Dee’s Birthday Rum and Raisin Cheesecake

Dee is my hubby. He loves rum and raisin ice cream, so I figured he’d like this rum and raisin cheesecake when I first came across the recipe. and the first time I made it he proved me right. He couldn’t stop swooning over it. I also shared a slice with my sister, and she raves about it all the time.

When I initially made it, I poured the soaked raisins with the entire amount of rum I soaked it in, into the batter. I did not and still don’t measure the rum when soaking the fruit, because the recipe I used did not give any measurements regarding it, other than to state the ingredient as, one cup of rum-soaked raisins. It also did not state whether I should have drained the raisins before adding it to the batter. I simply poured the rum so that it rose above the level of the raisins in the jar I soaked it in and dumped the whole thing into the cheesecake batter. The cake was/is too strong for my taste, but it was/is not made for me anyway. I really only make it once per year specifically for his birthday.

If you think it will be too strong for you, just drain the raisins, add them to the batter, and omit the addition of the reserved rum.

Inspiration for this recipe have been culled from several sources

• Alton Henry’s Rum and Raisin Cheesecake
• Comfortably Domestic’s Bake a Positively Perfect Cheesecake
• Baker By Nature’s Extra Rich and Creamy Cheesecake
• Simply Recipe’s Perfect Cheesecake

Equipment

• 10″ springform pan with 2.5″ sides
• Large roasting pan with 3″ sides (water “bathtub”)
• Clean kitchen towel (place on bottom of water “bathtub” to prevent sliding of springform pan)

Ingredients

The Crust

• 15-20 whole graham crackers, ground to a gravel-like consistency. In lieu of Graham crackers, you may use at least 5-oz of Oreos or shortbread cookies
• 1/3 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup unsalted melted butter or really cold butter (cut into 1/4″ cubes)

The Filling

• 5 8-oz packages full-fat cream cheese, cubed and softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1 14-oz can condensed milk
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons flour (optional)
• 1 cup rum-soaked raisins (drain raisins before adding them to batter though you choose to add some of the rum to batter if desired)

Coconut Caramel Sauce (optional)

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Mise En Place

Prepare the Springform Pan for the Cheesecake Crust and Filling

1. Remove bottom of the pan and trace its diameter onto a sheet of parchment paper.
2. With a measuring tape, measure the distance around the closed exterior band of the pan, as well as measuring the height of the band.
3. Use the measurements to mark off a long strip of parchment
4. Cut both the bottom circle and the side strip(s) out of the parchment.
5. Reassemble the springform pan and set both the bottom circle and sides of parchment in the pan to ensure a proper fit without wrinkly overlaps.
6. Trim edges for a better fit, if necessary.
7. Once fit is ensured, remove the parchment and set aside briefly.
8. Lightly grease the bottom and interior sides of the pan, preferably with shortening
9. Line the greased pan with the parchment and lightly grease the top of the paper with a little more shortening.
10. Wrap the bottom and exterior walls of the prepared pan with a double thiskness of aluminum foil; set the prepared pan aside.

Prepare the Cheesecake Crust

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F

1. Break the Graham crackers (if using) into bowl of a food processor. If using Oreos or shortbread cookies, no need to break them up; for the Oreos simply separate them and in the case of the shortbread just add them as is to the food processor.
2. Add the cold butter to the processor with the crackers or cookies.
3. Pulse the butter into the crumbs until it disappears, and the mixture is very moist and gravel-like (creating about 2 cups of the mixture)
4. Dump the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the prepared springform pan.
5. Press the crumbs into a compact layer on the bottom and about an inch up the side walls.
6. Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove it from oven and place it on a rack or in the refrigerator (if using same day) to cool.
7. After crust cools wrap the exterior bottom and walls of the pan with up to three layers of heavy-duty foil in order to avoid seepage from water bath into the batter.

Prepare the Rum Raisins for the Cheesecake Filling

• Place one cup of raisins in a one-pint mason jar.
• Pour white overproof rum over the raisins to cover them.
• Seal and let soak overnight.
• Drain the raisins before adding them to the cheesecake batter.
• Retain about 1/4 cup of the rum to add to the batter.

Prepare the Coconut Caramel Sauce for the Cheesecake

1. Combine the sugar and coconut milk in a heavy saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking to dissolve the sugar.
3. Simmer briskly until thick, golden, and very flavorful, about five minutes, whisking often.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and let the sauce cool to room temperature.
5. Place it in a well-sealed bowl or jar to store until ready to use.
6. Let the sauce return to room temperature before using.
7. Pour over top of the whole well-cooled and set cheesecake or if preferred on individual slices only.

Make the Cheesecake

The following instructions are for the filling. The crust and topping instructions are contained in the Mise En Place section above.

Some Preliminary Steps

• Set oven rack to the second lowest position.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (for the crust); 250 degrees F (for the filling).
• Fill a kettle with water to boil in preparation for the water bath.

The Crust

May be prepared up to a day ahead; see Mise En Place section above

The Cheesecake Filling

At about step 6, set a kettle of water to boil for the water bath

1. Add cubed and softened cream cheese to mixer and beat until smooth, scraping bowl as needed.
2. Add the sugar and beat smooth, scrape bowl if necessary.
3. Add the salt, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix just until incorporated.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed for 30 seconds after each addition.
5. Mix in condensed milk on low speed until incorporated.
6. Incorporate the heavy cream and mix on low speed.
7. Add allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and stir in well.
8. Drain the raisins and fold them into the batter. Stir in the reserved rum.
9. Pour the batter onto the crust in the foil wrapped springform pan.
10. Tap the pan to level the batter in it and smooth the top with a spatula.
11. Line the bottom of the roasting pan with a folded towel.
12. Set the springform pan on top of the towel in the center of the roasting pan.
13. Place the roasting pan onto the second to the lowest rack in the 250 degrees F oven.
14. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan, until it comes 1″ up the side of the pan, being super careful to avoid any of it splashing into the batter.
15. Bake for one hour and ten minutes. Do NOT open the oven door during this time.
16. After the set time is passed, turn the oven off, and open the door to have a quick look at the cheesecake, allowing some of the heat to escape. The outer inch and a half of the cheesecake should appear to be mostly set while the interior will look runny.
17. Close the oven door and continue baking the cheesecake for an additional one hour and two minutes. As in the previous step, do not open the oven during this “baking” duration. The heat remaining in the walls of the oven and in the water surrounding the cheesecake will finish baking the filling.

Coconut Caramel Sauce

May be prepared up to a day ahead; see Mise En Place section above