Margarita Cheesecake

Margarita Cheesecake has all the splendid flavors of a classic Margarita cocktail! A refreshing homemade cheesecake for any occasion.

This Easy Cheesecake Recipe has a burst of citrus in every bite and is dense, creamy, and delicious.

Margarita Cheesecake

Just the thought of Key lime pie, slushy margaritas, and Margarita cheesecake make my mouth water. Tart citrus balanced with enough sugar to take away the pucker make all three treats tops in my book. For this cheesecake, the usual cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, and sugar are flavored with lime juice, lime zest plus Grand Marnier and tequila.

Enough for a little zip. Plus, if you didn’t realize, alcohol is a flavor enhancer. Just like salt. So all the additions play a role in making one sweet, tangy, and limey dessert. Perfect for our Tex-Mex party today.

Margarita cheesecake is softer and creamier than a typical cheesecake.

I swooned with every cool, luscious bite. I started with a sliver, then went back for another sliver, then another. I should have started with a standard slice. I’m sure I ate my fair share plus some extra! I must have needed some vitamin C. Yeah, that’s my story.

The hubby won’t typically touch a lime dessert but this one won him over!! Lime  Cheesecake apparently trumps Key Lime Pie in his opinion. I love them both.

Tips for Making this Lime Cheesecake

For the creamiest cheesecake, there are a few golden rules.

• You must use a springform pan. It’s impossible to cut and remove slices using a regular cake pan.
• Have your cream cheese, eggs, sour cream at room temperature. Bring them out of the refrigerator an hour (2 max) before making the filling.
• Use the paddle attachment when mixing. This keeps the batter dense. The whip attachment would incorporate too much air.
• Add your eggs one at a time. When the first is blended into the batter, add the second. Then repeat.
• Zest your own limes making a fine zest. The zest and its oil give a more intense citrus flavor than lime juice alone.
• PRO-Tip: With your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar before adding it to the mixer. Doing this helps release the lime oils, giving an extra boost of lime. This is optional, but a trick I learned from Dorie Greenspan.
• If you don’t want your cheesecake to crack, bake in a bain-marie or water bath. I use a roaster and fill it with a couple of inches of water. To prevent any water from leaking into the pan, wrap the outside of the pan with a couple of layers of heavy-duty foil.
• PRO-Tip: When your cheesecake has a topping, this step isn’t necessary as the topping will cover any cracks.
• Plan to make your cheesecake the day before you eat it. Letting it chill overnight in the refrigerator makes it even tastier!

Tex-Mex Dinner Menu:

Appetizer

• Cheddar, Olive, Tomato Savory Madeleines – Life’s a Feast

Salad

• Mexican Chopped Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing – Jeanette’s Healthy Living

Soups

• Creamy Hatch Green Chile and Cheese Soup – Creative Culinary
• White Chicken Chili – Healthy Delicious

Main Course

• Epic Creamy Chicken Enchiladas – Miss in the Kitchen
• Grilled Margarita Shrimp – That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Bread

• Homemade tortillas – Stetted

Sides/Veggies

• Tex Mex Rice with Bacon – The Heritage Cook
• Vegetable Fajitas – SpiceRoots
• Pinto Beans with Fresh Tomato Relish – Never Enough Thyme

Beverage

• Frozen Virgin Strawberry Margarita – Barbara Bakes
• Beergaritas – That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Desserts

• Mexican Spiced Chocolate Flan – Pastry Chef Online
• Margarita Cheesecake – That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Mini Margarita Cheesecakes – That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Welcome to another edition of Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a progressive dinner party. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out.

This month’s theme is Tex-Mex hosted by Milisa of Miss in the Kitchen.

This recipe was first shared in September 2014. Photos and text were updated in 2020.

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The Recipe: Margarita Cheesecake

A dreamy cheesecake with all the flavors of a classic Margarita cocktail

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Yield 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups vanilla wafer cookie crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier
• 3 tablespoons tequila
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• Very thin orange and lime slices, to garnish, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º. Mix cookie crumbs and butter till blended. Press crumbs onto bottom and 1-inch up sides of 9 inch springform pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup sugar, Grand Marnier, tequila, lime juice and lime zest and beat until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until blended.Remove bowl from mixer and use spatula scrape bowl to make sure batter is well mixed.

Pour filling into crust. Bake until center is just set, about 50 minutes. Mix remaining 1 cup sour cream, ¼ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon lime juice in small bowl. Pour over cheesecake. Using spatula, smooth top.

Bake cheesecake for 5 more minutes. Place pan on rack and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight. Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove pan sides. Garnish cake with orange and lime slices.

Notes

Adapted from The Food Network

If you'd like, rub the lime zest into the sugar to help release the citrus oils. Add this lime infused sugar as directed in the recipe.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Silicone Spatulas
• 
  9-inch springform pan
• 
  KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red

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