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Margarita Cheesecake w/ Tequila & Lime

Margarita Cheesecake w/ Tequila & Lime

This New York-style Margarita Cheesecake consists of cream cheese, sour cream, lime, and tequila on a vanilla wafer crust with candied limes, tequila whipped cream, and simple syrup made from tequila and limes.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Resting Time 12 hours
Total Time 14 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Greek
Servings 12 servings

Equipment

  • Spring Form Pan
  • Baking Pan or Dish
  • Food Processor

Ingredients
  

Crust

  • ~2 tbsp. butter for coating pan
  • 1 ½ c. vanilla wafers (200 g.)
  • 6 tbsp. butter (preferably unsalted)
  • 1/4 c. sugar granulated

Filling

  • 2 lbs. cream cheese (four 8 oz. packages)
  • 1 c. sour cream
  • 3/4 c. sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 lime zested
  • 2 tbsp. lime juice
  • 1 tbsp. tequila

Whipped Cream

  • 1 c. heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 c. powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp. tequila

Candied Limes

  • 1 c. sugar
  • 1 c. water
  • 3 limes sliced
  • 2 tbsp. lime juice
  • 1 tbsp. tequila

Instructions
 

Crust

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Heavily coat a springform cheesecake pan with butter. Set aside.
    I am a purist when it comes to cheesecake. I do not recommend spraying it with olive oil or attempting a cheesecake in anything other than a cheesecake pan! It will not have the same flavor and it will not come cleanly out of any other type of pan.
  • Add vanilla wafers to food processor and process for 1-2 minutes, or until the wafers turn into fine crumbs.
    You want 1 1/2 cups of vanilla wafer crumbs, so you'll need to add about twice as much whole vanilla wafers to reach this amount. I find it easier to just weigh out 200 grams, which is the equivalent of 1 ½ cups. It's also okay if it's slightly more or slightly less. This isn't the kind of cake where 205 grams is going to matter.
  • Add butter and sugar to vanilla wafer crumbs and process for 2 minutes, or until the mixture is fully incorporated and begins to form a ball.
  • Add wafer mixture to the springform pan and firmly pack down.
  • Bake for 10 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and set aside.

Filling

  • Turn the oven up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a large baking dish on the bottom rack of the oven and fill with water.
    DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. An essential part of making cheesecake is creating steam in the oven.
  • Add cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar to a food processor. Process for 2-3 minutes, or until smooth.
  • Add eggs gradually, along with vanilla extract and cornstarch. It’s best to add 1 egg at a time and process until barely incorporated, about 10-15 seconds per egg.

Candied Limes

  • Slice the limes to 1/8th-inch thick, or as thinly as you can evenly cut them.
  • Add the sugar, water, and lime juice to a saucepan. Stir constantly and bring to a simmer.
  • After the sugar has completely dissolved and the syrup has begun to simmer, add the lime slices.
  • Continue to simmer the lime slices for at least 15 minutes. Making sure to rotate at least once during the cooking process.
  • Remove lime slices and let cool enough to handle.
  • Arrange the lime slices on the cheesecake.
    I cut one slice halfway into the lime and flare the sides out to make little pinwheel-type shapes. Although you can arrange them however you like!
  • Add tequila to the leftover syrup and drizzle over the cheesecake.

Tips, Tricks, & Notes

  • Cheesecake will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will technically keep for longer and is still fine to eat. However, after a couple days in the refrigerator the butter will begin to separate, so I advice eating it sooner rather than later!