes close.
The only measures they have are for a regular 2 in tall cake pan and then a 10in springform pan so I would say go for it and be prepared, you might have a bit extra batter.
https://m.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
Hello. You mentioned it could be made in a 10 or 11” pan, but then later spoke of your 9” pan. Just double checking that this isn’t too much for a 9”, with of course waiting until it falls to add the sour cream layer. Also making sure it’s a full 60 minutes to leave it in the oven with the door closed. Thank you for your help! Can’t wait to make this requested cake for my family this Christmas!
I’m changing that Erin, it’s a typo to specify 9″ pan. Use either a 10″ or 11″ one and follow the directions differently if you use the smaller 10″ pan.
Thanks for pointing that out I’m going to go fix that as quickly as I can get to my computer!
This was A.) The best dessert I’ve ever made (which may not be saying a lot) and B.) The best cheesecake I’ve ever had…which IS saying a lot! It does take a lot of time and patience, but totally worth it, and the instructions given were SO helpful! I followed the recipe for a 10″ pan exactly except baked the topping about 25-30 minutes — it didn’t look quite set after 12-14 minutes, so I kept adding time and checking. Could just be my oven. Everyone raved about this cheesecake so I’m making it for my husband’s family for Christmas (yes, that’s 2 cheesecakes in one week). The only thing I’m going to do differently for this one is make about 4 times the amount of whipped cream it called for…I was only able to get a thin line of whipped cream around the outside of the cheesecake before it ran out, so I’d like to do a bigger line and dollops on the top. Luckily, this cheesecake was so perfect it didn’t even crack, so it didn’t need the extra whipped cream, but it looks so beautiful and tasted delicious so why not!
Well Amber you have just made my day, my week, my month! NOTHING and I mean absolutely nothing makes this work more meaningful than hearing that what I love was made successfully and loved by a reader and her family. I’m so glad you tried it. And you know what? While I really LOVE my lemon cheesecake I have to admit I was pretty smitten by this one too…the best use of eggnog EVER! Thanks for taking the time to write; means a lot…Barb
nice twist to traditional cheesecake, love the slightly boozy flavors, a nice change, at least for me, thank you!