How to make weed cheesecake

Yield: One marijuana cheesecake
Prep time: 20 minutes for no bake recipe, 30 minutes for the bake recipe
Total time: 20-30 min for no bake recipe, around two hours for bake version

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Did you know that cheesecake is not technically even a cake at all? Did you know that it is actually a baked cheese custard served with a crust, and that it is believed to have been served to athletes at the first Olympic games in 776 BC? Did you know that if you google “cheesecake facts” there is way more material out there than you probably imagine?

Most importantly, did you know with just one simple tweak you can make your cheesecake into a weed cheesecake? For a brilliant edible that will create a potent high and obliterate a diet in no time, look no further.

What makes edibles great

Like a cheesecake wedding cake, sometimes you’ll want to mix things up a bit with your cannabis. You might not always be in the mood for a joint or a blunt, or you want something more discreet or that won’t leave you coughing and hacking, with your clothes and hair smelling like smoke. 

Edibles are a great option for people who don’t like smoking or who just prefer that particular sort of high that makes edibles unique. 

Edibles can also be a really fun way to share weed with friends, and can help medical marijuana patients find an easy way to meter out doses. 

But having said all that, weed is a lot like cheesecake – you don’t really need an excuse. 

Avoid these two big mistakes with edibles 

If you’ve spent a lot of time eating cheesecake then it’s a pretty safe bet you’ve probably had one too many slices on an occasion or two. With cheesecake, this perhaps may at worst result in some guilt, but with edibles, it could make for an unpleasant experience. Getting too high on edibles could induce paranoia or anxiety, or have you feeling way too groggy – even the next morning. The main reason this happens is that people don’t know their tolerance, and aren’t patient enough to take their time and wait and see how the edible makes them feel before deciding to eat more. Because edibles can easily take well over an hour to kick in, make sure to take your time, and go slow until you know the dose that works for you. 

The other really important step takes place in the preparation of the edibles – decarboxylation. 

Arguably the other most common mistake is forgetting to decarboxylate your weed before making your edibles. The cake may still be delicious, but the weed won’t get you high. Here’s why.

What is decarboxylation?

Decarboxylation is a process in which heat applied to weed converts the cannabinoid THCA into THC – the cannabinoid that is responsible for the high of marijuana. When you smoke weed the heat of the flame causes the process to occur, but with edibles, you need to take some initiative ahead of time. 

No need to worry though, all you need to do is place some broken up cannabis on a baking sheet in your oven for about 30-45 minutes at around 220-245°F (105-120°C). Keep a close eye on the oven to make sure the cannabis doesn’t scorch, and you may also want to crack a window to clear out the toasty cannabis smell. 

Your next step is to infuse some fat. 

How to make cannabutter 

Cannabutter is a cannabis infusion that is the key ingredient in countless edibles recipes. 

It works because cannabinoids are fat soluble and are broken down by the body much easier when infused in a fat or eaten with fat. 

Cannabis-infused butter works with all types of recipes from brownies to cheesecake to cannabis scrambled eggs, and it’s a great idea to keep a batch around your kitchen. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup or around 7-14 grams of ground, decarboxylated cannabis 
• 1 cup of butter (2 sticks, or 226 grams)
• Double-boiler, saucepan, or crockpot 
• Storage container 
• Cheesecloth

Two very easy methods for making cannabis butter are the crock pot and saucepan methods. 

If you’re using a crockpot, fill it about halfway with water and set it to 160-190°F (70-90°C). Cut up the cup of butter into cubes and place in a mason jar. Add the decarboxylated cannabis to the jars and cover. Place the jars into the war and secure the lid of the crock pot and let it cook for at least two hours. Make sure to “burp” the jars and stir after about an hour. Remove and let cool and then use the cheesecloth to strain the mixture into a container. 

If you’re using a saucepan, simmer the cup of butter in a cup of water until the butter melts. Add in the decarboxylated cannabis and stir well. Let it simmer for 2-3 hours at around 160-180°F (70-80°C) – just make sure not to let it come to a boil. After it simmers for around 2-3 hours, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool. Strain the mix through the cheesecloth into a container, and you’re all set. 

Cannabis cheesecake recipe

There are two main types of cheesecake – bake and no bake. For this how-to guide, we went with one of both, starting with this easily-modified recipe for New York style cheesecake from Prettysimplesweet.com. 

Baked cheesecake

In this recipe for marijuana cheesecake, the cannabis-infused butter (and all the THC) is in the crust, not the filling. 

Ingredients for crust:

• 1 and 1/2 cups (150 g) graham crackers (vanilla wafers or digestive biscuits can also work) pulsed in a food processor until finely ground 
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 
• 2.5 tablespoons cannabutter and 2 tablespoons butter, melted (You can increase or decrease the ratio of cannabutter to butter depending on how potent you want it to be) 

Ingredients for the filling: 

• 32 ounces (900 g) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature 
• 1 and 1/8 cups (225 g/8 oz.) granulated sugar 
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 4 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature 
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream 
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
• Grated lemon zest from 1 small lemon (1 teaspoon)

Method:

1. Set the oven to 350°F/180°C and wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan (bottom and sides) with a large piece of foil.
2. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar until well combined and moistened. Press into the prepared pan, forming an even layer of crumbs. Bake for 8-9 minutes until golden brown and then cool on a wire rack. 
3. Set the oven to 425°F/220°C and begin beating the cream cheese in a mixer on medium-low speed for about 1-2 minutes until smooth. Add in sugar and beat until blended. Add in cornstarch until blended and then the eggs until fully combined. Finally, add in the cream, vanilla extract, and lemon zest and beat until combined and smooth. Pour into the pie crust and spread until even. 
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower temperature to 225°F/110°C and bake for another 60 minutes until the sides are set and the center is a bit wobbly. Turn off the oven and prop the door open and leave the cake in the oven for 60 minutes. (the recipe says this final step will keep the cake from cracking)
5. Let the cake cool at room temperature on a wire rack and then refrigerate for at least 12 hours. 

No-bake cheesecake

For the no-bake cheesecake, we went with this recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction, which we tweaked with some good ol’ THC. 

Ingredients for Crust:

• 2 cups (200g) graham cracker crumbs (about 12–14 full sheet graham crackers) 
• 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar 
• 4 tablespoons of cannabis butter and four tablespoons of regular unsalted butter. (you can play around with the ratio of cannabis butter to butter as you see fit) 

Ingredients for Cheesecake: 

• 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream 
• three 8-ounce blocks (680g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature 
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar 
• 2 Tablespoons (15g) confectioners’ sugar 
• 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream, at room temperature 
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice 
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

Method:

1. Start by making the crust. Mix all of the crust ingredients together and pack tightly into a 9 or 10 inch springform pan. 
2. Put the crust into the freezer for 10-20 minutes to help it firm up more and begin working on the filling. 
3. Take a hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment and whip the heavy cream on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes and set aside. 
4. With the whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium speed until smooth and creamy. 
5. Add the sour cream, confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract to the mixture and beat for 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed until smooth and combined. 
6. Fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling slowly until combined. 
7. Remove crust from the freezer and spread the filling into the crust. 
8. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours. The recipe states that for best results, 12 hours or overnight is best. 

How much weed cheesecake should you eat?

Dosing and edibles isn’t an exact science. The same dose that will give one person a mellow buzz could have their friend on the other end of the couch pondering life on Mars. The strength of the batch can also depend on a variety of factors including the strength of the weed used, and how much cannabis was added to the recipe. 

To give it a rough estimate, if you used 10 grams of 15% THC to make your cup of cannabutter, the batch should have a total of 1500mg of THC. Divide this by 16 tablespoons (there are 16 in a cup) and you have 93mg per tablespoon. In other words, if you put two tablespoons of cannabutter in the recipe, you should have about 200mg of THC divided by 8 slices of cheesecake, giving you an ample 25mg THC per slice. 

Bon appetit.

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