01 December 2007

Eggnog Cheesecake with Caramel-Rum Sauce


Oh eggnog.

We have a love/hate relationship, me and eggnog. I hate actual eggnog, I think it's the thickness of the drink (or the thought of raw eggs) that turns me off. Just the thought of drinking it makes me want to gag; I can't stand the stuff. However: the smell and taste I enjoy, so if offered a slice of eggnog pound cake or ice cream or cookies, I can't resist. And that is how it was with was recipe: eggnog cheesecake? Sure! I'll give it a try.


I actually came across an eggnog cheesecake recipe here, but there are dozens more all over the Internet. Each seemed to have its own complaints (not enough eggnog, too much rum, crust was flavorless, etc.) so I took bits and pieces from several different recipes to come up with what you see below. It was rather good, too: creamy and filling as any good cheesecake should be, with the distinctive custard-y nutmeg flavor that eggnog is known for. The caramel-rum sauce is rich and thick and is just perfect as a topping drizzled over each slice.


Eggnog Cheesecake with Caramel-Rum Sauce





Ingredients:
1 c. ground gingersnaps
3 Tbsp. melted butter
3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 c. white sugar
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 c. eggnog
2 eggs
2 tsp. rum extract
1 pinch ground nutmeg
Sauce:
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. water
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/3 c. packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. rum extract

Preheat oven to 325 F. In a medium bowl combine ground gingersnaps and butter. Press into the bottom of a 9-in. spring form pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Preheat oven to 425 F. In a food processor combine cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour and eggnog; process until smooth. Blend in eggs, rum extract, and nutmeg. Pour mixture into cooled crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to 250 F and bake for 45 minutes, or until center of cake is barely firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and immediately loosen cake from rim. Let cake cool completely before removing the rim.

For the sauce:
In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in water. In a medium saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp. butter. Stir in brown sugar and the cornstarch mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and add 1 tsp. rum extract. Allow to cool.



13 comments:

Georgina Ingham | CulinaryTravels said...

I hate eggnog too but this is making me drool. It looks mouthwateringly fabulous.

KG x

Patricia Scarpin said...

I have never tried eggnog but I know I would love this cheesecake - the caramel sauce is mouthwatering!

Deborah said...

I was just thinking this weekend that an eggnog cheesecake would be wonderful, so I'm so glad to see your recipe!! I agree with you, though - I will usually only have 1 glass of eggnog a year because I don't like the thickness of it. But the taste is yum!

Gretchen Noelle said...

I *do* love egg nog and love the looks of this recipe. Just found your blog and I think I will be back soon! You have some wonderful looking food and delicious sounding recipes!

Meryl said...

Hi,
Nice to find a fellow Jayhawk Daring Baker! This cheesecake looks amazing--I love all things eggnog!
--Meryl
www.mybitofearth.net

Joey Joe said...

MMM i made this for xmas dinner and it was great. The only problems were that the sauce congealed, and the crust was stuck to the bottom. Did you grease your pan?

Nemmie said...

Yikes Joe! I didn't grease my pan, but it is a nonstick cheesecake pan... Not sure on that one.

I think the sauce would do some good without the cornstarch, too. Might give that a try next time.

~~louise~~ said...

Hi Nemmie,
Just had to let you know how much I am enjoying your blog. I don't have much time to visit right now. I'm getting ready for my monthly post on my Kettledrum blog but I just had to let you know I was "borrowing" your eggnog cheesecake link to include for National Eggnog Month which of course is in December. It looks fabulous! Thanks so much for sharing. It should be posted tomorrow (11/30) if you want to check it out. Thanks again...Bookmarked!

TDB said...

love love your blog--it doesn't look recent but I've been looking for a great eggnog cheesecake recipe for my food column. You'rs is fab. I will be posting it with full credit on http://www.examiner.com/x-17613-Providence-Easy-Meals-Examiner Hope it brings you some well deserved traffic!!

CC said...

This looks delicious! I do have a question though. Do you think I could use bourbon instead of rum in this recipe? I prefer it, generally, but don't know if it would be too strong in this application.

Thanks so much, and I love your blog!

Fred Opie said...

Great recipe! I ran a link to my history and food blog @

http://frederickdouglassopie.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-foodway-series-eggnog-history.html

Fran said...

Fantastic recipe for the cheesecake. I increased the crust a bit and used the "ridiculously easy butterscotch sauce" recipe from Smitten Kitchen for the topping since that is a favorite.

Omega Man said...

This was the first cheesecake that I've ever made. I followed the recipe exactly and it was fantastic. The consistency of the cheesecake was perfect as was the crust. The family went nuts over it. My next attempt will be to find and add a topping ... but this cheesecake doesn't even need one, it is that good.