Hibiscus Lavender Cheesecake

The baby made me do it. I’ve been craving Cheesecake for a couple of weeks since I was at a party and what I thought was a cheesecake very disappointingly turned out to be a lame white cake. Womp womp.

This is the compilation of my subsequent pregnant ruminations on what kind of cheesecake I wanted to make, and decided to base my recipe on America’s Test Kitchen Triple Citrus Cheesecake. Instead of orange juice and orange zest, I subbed the same amount of Hibiscus Vinegar and kept the lemon and lime juice and zest to compliment the hibiscus flavor.

Our vinegar function similarly to lemon or lime juice as they are very “acid-forward” but balanced with natural flavor. Additionally, it is another form of acid (acetic vs., citric, malic, ascorbic, etc) that further entertains your palate!

I was shocked at how little the Hibiscus vinegar altered the color! Next time I would add about a Tbls of Hibiscus sugar into the sugar mix, up the lemon and lime zest, but sub their juice for more Hibiscus vinegar to up the color a bit more.

I was this many years old when I learned how to make more stable whipping cream for frosting, etc., by using the food processor, not the stand or hand mixer! I read it on America’s Test Kitchen, and they were correct. It was dense, delicious, and didn’t start weeping liquid even after a couple of days in the fridge.

Hibiscus Lavender Cheesecake

Kismet Refining

This is the compilation of my subsequent pregnant ruminations on what kind of cheesecake I wanted to make, and decided to base my recipe on America's Test Kitchen Triple Citrus Cheesecake. Instead of orange juice and orange zest, I subbed the same amount of Hibiscus vinegar and kept the lemon and lime juice and zest to compliment the hibiscus flavor.

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Course Dessert

Cuisine Dessert

Servings 12 -16 Slices

Ingredients

  

Crust

• 2.5 oz Graham Crackers
• 2.5 oz Oat Flour
• 3 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
• 4 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1 oz lavender

Filling

• 1 tea grated Lemon Zest
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tea grated Lime Zest
• 1 Tbsp Lime Juice
• 2 Tbsp Hibiscus Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Hibiscus Sugar
• 1 1/4 cus granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese three 8 oz packages cut into rough 1-inch chunks and left at room temp.
• 4 Large Eggs Room Temp
• 2 tea Vanilla paste
• 1/4 tea salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Heavy Whipping Cream Frosting

• 2 cups of Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 - 4 Teaspoons of Sugar We prefer ground sucanat or coconut sugar, but the color will be darker.
• 1 dollop of Vanilla Paste

Instructions

 

FOR THE CRUST:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.
• In food processor, process graam crackers to fine, even crumbs, about 30 seconds.
• Add sugar, oat flour, lavender, and pulse 2 or 3 times to incorporate.
• Add warm melted butter in a slow, steady stream while pulsing; pulse until mixture is evenly moistened and resembles wet sand, about ten 1-second pulses.
• Transfer mixture to a 9-inch springform pan.
• press firmly and evenly into the pan bottom,
• Bake until fragrant and golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.
• Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 30 minutes. (if using a water bath: when cool, wrap outside of pan with two 18-inch square pieces of heavy-duty foil; set springform pan in roasting pan.)

For The Filling

• Process 1/4 cup sugar and lemon, lime, and in a food processor until sugar is yellow and zest is broken down, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl if necessary.
• Transfer lemon sugar to a small bowl; stir in the remaining 1 cup sugar
• In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on low to break up and soften slightly about 5 seconds
• With the machine running, add sugar mixture in a slow, steady stream; increase speed to medium and continue to beat until mixture is creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
• Reduce speed to medium-low and add eggs 2 at a time; beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping sides and bottom of bowl well after each addition.
• Add lemon juice, lime juice, hibiscus vinegar,  vanilla, and salt and mix until just incorporated about 5 seconds.
• Add heavy cream and mix until just incorporated, about 5 seconds longer. Give batter final scrape, stir with a rubber spatula, and pour into prepared springform pan.
• Bake until the center jiggles slightly, sides just start to puff, the surface is no longer shiny, and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of cake registers 150 degrees, 55 to 60 minutes.
• Turn off the oven and prop open the oven door with a potholder or wooden spoon handle; allow the cake to cool in a water bath in the oven for 1 hour.

For The Frosting

• Add ingredients to a food processor
• Let the food processor run for about 45 seconds, and then scrape down the sides.
• Pulse in 5-second intervals until the desired consistency.

Finish

• Once the cheesecake is cooled, the whipped frosting is ready. Spread a thick even layer over the cheesecake
• Sprinkle with Hibiscus Sugar for color and flavor
• Enjoy!

Keyword cheesecake, hibiscus, lavender