The Beer In My Food: Beard Crumbs Cheesecake

by | Dec 21, 2021 | Friends of Land-Grant, Recipe

A Land-Grant Collaboration with The Food In My Beard

In our continued collaboration with Columbus-based cookbook author and blogger Dan Whalen, known best for playfully crafting unique flavor mash-ups and turning them into must-try recipes on his blog “The Food In My Beard” – we bring you: “The Beer In My Food”. This fun series showcases creative, must-try recipes that incorporate Land-Grant beers into your cooking, baking and cocktailing. Just in time for the holidays, Dan has brought us the ultimate combination to make a new twist on your favorite holiday dessert – a cheesecake made with our Beard Crumbs Oatmeal Raisin Stout.

Beard Crumbs Oatmeal Raisin Stout Cheesecake

With a beer like Beard Crumbs – a stout that’s teeming with notes of chocolate and coffee and offers a punch of sweetness from the addition of caramelized raisins, it’s no surprise that Dan was compelled to incorporate it into a dessert. However, when Dan first told us that beer works really well in cheesecake…and while we didn’t know that at the time, we certainly know it now.

Dan approached the recipe by breaking down each of the components of a cheesecake and working in bits and pieces of the Beard Crumbs flavor profile. Starting with the crust, he swapped in an oatmeal cookie crust in place of the usual graham cracker base. He incorporated a cup of our Oatmeal Raisin Stout into the cheesecake mixture, and topped the final product with a salted raisin caramel that resulted in major oatmeal raisin cookie vibes with a fantastic cheesecake texture.

Ingredients: 

Crust:

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:

  • 24 oz. cream cheese – room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup Beard Crumbs Oatmeal Raisin Stout
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/4 cup cream

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350º.

2. Make the crust: mix all the crust ingredients in a bowl until combined. Make sure to fully incorporate the butter. The crust mixture will be crumbley. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and lots of butter. Press the crust into the pan, pressing it slightly up the sides of the pan as well. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes

Dan suggests “aggressively lining” baking pans to prevent any issues after assembling and baking. Here, he’s creating the oatmeal cookie crust from Bake or Brake in a 9 inch springform pan.

3. Make the filling: Add the cream cheese to the food processor and pulse to soften. Add in the sugar next and pulse a few times to combine. Add in the eggs and pulse until combined. Finally add in the beer and vanilla. Start slow because the beer might splash out of the food processor at first, once it starts to combine you can really process it until well combined.

Pour the cheesecake into the crust and bake at 350º for an hour. After an hour, turn off the oven and open the door slightly. Allow the cheesecake to stay in the oven for another hour. After that, let it cool for an hour on the counter before putting it into the fridge.

  • Pulse the cream cheese & sugar mixture.
  • Add eggs and Land-Grant Beard Crumbs beer.
  • Pour the filling over the partially baked crust.

4. Make the topping: Put the raisins in a saucepan with the sugar and honey and stir to combine. Turn on medium high heat and allow it to melt. Do not stir it during this part, just slightly swirl the pan if needed.

Once the sugar is melted and turning a deep brown, add in the cream. It will bubble aggressively. Swirl the pan at first to combine, then after about a minute you can stir it slightly. Remove from heat.

When ready to serve, pour the caramel sauce over the cheesecake.

  • Cook down raisins with sugar and honey.
  • Once melted, add cream.
  • Pour over cooled cheesecake before serving.

Click here for a scalable, printable version of Dan’s Oatmeal Raisin Stout Cheesecake recipe.

Be sure to post and tag Land-Grant and The Food In My Beard when you make one at home. If you’d like to find Land-Grant’s Beard Crumbs Oatmeal Raisin Stout at a retailer near you, you can use our site’s Beer Finder tool here.

A Bit About Dan

The Food In My Beard’s Founder: Dan Whalen

As the founder and creator of the highly popular blog, The Food in my Beard, Dan has authored several successful cookbooks, including his upcoming release: Nachos for Dinner: Surprising Sheet Pan Meal the Whole Family Will Love. Dan’s Nachos for Dinner cookbook is available for pre-order now and will be available in stores in January 2022.

You can also shop his previous titles –Tots!: The Comfort Food Mash-Up Cookbook, Stuffed: The Ultimate Comfort Food Cookbook, S’Mores!: Gooey, Melty, Crunchy Riffs on the Campfire Classic and The Comfort Food Mash-Up Cookbook in stores and online now. Over the course of the last 10+ years, Dan has published more than 2,000 recipes that have racked up more than 50 million views. 

Dan Whalen has authored several cookbooks, all of which are available for purchase in stores and online now.

He and his wife, Georgina, currently reside here in Columbus, where Dan works as a full-time blogger and writer. Keep up with his latest creations on his TFIMB blog or follow him on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.