This decadent cheesecake incorporates a mouthwatering mulled wine sauce to create the perfect holiday dessert. It is delicious and festive! Whether you make this recipe for a carry-in at the office or your family’s holiday feast, it is sure to be a huge hit. Cheesecake and wine… it’s a win, win!  

Mulled Wine Cheesecake Recipe

Time: Active- 2 hours, Chill 6 hours or overnight  |  Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients:

For the crust-

1 cup- Crushed chocolate cookies (Chocolate graham crackers work well)

2 tbsp- Cocoa powder

1 tbsp- Brown sugar

1 tbsp- Sugar

3 tbsp- Melted butter

For the sauce-

1 cup- Missouri Red Wine (We used Chambourcin. If you use a sweeter wine, adjust the sugar added according to taste.)

½ cup- Cranberries (frozen are fine)

½ cup- Brown sugar

4-5 strips- Orange peel (the peel from approximately ½ of a medium orange)

1 tsp- Allspice

¼ tsp- Ground ginger

For the filling-

(4) 8oz packages- Cream cheese

1 cup- Sugar

4- Eggs

3 tbsp- All Purpose flour

1 cup- Heavy cream

2 tsp- Vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by wrapping the bottom and sides in a double layer of foil.

To make the crust, pulse chocolate cookies in a food processor until crushed thoroughly. Add cocoa powder, sugars and melted butter and pulse a few times until incorporated. (If not using a food processor, crush cookies by placing in a plastic bag and pressing with a rolling pin until they are all crushed. In a medium bowl, add cookie crumbs, cocoa powder and sugars. Stir in the melted butter until combined.) Press the mixture into the bottom of the 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a baking rack while you make the sauce and filling.

To make the sauce, add wine, cranberries, sugars, orange peel and spices to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes until reduced by approximately half. Remove from heat and set aside. When cool, remove orange peel and blend or process until smooth.

To make the cheesecake filling, cream together the sugar and cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time until just combined; try not to overmix. Add remaining ingredients slowly until all is combined.

Pour the filling on top of the crust. Drop the sauce by the teaspoon on top. Using a skewer or toothpick, swirl the sauce into the filling. Keep remaining sauce to serve with the finished cheesecake.

Place the cheesecake in a shallow roasting dish and put it in the oven on the center rack. Carefully pour or ladle boiling water (Pro-tip: Using a kettle is an easy way to do this!) until water comes halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 70-75 minutes on the center rack in the oven. It’s done when the cake is set around the edges but still slightly wobbly in the center. Carefully remove from the oven. Take the springform pan out of the roasting pan and cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes; run a knife or icing palette around the edges of the pan to loosen the cheesecake’s sides. Allow the cheesecake to cool on the baking rack in the pan for an additional hour. Refrigerate the cheesecake, uncovered, for 6 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to serve, remove cheesecake from springform pan, slice and enjoy! We recommend putting the extra sauce on the plate as a garnish with each piece of cheesecake. It’s delicious!

 

*This recipe is adapted from a winning recipe from the MO Wines: Just Desserts Cooking Contest at the 2017 Missouri State Fair.