Best Chestnut Cheesecake Recipes

MAPLE-CHESTNUT CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan., In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and 1-1/2 in. up the sides of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° until set, 8-10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 325°., For filling, in a small saucepan, bring 1-1/2 cups maple syrup to a low boil; cook until reduced to about 1 cup. Cool to room temperature., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the sour cream, flour, vanilla, salt and cooled syrup. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan., Bake at 325° until center is just set and top appears dull, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Remove springform pan from water bath; remove foil. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack for 10 minutes; loosen edges from pan with a knife. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight., For candied chestnuts, in a small bowl, combine sugar and salt. Add chestnuts; toss to coat. Spread evenly onto a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° until golden brown, 15-19 minutes, stirring once after 10 minutes. Immediately transfer to a waxed paper-lined baking sheet; cool completely. , Remove rim from pan. Serve cheesecake with chestnuts and maple syrup.

CHESTNUT CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F, and put the kettle on to boil.
• For the base, process the crackers, butter and heaped tablespoon chestnut purée until like fine crumbs. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan and place in the fridge while you make the filling.
• Beat the cream cheese until smooth and add the sugar. Add the eggs and egg yolks, beating them in one by one until they are incorporated into the cream cheese and sugar. Pour in the sour cream, lime juice, vanilla extract and rum, and beat again until smooth and creamy. Finally fold in the sweetened chestnut purée. Don't worry about making a fully amalgamated mixture: smooth cream cheese with grainy streaks of chestnut is just fine.
• Line the outside of the springform pan containing the crumb base with a good wrapping of plastic wrap, so that the whole of the bottom and sides are enveloped in plastic. Do the same with aluminum foil, covering the layer of plastic wrap to make a very watertight casing. Stand the springform, thus covered, in a roasting pan and pour in the chestnut filling. Once that's done, pour water from a recently boiled kettle into the roasting pan to come just over an inch up the side of the pan (the plastic wrap will make it bob up and down a bit) and place in the oven to cook for an hour.
• When the cheesecake's ready it should be just set on top with a hint of wobble underneath; it certainly carries on cooking as it cools. Take the cheesecake out of the roasting pan, take off the foil and plastic wrap and let the cheesecake cool on a rack. Refrigerate overnight before unmolding and leaving it to get back to room temperature. If you need to unmold it long before you want to eat it (I often do just because I like to get all bothersome stuff out of the way before people arrive) then just sit it on its serving plate in the fridge until about 20-30 minutes before you want to eat it. I'd take it out as you sit down to dinner or lunch or whatever.
• You can make the syrup in advance but do not pour over until the actual point of serving.
• You just put all of the syrup ingredients into a saucepan and melt together. Let the syrup boil for 10 minutes, then cool to just warmish (or even room temperature) before criss-crossing the top of the cheesecake with it.

ICED CHESTNUT RIPPLE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• For the base, blitz the biscuits in a food processor or bash in a bag to make crumbs. Stir in the butter, then press into the base of a 22cm springform cake tin. Chill.
• For the praline, line a tray with baking parchment and lightly oil it. Tip the caster sugar into a frying pan and place over a high heat. Cook for 5 mins, without stirring, until dissolved and you have a dark amber caramel. Throw in the chestnut pieces, then quickly tip onto the baking parchment and leave to harden. Break or chop into small pieces and set aside.
• For the filling, blitz the chestnut purée in a food processor with the icing sugar and 1 tbsp of the rum. Set 3 tbsp of the mix aside. In a large bowl, whisk the cream with the caster sugar and vanilla until it holds its shape, then whisk in the soft cheese. Beat in the pieces of praline, then gently fold through the chestnut purée so that it ripples the cream. Spoon onto the biscuit base. Bang the cake tin gently on the work surface to level and smooth over the top. Cover with cling film and freeze for at least 12 hrs or up to 1 month.
• For the drizzle, mix the remaining rum with the reserved chestnut purée and enough water to make it just runny. If serving the cake within 2 days, chill the drizzle; if keeping for longer, freeze and defrost when needed.
• Put the cheesecake in the fridge to thaw a little 30 mins before serving. Using a sandwich bag with a corner tip cut off, pipe the drizzle over the top of the cake in a zig-zag pattern. Carefully remove from the tin and serve in small wedges - with a glass of rum if you fancy it.