In Greece, two sweets embody the spirit of Christmas more than any others—and this recipe uses one of them in a fresh and elegant way. A portion of the traditional spiced dough of the melomakarona becomes the base for a petite cheesecake, serving 4–6, while the rest is shaped and baked into bite-sized treats perfect for coffee or gifting. The flavours are unmistakably festive: warm spices, citrus, honey and toasted nuts, all of which pair beautifully with the dried-fruit richness of Tsantali’s Santorini Vinsanto.
Because the melomakarona need to be dipped piping hot into cool syrup, the recipe begins with a wonderfully aromatic infusion of honey, citrus peel and spice. From there, the process is simple, rewarding and full of festive satisfaction. The final cheesecake is light yet fragrant, crowned with walnuts, honey and citrus—an effortless showpiece for the holiday table, with a tray of spiced biscuits alongside to complete the celebration.
Ingredients
For the spiced syrup
- 150ml water
- 150g sugar
- 100g honey
- 2 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 strip of orange peel
For the melomakarona dough
- 250g plain flour
- 50g fine semolina
- 100ml rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 50ml extra virgin olive oil
- 10g caster sugar
- 1 orange, zest and juice
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the cheesecake mix
- 200ml double cream
- 50g cream cheese
- 100g Greek yogurt
- 50g caster sugar
- 2 gelatine leaves
- ½ orange, juice and zest
- 2 tbsp orange flavoured liqueur
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
To serve
- 100g walnuts, finely crushed
- Extra honey
- A few pieces of candied orange, quick caramelised or even fresh orange segments and/or edible flowers (optional)
Method
Put all the syrup ingredients, apart from the honey, in a small saucepan and bring to a medium heat. Stir till the sugar is melted and increase the heat to boiling point. Leave 1 minute on the heat and remove. Stir in the honey and leave to cool. Discard the spices and orange peel.
Preheat the oven to 200 0 C.
In a bowl, sieve the plain flour, semolina, sugar and spices. Make a well in the middle and add the olive oil, vegetable oil and orange zest. In a glass, dissolve the soda into the orange juice and add to the bowl too. Mix the dough thoroughly but don’t overwork. Take enough dough to spread onto the base of a lightly greased spring form cake tin, measuring 16-18 cm. Increase the height of the tin, by using some baking paper to make a collar to line the perimeter of the tin on the inside.
Use the remaining dough to make equal weight balls (I like mine no more than 20g heavy), press slightly or make pretty designs using the back of a spider ladle or a fork and place on a baking tin lined with some baking paper or a silicone mat. Bake everything for 20 – 25 minutes till they are a deep golden colour.
Spoon 4-5 tbsp of the syrup to flavour the cake base. Use the rest to dip in all the melomakarona. The melomakarona will store in an airtight container for a week.
To make the cheesecake, soak the gelatine leaves in some cold water.
In a bowl whisk the yogurt, cream cheese and orange flavoured liqueur. In another clean bowl, whisk the double cream with the caster sugar and vanilla extract to a soft peak stage. Fold the whisked cream into the cheese/yogurt mix and add the orange zest.
Put the orange juice in a small saucepan and heat the orange juice. Add the gelatine and whisk to melt. Add the gelatine to the cheesecake mix and spoon on top of the melomakarona base. Leave the cheesecake in the fridge till needed. When you are ready to serve the cheesecake, sprinkle with the crushed walnuts and drizzle with a little honey. Candied or even fresh citrus segments compliment this beautifully.