Gingerbread Cheesecake With Bourbon Whiskey Whipped Cream

I know, Christmas is over, so why make gingerbread right? Wrong! This cheesecake is so good!
Make it for New years, you will not be disappointed! If you like gingerbread and cheesecake, you will love this, it has a great gingerbread flavor and the Bourbon whiskey whipped cream isn't bad either ;-) I made this for a Christmas party at my brothers, and everyone loved it! Serve it with a container of whiskey whipped cream on the side, and enjoy the greatness!

Mix up a batch of your favorite gingerbread

I made enough for the cheesecake, and for my little brother, 

who loves my gingerbread cookies!

Pulse the cookies in a food processor until finely ground, bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown

Beat the cream cheese until fluffy

Add eggs and spices, and molasses mix until incorporated

Bake at  350 for 65-75 minutes

Mix whiskey/bourbon with sugar and heavy cream, YUM!

Add gingerbread decorations

Pipe whiskey whipped cream

Sprinkle with gingerbread crumbs, eat and faint from deliciousness

    1/4 to 1/2 batch of your favorite gingerbread recipe

    6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

    1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

    2 pounds (4 8oz packages) cream cheese, room temperature

    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

    4 large eggs, room temperature

    1/4 cup unsulfured molasses

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

    1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

    1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

    gingerbread cutouts for decoration

Bourbon whiskey whipped cream ingredients:


1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
3-4 Tablespoons sugar
3-4 Tablespoons bourbon whiskey


Directions:

For the cheesecake-

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap exterior of a 9-inch spring form pan in 2 layers of foil.

   Cut, bake, and cool favorite gingerbread recipe, add to food processor
   (reserving some cookies for decoration) then pulse in a food processor until finely ground.

   Combine butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and 2 cups cookie crumbs in a bowl.
   Press mixture firmly and evenly into bottom and one-third of the way up sides of prepared pan.
    Bake until set, and slight golden color about 10 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

   Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed
   until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and the vanilla, scraping down
   sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each
   addition and scraping sides of bowl as needed. Beat in molasses, salt, spices, and lemon zest.
   Pour filling into cooled crust.
 
   Place cheesecake in a large, shallow roasting pan. Transfer to oven, and carefully add enough
   hot water to the roasting pan to come about halfway up sides of spring form pan. Bake until
   cheesecake is set but still slightly wobbly in center, 65 to 75 minutes.

   Carefully remove spring form pan from roasting pan, and let cool on a wire rack.
   Remove foil when pan is cool enough to touch.
   Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 8 hours (I refrigerated mine overnight)
   Before serving, run a hot knife around edges of cheesecake to loosen,
   and slowly remove sides of pan. Arrange gingerbread cookie decor to your liking.


   For Bourbon whiskey whipped cream:

    Add all ingredients into a stand mixer with wire whisk attachment
  
    Beat on medium-high until medium stiff peaks form

    Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, pipe whipped cream around cake

    Sprinkle with crushed gingerbread

    save remaining Whipped cream in a dish or container, and serve alongside cheesecake.

    (Or keep it for yourself and stir into some coffee. . .  YUM!)


Cheesecake recipe adapted from Martha Stewart