Honeycomb Cheesecake

Honeycomb Cheesecake is my summer send off recipe! A rich creamy mascarpone and cream cheese dessert flavored with fresh honey, vanilla, orange blossom water, and pecans. Fall baking is just around the corner and I wanted to showcase one of my favorite ingredients, honey.

All summer long I've watched the bees on my butterfly bushes, zucchini vines, and flower blossoms. Working so hard to pollinate all the plants in my garden I will be missing when the weather changes. My only wish is that I had a few bee boxes to harvest my own honey. One day! But, for now I will enjoy the fresh honeycomb from local farmers. It's just so good, I love it on bread, biscuits, fruit, and in cheesecake. 🙂

Choosing the perfect crust for my recipe was simple. A Pecan Crust from Diamond Nuts adds that crunchy element to pair nicely with the creamy filling. Summer honeycomb and fall pecans, hello seasonal transition flavors. No processing aids or artificial flavors, made with real pecans in a ready to bake crust. The Diamond Nut Pie Crusts, help save time without compromising on quality and flavor.

My vision for this Honeycomb Cheesecake recipe was to capture the golden hue of honey with the crunch of pecans, and smooth texture of a cheesecake. I love the combo of honey with mascarpone, so I mixed it in with the cream cheese. The addition of orange blossom water gives a light floral tone to play homage to all the summer flowers. With the buttery pecan crust to pull it all together I had to think about the topping. Whip cream just wouldn't do. I didn't want anything to overpower the color of the cheesecake or contrast with textures. So, I settled on Pecan Brittle.

Pecan Brittle is a basically a large piece of hard sugar filled with pecans. Now, you don't have to make this for the pie, but I love how it compliments the honey. Use one large piece, a few chunks, or skip it all together. Totally up to you!

Tips for Honeycomb Cheesecake

• Use room temperature mascarpone, cream cheese, and eggs to prevent your filling from curdling.
• Don't over beat your mixture, or it will have a lot of air bubbles whipped in.
• I baked this cheesecake two different ways.
  • The first time, I placed the pie dish in a rimmed pan and filled the pan with water enough to submerge the sides. This is a water bath. Most cheesecakes are baked this way to protect the delicate custard filling while baking. Baked for 55 minutes until just the center was wobbly before cooling. The result was a nice creamy textured cheesecake with a level cream top.
  • Then I decided to bake it directly on the oven rack without a water bath. Baked for 45 minutes until just the center was wobbly before cooling. The result was a smooth texture cheesecake with a light caramel covered crust. I decided to go with this method as it produced an added texture to the dish without sacrificing the custard. Since, the filling is surrounded by the pecan crust, it did not change the outcome. (The top will dome and then settle as it cools.)
  • Either way results in a delicious cheesecake, so I will leave you to decide which works best for you!
• Let your cheesecake cool in the oven for about an hour with the door open and the oven off, to prevent cracking.
• Place oven on a cooling rack to completely cool before placing in the fridge.
• Make Pecan Brittle and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.
• Top cheesecake with honeycomb and pecan brittle before serving.
• Store cheesecake in the fridge in an air tight container.

*This Recipe is Sponsored by Diamond Nuts of California. All thoughts and text are my own. Thank you for supporting the companies that help make Two Cups Flour possible.