Vanilla Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

Vanilla Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

This is a delicious dessert that, like all the recipes on this blog, just happens to be gluten free. The rich, creamy cheesecake works beautifully with the gingery crust. It's a perfect holiday treat on your family table or at a party. (This recipe is adapted from The Ultimate Cheeesecake by Tyler Florence)
Servings 8 people
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 5 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

The Gingersnap Crust

  • 1 8 oz bag gluten free gingersnaps I like the Trader Joe's brand
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter melted

The Vanilla Cheesecake

  • 2 8 oz packages cream cheese softened
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 cups sour cream be sure it's gluten free
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 small lemon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and bring 4 cups of water to a boil - turn off the heat on the water - you'll be using it later
  • Place the gingersnaps in a food processor or blender. I used the Trader Joe's gluten free gingersnaps for this recipe, but any gluten free gingersnaps will work. You'll need a total of 2 cups of crumbs
  • Blend the cookies until crushed
  • Pour the crumbs into a bowl and and add the tablespoon of sugar
  • Add the 4 tablespoons of melted butter and mix to combine. Be sure all the gingersnap crumbs are coated with the butter
  • Place 1.5 cups of the moist crumbs into a 9 inch cheesecake or springform pan. (reserve the remainder of the crumbs to add to the top of the cake later, if you like)
  • Use a small glass to spread the crumbs evenly across the bottom and slightly up the sides. Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes until slightly toasted, but not burned.

Make the Vanilla Cheesecake

  • Place the 2 packages of cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer or into a bowl and get your hand mixer out
  • Mix the cream cheese until creamy - scrape the sides down often to ensure all the cream cheese is soft
  • Add the eggs one at a time. (I usually break the eggs into a measuring cup so I can be sure there are no shells in the cake and it's easy to pour the eggs in one at a time)
  • Mix until the eggs are incorporated and the mixture is creamy - scrape the side often during the process
  • Zest the lemon using a Microplane, or peel the skin and chop very fine
  • Add the 2 cups of sour cream, the 1 cup of sugar, the teaspoon of vanilla and the lemon zest to the mixture
  • Mix on medium speed until creamy. Scrape the sides one last time to be sure you've incorporated all the cream cheese
  • Pour the cheesecake mixture into the prepared crust
  • Cover the bottom of the cheesecake pan with foil and place it in a baking pan. Fill the baking pan with enough boiling water to come half-way up the side of the cheesecake pan
  • Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes and check it. It will take between 45 minutes and an hour. When the cake has a slight jiggle in the center, it's done.
  • Let the cheesecake cool completely and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Use a knife to loosen the sides, or loosen the spring on the pan.
  • Add some of the reserved ginger crust to the top of the cake, if you like and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Join the Conversation

  1. I use this same crust for pumpkin pie, and it’s also delicious! My husband has celiac, and I can’t digest wheat. Looks good with the cheesecake, too.

    1. Thanks, Heather- Great idea to use the Gingersnaps for pie too. YUM!

Comments are closed.

Close
© Copyright 2021. All rights reserved.
Close