chai spiced baked cheesecake with gingerbread base

With an excess amount of gingerbread men in the cupboard I needed an idea to use them up… a baked chai cheesecake. I love a baked cheesecake and the gingerbread men make for a great base. I turned the filling into a chai flavour with the use of mixed spice, cinnamon and ground ginger to complement the base.

ingredients 

base

• 80g butter
• 60g almond meal
• 330g gingernut biscuits (or use a gluten free option)

filling

• 3 eggs
• 150g castor sugar
• 250g Philadelphia cream cheese
• 250g cottage cheese
• 250g sour cream
• seeds of 1 vanilla pod
• ½ teaspoon mixed spice
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus extra, for dusting
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

directions

base

1. Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan.
2. Place biscuits in a blender and process until smooth powder, then add to melted butter with ground almonds.
3. Press mixture into a greased 26cm spring form tin and chill.

filling

1. Beat eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy (5 to 10 minutes depending on freshness of eggs in either in a food processor or mixer).
2. Set aside until needed.
3. Mix Philadelphia cream cheese and cottage cheese until smooth.
4. Add sour cream and spices, continue to mix until all incorporated.
5. Add in the egg mixture and using a spatula stir until just mixed through.
6. Pour on top of biscuit base and bake at 150 degrees celsius (no fan) for one hour with a small bowl filled with water on the rack below.
7. Turn off oven and allow the cheesecake to cool and set in the warm oven. Transfer to fridge and let it rest for a day before eating.
8. Dust with extra cinnamon before serving.

Thermomix directions

base

1. Add butter to TM bowl and melt at 80 degrees, 3minutes, speed 2.
2. Add almond meal and gingernut biscuits and blend for 20 seconds, speed 5.
3. Press mixture into a greased 26cm springform tin and chill.
4. Rinse or wipe out tmx bowl.

filling

1. Add Philadelphia cream cheese and cottage cheese to TM bowl and beat for 30 seconds, speed 7.
2. Scrape down bowl and mix again for 30 seconds, speed 7.
3. In a separate bowl mix eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy*
4. Add sour cream and spices to the cheese mixture. Mix for 30 seconds, speed 5.
5. Add in the egg mixture and using a spatular stir until just mixed through.
6. Pour on top of biscuit base and bake at 150 degrees celsius (no fan) for one hour with a small bowl filled with water on the rack below.
7. Turn off oven and allow the cheesecake to cool and set in the warm oven. Transfer to fridge and let it rest for a day before eating.
8. Dust with extra cinnamon before serving.

Enjoy your baked chai cheesecake!

*If you don’t have a second TM bowl or another machine to whip eggs and sugar together until fluffy then do this first as the bowl needs to be dry and free from oil. I do this in my kenwood mixer for about 5 to 10 minutes while I get other things mixed but you could easily do this in your Thermomix with the butterfly. Time will depend on the eggs but the mixture should be quite thick.

Are you a Cheesecake fan like me? Check out our white chocolate and raspberry baked cheesecake.