White Chocolate Orange Cheesecake

White Chocolate Orange Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons water

Cheesecake filling:
2 pounds softened cream cheese
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange zest
6 ounces white chocolate, melted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Use a food processor or by hand, mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the butter pieces and mix until it resembles small pea size pieces. Add the yolk, vanilla, and zest, and mix until it forms a ball. Add the water to help dough come together. Form the dough into a disk and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Press the dough into the bottom of a springform pan and bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown and set aside.

For the filling, use a mixer with a paddle attachment. Cream the cheese with the sugar on low speed. Add the eggs 1 at a time until smooth making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and orange zest. Slowly pour in the melted white chocolate and mix until well combined. Pour the mixture into the springform pan. Wrap aluminum foil around the base of pan and up side to protect from water bath. Place pan on sheet pan or pan with high sides and fill with 1/3 water. Bake cheesecake for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool for 4 hours before serving.