Creamy Cheesecake is filled with Chai Inspired Spices topped with fresh whipped cream all on top of a Speculous Cookie Base. This Chai Cheesecake recipe is the best!
I was craving cheesecake like you do. And I was dreaming of fall. These last few weeks of 90F weather here in Southern California have been torturous. I long for fall/ winter in CA mainly because it doesn't get ice cold. The weather is just nice. So until then Chai Cheesecake.
Let's get to the recipe.
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How do you make Chai Cheesecake?
First, you need to start off with a chai spice blend. In a small bowl combine ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamon. When I took a big whiff it screamed Chai Latte. Perfect.
Then make your crust. I used crushed Biscoff Biscuits because, hello they are the best biscuits for a cheesecake base.
I added a little of the Chai Spice blend to the crumbs, some melted butter, mix it all together, and then evenly press up the sides and bottom of the pan.
Now the good part- the cream cheese!
YOU MUST start with ROOM TEMP cream cheese. If you use cold cream cheese YOU WILL FAIL with this recipe. Any cheesecake recipe for that matter. To speed the process I cut the cream cheese into small cubes.
When cream cheese is room temperature add it to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat for a minute then add sugar, sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla beans, and Chai Spice. Once combined add eggs, one at a time, just until combined-you do not want to beat too much air into the cheesecake. Too much air = cracks. More on how to prevent cracks below!
Then bake in a water bath (see below) once baked let cool in the oven, turned off and the door shut for an hour. Then cool on the counter for an hour, lastly fridge for at least 8 hours. Overnight is best.
Then top with fresh whipped cream and your remaining Chai Spice blend. Then go to Chai Cheesecake Heaven!
Tips & Tricks for Baking a Perfect Cheesecake
As always I highly suggest you take these steps to make sure you have the best cheesecake possible
- Bake your cheesecake the day before
- Baking your cheesecake the day before means it has plenty of time to chill (very necessary) and it is already made so you can focus on other party planning things!
How do I make a cheesecake with no cracks
- Do not overwhip the cheesecake, you do not want a ton of air bubbles. Air bubbles = cracks
- When you pour the cheesecake batter into the springform pan (affiliate link) tap the tin on the counter to release any air bubbles
- Bake the Cheesecake in a Springform Pan (affiliate link) for easy release when you serve it
- Do not open the oven doors when the cheesecake is baking you want all the hot air to stay in the oven until you turn the oven off
- Bake the cheesecake in a water bath
How do I make a water bath for baking cheesecake
- Make a water bath to bake the cheesecake
- Place the Springform Pan (affiliate link) in a large Round Cake tin
- Place the Cake Tin in a Roasting Pan (affiliate link) and fill the roasting pan(affiliate link) with hot water, stopping halfway up the side of the cake tin
- Let the cheesecake rest in the oven when baked
- When about the inner 2-inch diameter of the cheesecake is jiggly and the rest is set I turn the oven off and let the Cheesecake rest in the oven for 1 hour, I usually prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon for the last 20-30 minutes
- Cooling the cheesecake
- Take Cake Pan out of the Roasting pan (affiliate link) and let Cheesecake cool further on a wire rack for one hour
- After the cheesecake has cooled wrap it in plastic wrap and let the cheesecake chill overnight or a minimum of 6 hours
What is the best way to serve cheesecake with clean slices
Best way to serve cheesecake?
- When cutting the cheesecake to serve always have a hot cloth nearby to wipe the knife clean after each cut
- When serving let the cheesecake sit for 5-10 minutes before serving
Fancy another cheesecake recipe?
- Nutella Cheesecake
- Baked Coffee Cheesecake Recipe
- Pillsbury Brownie Bottomed M&M’s® Cheesecake
- Lemon Cheesecake
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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Chai Cheesecake recipe
Creamy Cheesecake is filled with Chai Inspired Spices topped with fresh whipped cream all on top of a Speculous Cookie Base. This Chai Cheesecake recipe is the best!
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Chai Spice Mixture
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ Teaspoon each of Ground Cloves, Nutmeg and Cardamon
Crust
- 7oz Biscoff/ Speculoos Biscuits finely crushed
- 1oz Butter, melted
- 1 ½ Teaspoons of Chai Spice Mix
Cheesecake Filling
- 16oz Cream Cheese softened (2-8oz blocks)
- 125 grams (½ cup heaping) Granulated Sugar
- 2oz Sour Cream
- 1oz Heavy Cream
- 1 Vanilla Bean Pod, scraped
- 2 Teaspoons Chai Spice Mix
- 2 Large Eggs, at room temp.
Topping
- 8oz Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Dry Milk Powder
Instructions
Chai Spice Mixture
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8-inch springform pan or 8-inch pan with removable bottom, set aside. In a small bowl combine ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamon. Whisk until combined, set aside,
Crust
- In a food processor add Biscoff biscuits and pulse until fine crumbs. Then in a large bowl add crumbs, 1 ½ teaspoons of Chai Spices and melted butter, mix to combine. Then evenly press up the sides and bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven.
Cheesecake
- Add cream cheese to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat for a minute then add sugar, sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla beans, and 2 teaspoons of Chai Spice. Once combined add eggs, one at a time, just until combined-you do not want to beat too much air into the cheesecake. Too much air = cracks.
- Pour into prebaked crust. Place the pan in a 10-inch round pan or make a thick layer of foil around and up the sides of the pan (this prevents water from getting inside the pan) place the pans in a roasting pan and pour water in the roasting pan so it's halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pans. Being careful not to splash the water inside the cheesecake. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until only the center of the cheesecake jiggles.
- Once the cheesecake is baked turn the oven off and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven for 1 hour. Then cool on the counter for an hour, then fridge for at least 8 hours. Overnight is best.
Topping
- In the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment on beat the heavy cream, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and dry milk powder. Whisk on medium speed until stiff peaks are formed.
- In a piping bag fitted with a star tip add whipped cream and pipe onto chilled cheesecake. Sprinkle remaining Chai spices on top of the cheesecake and whipped cream. Store in fridge.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 60
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chai spice dessert recipe, chai spice cheesecake recipe, easy cheesecake recipe
Dreaming of one last bite of this chai cheesecake recipe...
Yvonne says
I CANNOT wait to make this in October when it gets a bit chillier! Chai is the best for the fall!
★★★★★
Maddie says
Hey Elisabeth,
I was wondering how could I adapt the ingredients and cooking time for this recipe to fit in a 24 cm/9.5 inch pan and search 12-14 people?
Thanks,
Maddie
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Maddie, I would double the recipe since the pan is a lot larger and since you want more slices. Then the slices will be taller, so you can get more servings. On the recipe card you can click the 2X button For the bake time, I would suggest checking the cheesecake at 60 minutes to see how jiggly it is, only the center two inches or so should jiggle. I always use my internal thermometer to check the cheesecake is 145°F (63°C). Please let me know if you have any other questions or if you do make it I would love to know!! XX Liz
Maddie says
Hi Liz,
Thanks for your answer. Will try next weekend and let you know how it goes! 🙂
Maddie says
Hi again Liz,
Just wanted to let you know I made this recipe in the weekend. I doubled it for a 24cm pan and baked for 65 min. It turned out fantastic! Everyone loved the flavours and consistency. And because I followed your baking instructions to a tee, the cake did not crack.
So thanks, will definitely attempt to do it again another time!
Maddie
Karen says
Hello,
What would you recommend to replace the eggs with if you wanted to make this recipe without eggs?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Karen, I would not make a baked cheesecake without eggs. I would personally make my No Bake Cheesecake Recipe and use Biscoff biscuits instead of graham crackers and add the Chai Spice to the batter. I would probably add 2 1/2-3 teaspoons of Chai. Let me know if I can help with anything else or if you try it. XX Liz
Anita Nath says
Hi Karen
I’m wanting to make mini cheesecakes where I’ll be using a mini cheesecake pan. What would you recommend I change in the recipe to ensure I don’t over- or under-cook the cake.
Thanks
Anita
Anita Nath says
Apologies.. Elizabeth.. I accidentally called you Karen since the name was stuck in my head when reading through the comments :S So sorry again!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Anita, no worries about the name, it can be confusing with all the comments! 🙂 Thank you for reaching out. I would put roughly a tablespoon of crust into each cheesecake cavity/ well and bake the crust for 5 minutes at 350F and then reduce the temperature to 325F add the cheesecake batter and bake for 14-19 minutes or until the tops of the cheesecakes are set, a little wobble in the middle is fine. Please let me know if you have any further questions or if you make the recipe, I would love to know what you think. XX Liz
Anita Nath says
Thanks so much for coming back to me so quickly!! I’ll let you know how I go 🙂 I’m planning on completing this recipe today or tomorrow.
Heather says
Awesome recipe! I added a little more chai Mix into the batter because I’m a chaiaholic but it was the perfect recipe!
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for the lovely review Heather! So glad you enjoyed the cheesecake!! Take care. XX Liz
Alicia says
This is my second time making this cheesecake. The taste is phenomenal, I made it for my friend who loves chai tea the first time and this time.i made it for a party she is hosting. I just want to flag that in your ingredients for the crust you have a 1/2 tsp of spice mixture then in the directions for the crust it says 1 tsp.
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for the lovely review Alicia! So glad you liked it. I have updated the recipe card, thank you for pointing it out!! Happy Baking! XX Liz