Goat Cheese Cheesecake With Roasted Honey Walnut Topping

GOAT CHEESE IS A GAME-CHANGER IN CHEESECAKE

Believe me when I say this is, for lack of a better term, the cheesecake GOAT of all cheesecakes. And that’s saying a lot considering how many cheesecake recipes exist on my site.

We’ll start this whole recipe off with roasting some walnuts, which will go into the crust and the topping. This step adds a bit more time to the prep than a traditional cheesecake would, but please know that roasting your walnuts to perfection will be the quintessential component to making this cheesecake irresistibly delicious. 

GOAT CHEESE CHEESECAKE RECIPE INGREDIENTS

Don’t let the multiple ingredient sections and instructions in the recipe card scare you. As a whole, this recipe only uses 11 ingredients. Be sure you check my ingredient notes so you’re choosing the best ingredients to make your cheesecake. 

SHORTBREAD WALNUT CRUST

I originally wanted a traditional graham cracker crust on this cheesecake until my tastebuds decided otherwise. You can use store-bought or homemade shortbread cookies.

For the crust, you will need:
• roasted walnuts
• shortbread cookies
• unsalted butter

CHEESECAKE FILLING

Aside from the addition of the goat cheese, this is the exact recipe you’ll find in my classic cheesecake recipe. It’s creamy, it’s fluffy, and it’s the perfect base for any cheesecake. Be sure you’re using block style full fat cream cheese as well as goat cheese and full fat sour cream for the best results and creamiest texture.

For the cheesecake filling, you will need:
• full fat block cream cheese
• block goat cheese
• granulated sugar
• full fat sour cream
• vanilla extract
• large eggs

HONEY WALNUT TOPPING

Honey and walnuts are such a great pair (just ask my honey walnut cookie sticks aka sfratti). This topping is optional, but I highly recommend using it as it will take your goat cheese cheesecake from amazing to aaaaamazing!

For the honey walnut topping, you will need:
• unsalted butter
• roasted walnuts
• honey
• ground cinnamon 

IMPORTANT INGREDIENT NOTES

ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS: I cannot stress enough how important it is that you have all of your ingredients at room temperature, which will allow your batter to blend together easily. Room temperature ingredients will insure your batter stays nice and smooth, so there is no reason to over-mix the batter. I typically let my ingredients sit out for at least 1 hour but closer to 2 hours to be sure they at room temperature with no chill to them. Using cold ingredients WILL yield a lumpy cheesecake.

PICKING GOAT CHEESE: since goat cheese has a lower fat content than cream cheese, you want to make sure you’re picking a full fat goat cheese. I do not recommend picking a flavored goat cheese for this recipe, but if that’s all you can find, try to keep it something neutral like honey. You’ll want to make sure you’re picking a creamy one and not a crumbled one. 

WHAT IF I DON’T LIKE GOAT CHEESE?

If you don’t like goat cheese, I urge you to pick another cheesecake recipe. While the goat cheese flavor isn’t overpowering, it’s still certainly there. If you like the idea of the shortbread walnut crust and honey walnut topping, simply swap the 16 ounces of goat cheese for 16 ounces of cream cheese for a total of 32 ounces of cream cheese and proceed with the recipe as written.

HOW TO MAKE GOAT CHEESE CHEESECAKE

Multiple instruction sections in this recipe make it look like this is a complicated recipe. I promise it is not. One step at a time!

MAKE THE ROASTED WALNUTS

STEP #1

Preheat the oven and prepare a large baking sheet. You can line this baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat if you prefer, but I like to roast nuts right on the baking sheet.

STEP #2

Place the shelled walnuts onto the prepared baking sheet, then roast the nuts for 8-10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until toasted and fragrant.

STEP #3

Remove from the oven and allow to cool long enough for you to be able to handle them.

STEP #4

When the nuts are cool enough, remove ½ cup and chop finely. Set aside.

STEP #5

Coarsely chop the remaining 1 cup of roasted walnuts and set aside or store covered tightly at room temperature until you are ready to make the topping.

MAKE THE SHORTBREAD CRUST

STEP #6

Spray a 9″ springform pan or my very favorite Fat Daddio’s cheesecake pan with nonstick spray, then set the pan aside.

STEP #7

In a food processor, crush the shortbread cookies until they become a fine crumb. Pour the cookie crumbs into a large bowl, add the ½ cup of roasted walnuts and stir to combine. Drizzle the melted butter over the mixture and stir until everything is evenly saturated with butter.

STEP #8

Press the shortbread cookie crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared springform pan, then bake. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you prepare the filling.

MAKE THE CHEESECAKE FILLING

STEP #9

Start by beating the cream cheese and goat cheese on medium high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar then beat again until combined, about another 2 minutes.

STEP #10

Next, reduce the mixer speed to low, then add the sour cream and vanilla and mix until completely combined.

STEP #11

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low after the addition of each egg and adding the next just after the previous egg starts to incorporate, and continue mixing until there are no more yellow yolk streaks.

STEP #12

Use a large spatula to carefully fold the batter together, scraping the bottom of the bowl and the sides to gather any extra batter that may not be fully incorporated.

STEP #13

Pour the cheesecake batter onto the baked crust, then create a water bath, according to the notes below.

PREPARE THE CHEESECAKE WATER BATH (WITHOUT FOIL)

I like to keep this process super simple by eliminating the need for foil. I have seen bakers place a pan of water under the cheesecake in the oven, but I prefer immersing the cheesecake into the water (well, sort of). 

STEP #14

Bake the cheesecake in this manner for 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. The middle of the cheesecake (a center approximately 2″ wide) should jiggle just a little bit. See notes in the recipe for details about how to check for proper doneness.

STEP #15

Turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the springform pan from all of the other pans and allow to cool on a cooling rack for another 2 hours.  When the cheesecake is completely cool, cover or wrap tightly and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.

MAKE THE HONEY WALNUT TOPPING

STEP #16

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, then set it aside.

STEP #17

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the honey and cinnamon and stir with a large spatula to combine.

STEP #18

Add the 1 cup of coarsely chopped roasted walnuts to the mixture then stir to evenly coat all of the nuts.

STEP #19

Cook over medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, just to lightly brown the butter and remove some moisture, then pour the nuts and any drippings onto the prepared baking sheet. Use your spatula or a fork to separate the nuts, then allow them to cool for about 10 minutes before topping the cheesecake.

CHEESECAKE SUCCESS TIPS

Be sure you’ve read through my instructions thoroughly before beginning your cheesecake recipe. To summarize the key points, try to remember these 5 success tips for the perfect cheesecake while you’re working through the recipe.

With one bite of this delectable dessert, you are going to be a believer in cheesecake with goat cheese. It sophisticates it a bit, brings a new flavor component to what you normally expect from cheesecake, and the whole dessert is still as easy to make as you’d hope.

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