Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
Bringing together warm pumpkin spices, notes of ginger, creamy dreaminess, and beautiful swirls, this dessert is a must for the holiday season. (Adapted from Gourmet, November 2006)
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Inactive Chilling Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 7 hours 30 minutes
Yields: 8-10 servings
For the Crust
(Makes enough for a 9- to 9 ½-inch pan)
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for greasing
1 1/2 cups (about 6 oz) cookie crumbs (8 Miette gingersnaps)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preparation:
- Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly butter springform cake pan or pie plate.
- Make cookie crumbs by breaking up the cookies and pulsing in food processor until finely ground.
- Stir together all ingredients in a bowl and press evenly on bottom of pan. If you’re using a pie plate, you can press up the sides too. Bake until crisp, 12 to 15 minutes, then cool on a rack to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
For the Filling
Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
15 oz canned solid-pack pumpkin
Preparation:
- While the gingersnap crust is cooling, make the filling. Keep the oven at 350°F.
- Pulse sugar and ginger in a food processor until ginger is finely chopped, then add cream cheese and pulse until smooth. Add eggs, cream, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and pulse until just combined.
- Reserve 1/3 cup cream cheese mixture in a glass measure. Whisk together remaining cream cheese mixture and pumpkin in a large bowl until combined.
- Pour pumpkin mixture into gingersnap crumb crust. Stir reserved cream cheese mixture and drizzle decoratively over top of pumpkin mixture, then make swirls using a butter knife or handle-end of a spoon.
- Put the cake pan on a baking sheet and bake until center is just set, 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, then chill, loosely covered with foil, at least 4 hours. If necessary, very gently blot any moisture from surface with paper towels before serving.
Cook’s Note: If using a pie plate instead of a springform cake pan, you will likely have more filling than you need, so be careful not to overfill it. Cheesecake can be chilled up to 3 days (crust will soften slightly).