Margarita Cheesecake Recipe
Margarita Cheesecake
A good margarita cheesecake recipe should resemble your favorite margarita. I love a mine with Grand Marnier, a very good 100% agave tequila and fresh lime. I’m not a big fan of triple sec or sweet and sour in my marg – so those ingredients aren’t in this recipe! Be sure to plan lots of time for baking, cooling and slicing. This is a soft cheesecake and it will require some patience and care. Cheers!
Ingredients:
- 3/4 TBSP butter, room temperature
- 1.5 TBSP grated lime zest
- 3 TBSP fresh lime juice
- 3 TBSP Grand Marnier
- 3 TBSP 100% agave Tequila
- 2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 tsp 100% vanilla extract
- 1.75 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Move oven rack to lowest position.
Completely grease an 8 inch round cake pan with butter including all sides and the rim.
In a small bowl, combine the lime zest, lime juice, Grand Marnier and tequila and set aside.
In a standing mixer, beat cream cheese on medium-high until completely smooth. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl while beating. Add vanilla and sugar and continue beating. Then add eggs (one at a time) and blend until well mixed – but don’t over do it. Using a wooden spoon, fold in the juice-tequila mixture.
Spray the buttered cake pan with some non-stick spray. Pour in the batter. To prevent cracking while baking, you’ll want to bake the cake in a hot-water bath. This makes the baking process more gentle and it will cook evenly. Place filled cake pan inside a second (and larger) 3 inch deep pan. Pour hot water into the second larger pan until it’s about 1 inch full. Place on lowest oven rack and bake until the top of the cake is lightly golden brown… approximately 1 to 1.5 hours. The cake will still be soft on the inside.
Gently lift the cake pan out of the water-filled pan. Allow it to cool for 2.5 – 3 hours on a cake rack. Cover with plastic wrap, place a heavy flat plate on top and gently invert and remove the pan. The bottom of the cheesecake will be showing, add graham cracker crumbs to bottom to create crust and fill any holes in the crust with additional graham cracker crumbs. Place another plate on the crumbs, press gently and gently invert again so cake is upright on plate. Leave plastic wrap on and place cake in refrigerator overnight. When you’re ready to serve, gently and carefully remove the plastic wrap then place in the freezer for 45 minutes. This will help you more easily cut the soft cheesecake so your slices are clean and elegant.
Garnish with a thin and twisted lime slice on each piece of cheesecake and add a touch of lime zest sprinkles.
These are two of my favorite things rolled into one fantastic recipe! I will definitely have to try this!!!
Sure Suze, you could use a spring-form pan. The crust does hold together – it’s just on the bottom not the sides. This link to a Martha Stewart recipe also has a nice crust if you’d prefer a complete crust on all sides.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/margarita-cheesecake
Geez, you’re right Mary! I obviously wrote this pre-coffee this morning. Thanks for calling my attention to the typos. The graham cracker crumb notation is there. You add them after the cake has been baked and cools.
Sounds wonderful….. is the graham cracker crust added after baking and before inverting? How does it hold together?
Can you use a spring-form pan?
Hi Laura,
Your recipe sounds fresh and delicious! Please know that I didn’t see where it indicates to add the 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs and there are a few other typos within. Need a proofreader? I have a knack for it! :0)