Creamy Thai Tea Cheesecake
Thai tea cheesecake is creamy and smooth, spiced and vanilla, with the signature orange hue that it’s namesake requires.
Thai iced tea is a sort of hybrid drink, part Thai, part western/American. It is a street food that was heavily influenced by American culture with it’s sweetness and bright orange color. Many restaurants in Thailand will serve it with food coloring due to tourists. Whatever the case may be, I love Thai food and when I end up at a Thai spot, I’m invariably going to order a Thai iced tea.
If you’ve never had Thai tea before, its a spiced black tea with some vanilla and floral notes, probably from the star anise and cardamom. Before sugar is added it’s slightly bitter, however it is not at all when the drink is made to the classic creamy version. The tea is often made with condensed milk, coconut milk, or some dairy component (I’ve seen recipes using almost every kind). It’s sweet, creamy, spiced, and so delicious.
I’ve made quite a few thai tea desserts, this thai tea cheesecake is NOT my first venture into this flavor: Best Thai Tea Shortbread Cookies, Sweet Thai Tea Ice Cream being some of the favorites.
Baking Notes & Tips
I made this Thai tea cheesecake with a lightly chocolate crust, however many other flavors would work with this. The crust doesn’t taste strongly of anything, which I sort of wanted because I didn’t want to take away from the tea flavor. I considered using both Biscoff and Ginger snap cookies as the spices would compliment the tea. Regular graham crackers without cocoa powder will work, or Nilla wafers also would pair well.
There are a lot of different ways to do a water bath, but the way I prefer to do it is an 8 inch pan for the cheesecake, placed inside a 9 inch cake pan, inside a roasting pan with water. If this doesn’t work for you, I’d search online for other methods like using tin foil, oven roasting bags (I’ve used this method), or placing the water elsewhere in the oven instead.
I personally prefer to bake cheesecakes in a water bath, but most cheesecakes CAN be baked without. That being said, the texture is a little bit nicer when they are made in one, and aesthetically they are nicer looking. Cheesecake is less likely to crack and more likely to be an even level when it’s done. Additionally, the texture is often a little creamier because there is moisture in the oven as it bakes.
Thai Tea Cheesecake Key Ingredients
- Loose Thai Tea – This will be the most difficult ingredient to find in this Thai tea cheesecake, albeit the most important. I have used this brand for several years. I bought it on amazon for pretty cheap, however at the time of writing this blog it seems they only have a very large amount available. There are other brands of tea mix, and you may be able to find this or other brands at an Asian grocer.
- Heavy Cream – Some cheesecakes use sour cream, and some use heavy cream instead. Because I would potentially put heavy cream in a Thai iced tea, and because I love the texture and creaminess heavy cream adds to a cheesecake it’s what I often choose.
- Cream Cheese – You are going to need three bricks (if you’re in the US) of cream cheese. Make sure to not buy a light, or whipped style. Old fashioned, full fat, in the box is what you want to make sure you get the right creamy texture.
Ingredients
Crust
- 185 g Graham crackers 12 crackers
- 5 g Dutch cocoa powder 1 tbsp
- 56 g Salted butter 4 tbsp, melted
Filling
- 15 g Loose leaf thai tea 3 tbsp
- 170 g Heavy cream ¾ cup
- 678 g Cream Cheese 24oz, room temperature
- 3 large Eggs room temperature
- ½ tsp Vanilla bean extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F
- Crush your graham crackers finely either in a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin or in a food processor. Add to a bowl when crushed.185 g Graham crackers
- Add cocoa powder and mix well.5 g Dutch cocoa powder
- Add your melted butter and stir until combined into a sandy mixture.56 g Salted butter
- Dump into an 8 inch springform or cake pan. If not using a springform, lining with parchment with some overhang to help you pull the cheesecake out of the pan will be helpful.
- Spread the mixture evenly and press into place to create a crust.
- Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes on the center rack. When finished baking, remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- While crust is baking, pour your cream into a small saucepan over low heat. Heat cream but do not bring to a boil.170 g Heavy cream
- Measure out your tea. If you have a pestle and mortar, I like to grind the tea a little further before pouring it into the heavy cream. This isn't required but optional.15 g Loose leaf thai tea
- Steep the tea in the cream for about 5 minutes on low heat. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for another 5 minutes or so.
- Strain the tea cream mixture into a bowl. Tiny flecks will be in the cream which is fine, but you don't want large pieces of tea leaf.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer with paddle attached, add your sugar and cream cheese and mix for about 2 minutes on low-medium until it's creamy and smooth.678 g Cream Cheese | 3 large Eggs
- Add your eggs one a time, mixing each for 30-60 seconds until they are completely incorporated into the cream cheese mix.
- Add your vanilla and measure out ½ cup/113g of your thai tea heavy cream, then add that to the cheesecake batter. Mix in and make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl so everything is mixed well.If you have any left over Thai tea cream, this can be used to make a Thai tea flavored whipped cream to top the cheesecake with.
- Pour your cheesecake mixture into the cooled crust.
- Optional: Prepare a water bath for your cheesecake. I use a large roasting pan and another cake pan. I place my 8 inch cheesecake pan inside a 9 inch cake pan, and then the cake pan inside in the roasting pan. Add about an inch of water into the roasting pan. (See photo above)If your cheesecake pan doesn't fit or you don't have a pan that it fits inside of, many people wrap their cheesecake pan in layers of tin foil. I personally have used oven roasting bags, securing the sides around the edge of the springform pan so the top of the cheesecake is still exposed but no water can reach the bottom of the pan.
- Bake your cheesecake on the center rack for about 50-60 minutes. Your cheesecake is ready when the edges are set but the center still jiggles when the pan is gently shaken/moved. Turn off the oven and leave it cracked open with the cheesecake inside for 1 hour.
- After the cheesecake has cooled in the turned off oven for an hour, remove and place directly in the refrigerator, uncovered, to chill overnight or at least 8 hours.
- Slice and serve after chilling. Cheesecake is best eaten within about 2 days but will be good up to about 5 days. It can also be frozen after it's overnight chill. Enjoy!
