Silky and smooth, rich and tangy, is there anything more that you can ask for from a cheesecake? This Blood Orange Cheesecake Tart ticks all of those boxes then a hit of tart blood orange flavor from the curd that’s swirled throughout. With a huge hit of vanilla and all the citrus you could ask for, this Blood Orange Cheesecake Tart tastes light and fresh. Baked in a pastry crust, each bite is an absolute dream.
This might just be my favorite recipe to come out of this pies and tarts challenge thus far. It’s rich, but light and tangy and the same time. Not to mention, this has possibly been the least stressful bake for me so far this year (well..for January). Don’t be alarmed by the long instructions below. Keep in mind: there are three separate components for this tart. Each one is quick to make and chill. The pastry crust is pre-baked, which adds a couple of extra steps along the way, but they’re by no means difficult. Once everything is put together, you just put it all in the oven and wait it out.
And let me tell you, the wait is worth it. There is so much flavor happening in this little cheesecake tart. The blood orange curd zings through every bite and the créme fraîche and cream cheese stand out with a lightly sweet, citrus vanilla tang.
You can substitute sour cream in your filling if you can’t find créme fraîche, but I highly recommend seeking it out. The créme fraîche has a higher fat content, and while it isn’t necessarily as tangy as sour cream, it still has just enough. Plus it’s thicker and richer which means your cheesecake will be even silkier and each bit will be all the more delicious.
Pro-tip: If you’re waiting to serve this cheesecake another day but want to try a little bit of it beforehand, you’ll likely have some filling and curd left over. Whip up a quick graham cracker crust and bake a mini cheesecake in a small cake pan or in a muffin tin, then you use up everything you’ve prepared and you can get a bit of a teaser as to how the final cheesecake is going to taste. (I actually baked a mini cheesecake in a cake pan using the toasted oven while this one was in my regular oven). Just a warning, you might not be able to keep from going back to more! I will say though that, if you try it, this is even better with the pastry crust than with the graham cracker! The filling gets even more opportunity to be the real star of the show.
| Cook Time | 65-80 minutes (overall) |
| Servings |
servings
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- 118 mL blood orange juice (1/2 cup)
- 2 Tbsp blood orange zest
- 68 grams granulated sugar (1/3 cup)
- 3 egg yolks large
- 1 egg large
- 1 pinch salt
- 3-4 Tbsp unsalted butter softened*
- 113 grams unsalted butter softened
- 45 grams granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp blood orange zest
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg large, beaten
- 180 grams all purpose flour
- 125 grams granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp corn starch
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 16 oz cream cheese softened
- 200 grams crème fraîche or sour cream
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs large, room temp
Ingredients
Blood Orange Curd
Pâté Sucrée
Cheesecake Filling
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- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the blood orange juice & zest, granulated sugar, egg yolks, egg, and salt until combined. Place the saucepan over a medium low heat. Whisk continuously. The curd will get a bit foamy, as it cooks and thickens, the foam will begin to turn into larger bubbles and the curd will start to look smooth. You want the curd to be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take about 10 minutes. Once the curd has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the butter 1 Tbsp at a time. Strain the curd into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap so that the wrap is touching the surface of the curd and refrigerate until cooled and thick.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes on medium speed. Add in salt, blood orange zest, and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Mix in the beaten egg until everything comes together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in 1/2 of the flour and mix on low until the mixture begins to pull together. Add in the other 1/2 of the flour and mix on low until just almost combined. Remove the bowl from the stand and continue to incorporate the flour with a rubber spatula or with a clean hand. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball. Place on a piece of plastic wrap and flatten the ball into a disc about 1 inch high. Wrap tightly. Using a rolling pin, gently press on the dough to seal it tighter in the plastic wrap. Allow to chill 1 hour to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a large baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven to heat up. Lightly grease a 9 inch tart pan and set aside.
- Remove the dough from the fridge. If you let it chill overnight, you might need to let it sit for about 10-15 minutes before rolling. If you start to roll and see that the edges begin to crack, allow the dough to sit for an extra 5-10 minutes to warm up a bit.
- Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll out your dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. It should be larger than the tart pan. Gently roll the dough over the rolling pin and place into the prepared tart pan. Gently press the pastry into the pan, you should have some overhang. Using a fork, dock the bottom of the pastry. Place in the freezer and allow to chill for 10 minutes.
- Remove the chilled pastry from the freezer. Line with a piece of parchment paper and fill with pie weights, dry beans, or dry rice to weight the pastry down. Place the tart pan on the warm baking sheet and bake on the lower rack for 20 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and take out the parchment paper and the weights/beans/rice. Return the crust to the middle rack of the oven and allow to bake for another 5-10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely before adding any filling. Using a sharp knife and using the top of the tart pan as a guide, trim off the excess pastry.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the sugar, corn starch, lemon zest, ground cardamom, and ground cloves until combined.
- Add in the cream cheese and the créme fraîche (or sour cream) and beat on medium-high until smooth. Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed. Add in the lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat until fully combined.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, beating fully between each addition. until you have a mixture that's silky and smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the prepared tart crust onto a large baking sheet.
- Pour the cheesecake filling into the pre-baked tart crust until it just about comes to the top. You might still have a little bit of the filling left over. Using a spoon or a pastry bag, drizzle about half of the blood orange curd over the top of the cheesecake filling. Take a toothpick or a butter knife and swirl the blood orange curd into the filling.
- Place the baking sheet with the filled tart onto the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Be careful not to open the door to let out steam while the cheesecake bakes. The sides and the center of the cheesecake will puff up a bit as it gets closer to being ready. Give the cheesecake a gentle shake before removing from the oven; the center should give a slight wobble. Remove the cheesecake from the oven. Transfer the tart pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
- Chill the tart in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Remove from the tart pan and serve.
*If you want a slightly richer curd, add the extra Tablespoon of butter.