Horchata Latte Cheesecake + Galentine’s Day Dessert Platter

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This Horchata Latte Cheesecake has that creamy, slightly nutty, toasty, and cinnamon flavor of horchata and is topped with a latte glaze. Enjoy with an iced horchata latte for the perfect pairing.

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Closeup overhead shot of a cheesecake slice laying on its side.

This is my contribution to a Virtual Valentine’s Day Party hosted by Cindy from The Sweet Nerd. Check out the other recipes at the bottom of this post to plan out a dessert platter to make your Galentine’s/Valentine’s Day complete. You can also use the hashtag #galinetinesday to search out the desserts made by this bunch of gals.

Closeup vertical shot of white roses decorating a cheesecake.

Are You Team Galentine or Team Valentine?

Galentine’s Day is something I feel like I’ve been celebrating before its initial fictional conception. Which is why I think it caught on so fast in the real world.

Because a lot of people decide to set aside a little time and devotion to their friends on or around Valentine’s Day. Good friendships are just as forever as many romantic relationships.

Overhead close up shot of white roses decorating a cheesecake.

I’m perpetually single and end up celebrating Valentine’s Day with my friends or family. In college, I would snag the couple deals at restaurants with a friend or get chocolates from my mom and dad. And of course, I would bake something too. Because chocolate.

Overhead shot of cheesecake arranged in a fan shape with one slice laying on its side.

This year isn’t any different so I’ll be celebrating Galentine’s Day with some really tasty desserts, including this Horchata Latte Cheesecake.

Horchata Latte

The first step is to make the horchata, which is easy but does take some planning ahead.

I used my Vitamix dry container to grind brown rice into a fine powder. You can also use a spice grinder though. Leave it to sit at room temperature overnight in a jar with slivered almonds, a cinnamon stick, and some hot water.

Vertical shot of hand pouring horchata into a martini glass surrounded by a plate with truffles.

The next morning, blend everything together along with some milk and sweetened condensed milk and then strain it through a fine-mesh strainer. That’s it. It’s so good.

For an Iced Horchata Latte simply pour cold brew coffee, freshly brewed espresso or strongly brewed coffee from a Moka over ice. Add horchata to taste and enjoy. You only need ½ cup horchata for the cheesecake so drink up!

Horchata Latte Cheesecake

Overhead shot of a cheesecake with a missing slice, a plate with truffles, and a plate with a cheesecake slice.

Because I had a dessert platter in mind, I wanted the cheesecake slices to be small. I decided to use a 7-inch springform pan to get cute little slices.

Overhead close up shot of a slice of cheesecake on a small round plate dusted with cocoa with two truffles.

I still think graham crackers make the best cheesecake crust. But I did use coconut sugar and I added some melted coconut butter in there. I had a feeling from smelling the horchata that it would go excellent with coconut and it does.

Rather than use cream cheese, which I felt would overpower the delicate horchata flavor, I choose mascarpone cheese. It’s so creamy but it’s very mild and lets the flavors of horchata shine through. There’s a little melted white chocolate in there too for a boost of sweetness.

Overhead shot of cheesecake slices arranges in a fan shape.

To turn the cheesecake from a horchata to a horchata latte, I created a latte glaze. I cooked down strongly brewed Moka coffee, horchata, sweetened condensed milk, and espresso powder to a thick but pourable consistency. It goes on top of the cheesecake so that it’s like the separated layers of a horchata latte.

Galentine’s Day Dessert Platter

In Santa Cruz, there’s a restaurant called Chocolate. I only went there once and I still remember getting the Adult Chocolate Misbehavior, a “naughty” dessert platter with small servings of their tiramisu, rose cream, chocolate gelato, and a shot of pomegranate wine. I loved it because I could try so many delicious and decadent desserts but still feel decent after eating it all.

And really, is there a better way to celebrate Galentine’s/Valentine’s Day than a dessert platter? Probably not.

Over head shot of a cheesecake decorated with white roses and leaves next to a plate with three truffles.

The key to a good dessert platter is small serving sizes and complementary flavors. I paired some spicy truffles with the horchata in the pictures because horchata is a great foil for spicy food. Pairing dark chocolate with white or cold desserts with hot is also fun. Pairing a drink was easy for me this time because I already made it as part of the dessert.

Take a look at all these dessert recipes below and build your platter around them to celebrate!

My Galentine’s Day Gals:

5 from 6 votes

Horchata Latte Cheesecake

This Horchata Latte Cheesecake has that creamy, slightly nutty, toasty, and cinnamon flavor of horchata and is topped with a latte glaze. 
Servings 10

Ingredients

Horchata

  • 1/3 cup brown rice
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

Crust

  • 1/4 cup coconut butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Horchata Latte Cheesecake

  • 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, refrigerated
  • 1/2 cup horchata
  • 1/4 cup white chocolate melting wafers, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Latte Glaze

  • 3 ounces espresso or strongly brewed coffee
  • 2 ounces horchata
  • 2 ounces sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • small pinch fine sea salt

Instructions

Horchata

  • Grind the rice in a blender until fine. Pour into a mason jar or other airtight container. Add the almonds, cinnamon stick, and hot water and stir everything together with a spoon. Leave at room temperature overnight. 
  • The next morning, pour everything into a blender. Add the cold milk and sweetened condensed milk. Blend on high speed until smooth. 
  • Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and into a jar. 
  • To make a horchata latte, pour horchata into freshly brewed espresso or iced coffee to taste. 

Crust

  • Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the graham cracker crumbs are fine and everything is combined. Pat the mixture firmly down into a 7-inch springform pan, pressing down with your hand or the bottom of a measuring cup. Set aside.  

Horchata Latte Cheesecake

  • Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.  
  • Us an electric mixer to mix the mascarpone cheese and horchata together in a medium bowl until smooth. 
  • In a small glass bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 15 to 20-second intervals, stirring in-between each until the chocolate is completely smooth. 
  • Add the chocolate to the cheese mixture and mix until smooth. 
  • Mix the eggs in one at a time until they are just incorporated.
  • Toss in the salt and mix.
  • Pour into the prepared spring-form pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes.
  • Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature before unclasping the springform pan. Store covered in the refrigerator. 

Latte Glaze

  • Combine the espresso, horchata, and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a spatula to prevent burning. 
  • Add the espresso powder and pinch of salt and cook for 5 more minutes. Pour the glaze into a small bowl and let it cool down so that it’s no longer hot or overly warm but can still be poured and easily spread across the cheesecake.
  • Serve with an iced horchata latte if desired.

Notes

Iced Horchata Latte:
Pour cold brew coffee, freshly brewed espresso or strongly brewed coffee from a Moka over ice. Add horchata to taste and enjoy.
Author: Megan Wells
Course: Desserts
This Horchata Latte Cheesecake has that creamy, slightly nutty, toasty, and cinnamon flavor of horchata and is topped with a latte glaze. | Galentine's Day | Valentine's Day | Homemade | Coffee | #horchata #latte #cheesecake | www.megiswell.com
This Horchata Latte Cheesecake has that creamy, slightly nutty, toasty, and cinnamon flavor of horchata and is topped with a latte glaze. | Galentine's Day | Valentine's Day | Homemade | Coffee | #horchata #latte #cheesecake | www.megiswell.com
This Horchata Latte Cheesecake has that creamy, slightly nutty, toasty, and cinnamon flavor of horchata and is topped with a latte glaze. | Galentine's Day | Valentine's Day | Homemade | Coffee | #horchata #latte #cheesecake | www.megiswell.com
This Horchata Latte Cheesecake has that creamy, slightly nutty, toasty, and cinnamon flavor of horchata and is topped with a latte glaze. | Galentine's Day | Valentine's Day | Homemade | Coffee | #horchata #latte #cheesecake | www.megiswell.com

Join the Conversation

  1. I have a quick question, I see in the directions that you say to add the eggs but in the list of ingredients I don’t see eggs. How many do we need? I am planning on making this for my husband for his birthday. He loves cheesecake and horchata. So this is a perfect dessert.

    1. Oh my gosh, I’m so so so so sorry Jen!!! You need two eggs. I’ve edited the recipe and it’s all fixed now. Geez, I really need someone else to proofread my recipes. Thanks so much for letting me know ❤️

      1. Thanks, I was thinking it would be 2 eggs based on your ratios… I can’t wait to see how everyone likes it tonight.

  2. 5 stars
    I tried horchata for the first time last summer, and while it was delicious- it was a little too rich for me to drink a whole glass of. I kept thinking- this would AMAZING.. in something else LOL. And here you go- putting it in cheesecake! I think this is brilliant, and I really want a slice!

    1. There are a lot of different ways to make horchata and you could totally not use any milk or sweetener at all and just soak the ground brown rice, almonds, and cinnamon stick overnight and blend it together in the morning as a cinnamon rice and nut milk. I’m actually thinking of trying that because I’ve really cut down on my sugar intake last month and I want to try and keep up with that.

  3. Oh Valentines was a big deal at one point. Now, with a toddler we are the forever tired couple 😀 So it’s always stay in, good food, good wine and netflix! That cake, I am saving to try someday. It looks stunning Meg.

  4. Three of the best things around! Horchata, lattes AND cheesecake? This is easily the trifecta recipe- perfect for galentines day!

  5. 5 stars
    I’m so impressed you made horchata from scratch – I didn’t know it was so few ingredients. That latte looks out of this world. Your photos are gorgeous, and I love the pairing with roses.

    1. I didn’t realize it was so easy either! It’s going to be so easy to just always have some hanging out in the fridge. And thank you so much! Lol, there’s a funny story behind the roses. My dog decided she really liked cheesecake and managed to start eating some of it. The roses were a quick but beautiful fix.

  6. 5 stars
    You are a clever gal, Meg! And I’m loving the idea of the small springform. When I do have a dessert (which isn’t often), I want a small piece. Perfect! The combination of flavors you’ve got going are intriguing, and this is one I really hope to try. Happy Galentine’s Day! P.S. Stunning photos!

  7. 5 stars
    This is sooooo creative! Wow, I so wished you lived closer and we were gal pals sharing desserts. I am team galetintine too and I love showing them on this special day how much their friendship means to me. One day in life, I would go grab some horchata for you from my favorite horchata stand in LA. I am in awe of this recipe! Well -done.

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