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!!
- 1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
- 5 Tbsp. butter melted
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 3- 8 oz.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
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- 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.
- 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.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla.
- Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.
- 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.
- 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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I’m kind of the opposite – I will eat or drink ANYTHING that is related to pumpkin, I love it! This looks especially delicious because it has another one my favorites – cream cheese. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
I love pumpkin pie, and I love cheesecake, so the combination of the two sounds like the ultimate dessert to me! I’m adding it to my Thanksgiving menu. Thanks!
I am thinking the 1 cup of vanilla is a typo?? Is it 1 teaspoon or 1 Tablespoon? Looks like a yummy recipe. I just made a delicious pumpkin cheesecake tart. These little bites are supurb!! I found the recipe on http://www.ourbestbites.com
Cindy »
Yikes – I love vanilla but a whole cup would be a bit much!! It is really suppose to be 1 teaspoon. I ‘ve gone in and edited the recipe. Thanks for the head up
I am going to have to try this. No one at my house is a huge pumpkin pie fan either, and this looks like a wonderful alternative!
Im making that this year. I have been wondering what to make and I think that might be it! Thanks so much 🙂
I also love pumpkin. I made pumpkin chocolate chip bread last week. My boys gobbled it right up. I will definitely make this soon.
I love anything pumpkin and have actually been thinking about making pumpkin cheesecake. I did make pumpkin soup this week and it was excellent. (Thanks to Fannie Farmer) I also recently had some “to die for” pumpkin ravioli with an herb white sauce. YUM.
This looks yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I think I will be making this for Thanksgiving. Yummy! Thanks 🙂
This is my new favorite! I made this yesterday for my husband’s family dinner, & now I am the new favorite. Everyone loved it! It is absolutely delicious. Thanks for posting it!
Mandy Altman »
So glad you enjoyed it! We had it again yesterday and loved it as much as the first time!
Thanks for letting me know.
Do you think I can successfully make this now and freeze it until next week? Assuming my kids dont eat it all first 🙂
I have found that cheesecake freezes well – if you are adding any toppings (nuts, whip cream etc.) add that before serving not before freezing. Enjoy!
Alrighy, it is going in the oven in about 15 minutes and then to the freezer – thanks from one non-pumpkin eater to another. 😉
I came across this recipe just last week and decided to make it as one of the desserts for our Thanksgiving meal. Just wanted to come back to say thank you because it was amazing and everyone loved it! Cheesecake is my boyfriend’s favorite & he has asked me to “frame the recipe and make it every year!” 🙂
So glad you liked it! I made it for Thanksgiving too this year.