Pumpkin Cheesecake

Thursday, November 20, 2008, by Leigh Anne

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I have never been a pumpkin fan. At least I thought I wasn’t. There is something about the texture of a pumpkin pie that just turns me off. But last year when my son introduced me to the Pumpkin Spice Steamer at Starbucks I realized that maybe the flavor of pumpkin wasn’t as bad as I thought

So this fall I decided I needed to learn to embrace pumpkin. My first step in venturing into the world of pumpkin was to try my friend Sherra’s pumpkin bars - a recipe she shared on her blog. I loved them! Although I must admit that I think the best part was not the pumpkin but the cream cheese frosting!!

My second step was to make a batch of pumpkin cookies - they were amazing! But again the best part was the yummy maple frosting (this recipe will be coming next week)

My third venture into pumpkin was Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Last week one of my readers, Ellen, emailed me to suggest that if I was still deciding on my Thanksgiving Menu I might want to considering adding her Pumpkin Cheesecake to my menu.

She is not a pumpkin lover either but said this cheesecake was amazing to taste and eat. Her friends and family DEMAND that she make it. She promised me it was as creamy and delicious as any Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake I’ve ever eaten. She promised I wouldn’t be disappointed. Those are a lot of promises!

She was right.

And my friends who enjoyed it at the potluck we went to last Friday weren’t disappointed either! It is a very light, creamy and delicious cheesecake!

It is best chilled for several hours or overnight so be sure and make it ahead of time. Ellen shared that she also likes to serve it with whipped cream with a spash of maple syrup in it - yum!!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. sugar
Filling:
3- 8oz.pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
Whipped Cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and one tablespoon sugar in a medium bowl. Stir well enough to coat all of the crumbs with the butter, but not so much as to turn the mixture into paste. Keep it crumbly.

3. Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of a springform pan. You don’t want the crust to form all of the way up the back of each slice of cheesecake. Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set it aside until you are ready to fill it.

4. In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.

5. Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.

6. Pour the filling into the pan. I wrapped the bottom and sides of the springform pan with foil and then placed it in a glass 9 x 13 pan. I then filled the pan with hot water until the water reached about 1/3 - 1/2 way up the springform pan. Placing your cheesecake in a water bath helps prevent the outside of the cheesecake from cooking faster than the inside which can cause it to crack.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes. The top will turn a bit darker at this point. Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool.

7. When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the refrigerator. When the cheesecake has chilled, remove the pan sides and cut the cake into 8 equal pieces. Use dental floss to make a clean cut.

Serve with a generous portion of whipped cream on top.

Serves 8.

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