Gingerbread Cheesecake with Glögi Glaze

From Vilma L., Warsaw, Poland (originally from Finland)

Glögi is a Finnish Christmas beverage like hot wine. In the Nordic countries, hot wine has been a common drink since at least the 16th century. The original form of glögi or glögg, a spiced liquor, was consumed by messengers and postmen who travelled on horseback or skis in cold weather. Since the early 19th century, glögi has been a common winter drink, mixed and warmed with juice, syrup, and sometimes with a smaller quantity of harder spirits or punch.

This cake recipe has no alcohol, but if you would like to have a cup of glögi with your cake, just make a second batch of it and add some vodka to it.

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Ingredients for the Base:

• 225 g gingerbread cookies
• 110 g butter

Ingredients for the Filling:

• 6 gelatine sheets
• 3 dl whipping cream
• 375 g unflavored cream cheese
• 1.5 dl powdered sugar
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp cardamom
• 1 grated orange peel
• 4.5 tbsp orange juice

Ingredients for the Glögi:

• 5 dl blackcurrant juice
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 cm piece of fresh ginger
• Handful of cardamom seeds
• Handful of cloves
• 2 star anis
• 0.5 dl sugar

Ingredients for the Glaze:

• 6 gelatine sheets
• 1 dl water
• 5 dl glögi

For Decoration:

• cinnamon sticks
• star anis

Instructions:

Base

• Crush the gingerbread cookies by hand or in a blender (make sure to leave some chunks).
• Melt the butter and mix with the gingerbread crumbs.
• Place baking paper between the bottom and sides of a springform pan (diameter 24 cm).
• Press the biscuit mixture into the bottom of the pan into an even layer. Place the pan into the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Filling

• Submerge the gelatine sheets in plenty of cold water and let soak for at least 10 minutes.
• Whip the cream. Mix the powdered sugar, spices, and grated orange zest into the cream cheese. Fold the whipped cream into the cheese mixture.
• Heat the orange juice. Dissolve the well-pressed gelatine sheets into the juice. Pour the gelatine mixture into the filling when it has cooled slightly, while stirring well. Spread the filling over the gingerbread base and cover with plastic wrap. Let it set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Glaze

• Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water for about 10 minutes.
• Make glögi. Add blackcurrant juice into a pot, and season it with fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks, star anis, cardamom seeds, and cloves. Add some sugar and let it simmer. Let it cool down.
• Boil water in a saucepan. Dissolve the well-pressed gelatine sheets into the water. Pour the gelatine mixture into the glögi as a thin stream, stirring at the same time. Let the mixture cool down for a while in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally. The mixture should be as cold as possible, but not yet solid before adding it on the cake (if the glaze starts to solidify, you can heat it up slightly to make it runny again).
• Pour the glaze mixture over the half-solidified cake. Be very careful not to mix the cheese filling (use a spoon as a stopper when pouring, so it’s not too harsh for the cake). Refrigerate at least for 4 hours, preferably overnight. Decorate the cheesecake with cinnamon sticks and star anis.

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