• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Mad about Macarons
  • Recipes
  • French Food Guides
    • All Guides
    • Market Guide (fruit & veg)
    • Best Paris Tea Rooms
    • Food Travel From Paris
    • Paris Pâtisseries & More
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • French Food Guides
    • Fruit & Veg
    • Paris Tea Rooms
  • Videos
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home • Recipes • French Desserts

    Orange Cheesecake with Cinnamon

    Published: Jan 5, 2015 · Modified: Jul 11, 2023 by Jill Colonna7 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    A light and creamy baked Orange Cheesecake with cinnamon. Inspired by the cake decor found in Parisian pâtisseries, Mad About Macarons style!

    cheesecake topped with macarons, edible flowers and fruit

    Cake or Cheesecake Toppings in French Patisseries

    I have been gazing at the cover of the latest Fou de Patisserie gourmet magazine. Who can fail to be totally inspired by the way French patisseries dress up cakes with beautiful toppings? I saw one light and creamy cake, topped with seasonal fruits, edible flowers and their petals.

    So why not add some seasonal fruits for winter on top of this orange cheesecake? Cape gooseberries to accent the orange, plus pomegranate seeds - and topped with an edible, winter pansy. Or thinly slice the rest of the orange used for the zest in the recipe, top with fresh raspberries or sliced figs.

    orange cinnamon cheesecake decor close-up

    So I couldn't resist trying one of the recipes from the French pastry chefs' magazine and topping it also with my homemade macarons.  Et voilà: here you have an Orange Cheesecake with cinnamon. It's light, baked and now I want to make it again.

    In my RECIPES TO DO pile, has been the most sumptuous-looking cheesecake on the 7th cover edition of Fou de Pâtisserie magazine: by Chef Jean-François Piège.  He owns Thoumieux: a restaurant, a hotel and brasserie, plus one of my favourite pâtisseries in Paris, Gâteau Thoumieux - at 58 rue Saint Dominique (UPDATE: sadly, since writing this, it no longer exists, closing its doors in 2017).

    Orange Cinnamon cheesecake and macarons

    Orange Cheesecake with Cinnamon

    Chef Piège's ingredients' list was precise with 401g of cream cheese, but I should have taken note in step 2 that you only need 300g total for the base. I used all of it in the recipe which was too much for a 16cm diameter cheesecake mould.  I'd suggest reducing the base by a ⅓ and add a little more butter, just to hold it better together.

    However, the extra base was excellent as a crumble topping - try it on top of this apple desserts such as this tarte tatin!  The cream cheese was divine - I added half the zest of an unwaxed orange, just to give it that extra tang.  He doesn't mention this, but I recommend that your cream cheese filling ingredients are all at room temperature in order to mix well.

    cheesecake topped with macarons and fruit

    cheesecake topped with macarons, edible flowers and fruit

    Orange Cheesecake with Cinnamon

    Jill Colonna
    A light, baked French-style version to the American classic with orange and cinnamon and topped with macarons, cape gooseberries and pomegranate seeds for a winter treat.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 45 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 2 hours hrs
    Course Dessert, teatime
    Cuisine American, French
    Servings 6

    Equipment

    • 16cm non-stick metallic round cake tin

    Ingredients
      

    Cinnamon base:

    • 260 g / 9.5oz (2¼ cups) plain flour (all purpose) type 55
    • 175 g / 6oz (¾ cup) butter unsalted
    • 55 g / 2oz (½ cup) icing/powdered sugar
    • 35 g / 1.25oz (2 tbsp) soft brown sugar
    • 1 egg organic
    • 1 g /good pinch salt fleur de sel (Maldon or Celtic sea salt)
    • 1 tablespoon zest of half an orange
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    Cream Cheese:

    • 400 g / 14oz (1¾ cups) Philadelphia cream cheese room temperature
    • 50 g /1.75oz (¼ cup) sugar
    • 55 g / 2oz (¼ cup) whipping / heavy cream
    • 1 egg yolk
    • 2 eggs organic
    • 1 tablespoon zest of half an orange organic/unwaxed

    Instructions
     

    Cinnamon Cheesecake Base

    • Preheat oven to 160°C fan /180°C/360°F/Gas 4.
      Mix all the ingredients together in a mixer or by hand until it comes together. Spread out roughly on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.
      Remove then break up the mix into breadcrumb consistency.
      Press into the cake tin so that it's even. Set aside.
      Turn down the oven to at 110°C fan/130°C/250°F/Gas ½.

    Cheesecake

    • Mix the (at room temperature) Philadelphia cheese with the sugar then gradually add the yolk, eggs and cream together.
    • Pour the cream mix over the base and bake in the cool oven for about an hour. Leave to cool in the fridge and unmould when ready to serve and decorate.

    Notes

    Decorate with fruits of the season - such as orange slices, pomegranate seeds and edible flowers.
    Measures: Please note that all my recipes are best made using digital kitchen scales in precise metric grams. Both ounces (and cups) are given as an approximate guide. 
    Keyword baked cheesecake, French cheesecake, orange cheesecake

    More French Desserts

    • gluten free brownie squares topped with toasted almonds and hazelnuts on a French plate
      Gluten Free Brownies
    • glazed round almond tart topped with toasted slivered almonds, a flower and French macarons
      French Almond Cake (Le Saint-Germain)
    • sweet pastry dough or pate sucree for a tart, pricking with a fork for even baking
      Pâte Sucrée - Sweet Pastry for Tarts
    • bowl of pistachio ice cream with flecks of vanilla and surrounded by pistachio shells
      Pistachio Ice Cream (with or without Wasabi)
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Email
    Jill Colonna standing in a French patisserie lab holding a giant whisk over an oversized mixer bowl

    Meet Jill Colonna

    Jill is both Scottish and French and author of the book and blog, Mad About Macarons since 2010. Here she shares over 30 years of experience of living the healthy food life with her French family in Paris - via easy recipes and local food guides in France.

    More about Jill

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Please leave a comment Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Made this? Rate this recipe...




    1. Parisbreakfast

      January 09, 2015 at 12:31 pm

      Soooo beautiful Jill.
      I have never been in his shop...just gazed in the vitrine.
      Now I can come here and gaze forever.

      Reply
    2. Thomasina

      January 07, 2015 at 1:04 am

      I'm so glad that cheesecake was on your list - this is something I've never made (dare I say I've used a packet mix!) so thanks for that Jill.

      Reply
    3. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef

      January 06, 2015 at 1:44 am

      A most stunning dessert. You two, together in the same room? Be still my heart. I'd love to be a fly on that wall. 🙂

      Reply
    4. Norma

      January 05, 2015 at 10:42 pm

      This sounds delicious and I'd love to try it, but I have a question regarding the biscuit base. What do you mean by "65 butter 2"? And would "single cream" be the same as half and half in the states? My family loves a good cheesecake and I'm really anxious to try this recipe, but feel I need the info above clarified first so I make sure I do it correctly. Thanks for your assistance and for sharing this recipe.

      Reply
      • Jill

        January 05, 2015 at 10:51 pm

        Hi Norma - to be honest, I'm just following his recipe and it doesn't give all the details (that's how many chefs do it, right? That way we just head to their restaurants/boutiques...) but half and half will be fine. For the 65g (sorry, typo without the "g" but corrected now) butter, it's referred to as butter 2, as it's used in the same recipe for the base but at different stages as in step 1. Hope this helps.

        Reply
    5. Jamie

      January 05, 2015 at 8:10 pm

      Jill, this is absolutely gorgeous! Gorgeous! I would love to taste it! I love this magazine and have bought a couple issues but haven't tried any yet. Now I have to seeing as how they obviously work. I am so excited for 2015 because I know that we will finally meet! I hope we get the time to bake together! Wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year and une très très belle année 2015!

      Reply
      • Jill

        January 05, 2015 at 10:52 pm

        Well that sounds like a wonderful double whammy if we can even bake together. Already I'm excited, Jamie. 2015 has a lovely ring to it - especially with the opening of your hotel in Chinon. Thanks for the shares, too. Cheers! xo

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Jill Colonna standing in a French patisserie lab holding a giant whisk over an oversized mixer bowl
    BIENVENUE!

    Meet Jill Colonna

    Jill is both Scottish and French and author of the book and blog, Mad About Macarons since 2010. Here she shares over 30 years of experience of living the healthy food life with her French family in Paris - via easy recipes and local food guides in France.

    More about Jill
    moist banana bread with walnuts and freshly chopped figs

    SEASONAL

    Fall Recipes

    We're warming up for Autumn with easy fall recipes. From healthy family dinners, desserts with apples, to fall soup recipes, enjoy our best comfort foods from France.

    Autumn/Fall recipes

    Reader Favourites

    • high rise cheesy scones piled on top of each other, surrounded by rosemary and spring onions
      Fluffy Cheese Scones
    • fig jam with bread and cheese
      Corsican Fig Jam (Confiture de Figues)
    • oval dish with chicken in red wine and vegetables with a French baguette
      Coq au Vin (Chicken Casserole in Red Wine)
    • tray holding slices of toasted French toast or Pain Perdu in a boulangerie in France in front of baguettes
      Best French Toast Recipe (Pain Perdu)

    SPOTLIGHT

    Apples (Pommes)

    It's apple season! Get the fall of French apple recipes, the best varieties for baking/cooking, along with our fun French expressions using them.

    Apples

    Recent recipes

    • moist banana nut bread made with ripe bananas, chestnut flour and walnuts
      Moist Banana Nut Bread
    • close up of a buttery cookie with chocolate chips
      Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • plate composed of a classic French salad Nicoise with many ingredients next to a basil plant and French baguette
      French Niçoise Salad (Salade Niçoise)
    • baking tray of stuffed zucchini boats topped with cheese, breadcrumbs, nuts and herbs
      Stuffed Zucchini (Courgettes farcies)
    pink restaurant in Paris Montmartre with fall leaves

    FOOD TRAVEL GUIDES

    Paris Food Guides

    Your sweet DIY online guide to Montmartre. With the best bakeries, pastries, chocolate and a little history.

    Sweet Montmartre
    pink cover of patisserie recipe book Teatime in Paris by Jill Colonna

    EASY FRENCH PASTRY RECIPES

    Teatime in Paris

    Get Jill's easy pastry recipes. From éclairs, tarts, macarons, to mille feuilles. Step-by-step baking techniques with many of the Parisians' best bakeries that make them.
    A must gift for all budding bakers and Paris-loving Francophiles.

    Get the book
    shiny little macaron cookies in a Paris store

    LOCAL GUIDES

    Best Macarons in Paris

    Want to try the best French macarons in Paris but mad at choosing?
    As a local for 30 years with 2 macaron recipe books, I’ve tasted a LOT to help you out!

    Top 20 Macarons
    blue recipe book cover for Mad About Macarons

    BESTSELLER

    Mad About Macarons

    Scared to make the first move to make macarons? Jill shares all the tips and step-by-step instructions in her bestselling recipe book (also in Dutch, Spanish and Hungarian). It has inspired many now-professional macaron bakers since 2010!

    Get the book
    Paris map Mad About Macarons

    BIENVENUE

    Newsletter

    Love good French food and the healthy lifestyle? Stay connected with the free newsletter from Paris.

    Sign Me Up

    Footer

    Jill Colonna logo Mad About Macarons
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
    • Twitter
    • Recipes
    • About
    • French Food Guides
    • FAQ
    Contact
    Newsletter

    Copyright © 2010-2023 Jill Colonna

    Terms and privacy