Goat Cheese Cake with Cranberry Rosemary Honey

Note this recipe requires several extra hours of inactive time, once the cake is baked so plan ahead.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Set the cream cheese and goat cheese on the counter while preparing the crust.

For the crust: Line the outside of a 9-inch spring form pan with foil to prevent water from the water bath from leaking into the pan while baking. Coat the entire inside of the pan with butter.

Lightly toast almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat just until they start to turn golden. Then grind them in a food processor with the graham crackers, until you reach a fine crumb. Mix in cinnamon and salt.

Melt the butter and mix it in with the graham cracker crumbs mixture. Add a tablespoon or two of water as necessary to help the crust hold together better. Press into the bottom of the spring form pan in a smooth, even layer. Bake crust for 10 minutes then remove it from the oven and cool.

For the filling: Separate eggs and reserve the yolks. Add egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer with a whip attachment. Beat on medium speed until very foamy, then beat on high until soft peaks form. Transfer whipped egg whites to another bowl and refrigerate until needed (see note below).

Rinse and dry the mixer bowl and add cream cheese, goat cheese, sugar, salt, and cornstarch to it. With a paddle attachment, mix on medium-low speed until the cheese mixture resembles a thick frosting, scraping down the bowl halfway through. Add heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix on medium-high till smooth.

While mixing, add egg yolks one at a time. Scrape down bowl and paddle and continue to mix on high until thoroughly combined. Add egg whites and mix on low speed just until combined. Remove bowl from the stand and mix by hand a few times to ensure everything is well incorporated, especially from the bottom of the bowl. Batter should be thick and smooth, but very light and fluffy.

Pour batter into the spring form pan and smooth the top to meet the sides of the pan. Transfer cake to a roasting pan or anything that can serve as a water bath. Fill the roasting pan with hot water to halfway up the sides of the cake tin, making sure the water level does not rise above the foil.

Carefully move the pan to the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes. When the cake is done the edges will be puffed up significantly, the middle will still jiggle slightly, and the top will barely be starting to turn golden. Turn the oven off and cool the cake in the oven for an hour with the door cracked.

Remove the cake from the oven. Remove it from the water bath. Remove the foil. Run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen the sides from the pan, and cool on a rack for an additional hour.

Transfer cake to the refrigerator and chill at least four hours, preferably overnight, before unmolding. Freeze the cake for no more than two hours before cutting for cleaner slices.

For the topping, combine honey, rosemary, and orange zest in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and steep for one hour. Strain out rosemary and orange zest and return the liquid to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in cranberries. Cool to room temperature and pour over cheesecake to serve.

Note: This recipe makes a very light, fluffy cake. If you prefer a more dense, rich cheesecake, skip the step of separating the eggs and beating the whites, and never turn the mixer higher than medium speed, to reduce the amount of air whipped into the batter.