A crunchy graham cookie crust, a smooth pumpkin cheesecake filling and fresh whipped cream cheese frosting. It is that easy to make a delicious dessert!
Simple ingredients of quality make combined this delicious dessert!
Pumpkin is the perfect Fall flavor
Cheesecake is always my go to for any cake table. Some flavors are better than other and pumpkin cheesecake with pumpkin spice and brown sugar will always have a place in my heart! I think I might be able to eat it anytime of the year!
Looking for a special Thanksgiving dessert? Click here for the recipe!
These are the cheesecake pans that I always use in my recipe videos: Springform pan and Removable bottom pan
A 8 inch springform pan is the traditional choice to make most cheesecake recipes. I usually use it for no bake cheesecakes. For baked cheesecakes I prefer the removable bottom pan. It has the advantage of fitting a water bath snuggly around it.
Pumpkin can + pumpkin spice = pumpkin love <3
The cheesecake batter is made with a whole can of pumpkin puree and festive spices to give it a warm and festive flavor! It is perfect for Thanksgiving or basically any celebration in Fall and winter!
I remember one time my friends made me a pumpkin cheesecake for my birthday and I immediately fell in love! That was the first time I tried pumpkin cheesecake and it changed my life!
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients for a 8 or 9 inch cake
For the graham crust:
2 1/4 cups (300 g) graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp (40 g) brown sugar
10 tbsp (140 g) melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
For the cheesecake batter:
24 ounces (680 g) cream cheese, softened
1 cup (225 g) brown sugar
3 tbsp (24 g) all purpose flour
15 oz can (425 g) pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup (60 g) sour cream
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp pumpkin spice
4 large eggs
1/2 tbsp vanilla
For the whipped cream cheese topping:
4 oz (115 g) cream cheese
3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy whipping cream, very cold
6 tbsp (90 g) powdered sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. To make the graham crust you need to ground graham crackers in a food processor or by hand with a ziplock bag and a rolling pin. Mix the fine crumbs with the melted butter and brown sugar and press the mixture in a spring form pan on the bottom and 1 inch up the sides. You can use a 8 or 9 inch baking pan. Bake for about 10 minutes and let come to room temperature.
Step 2:
Boil about a quart of water for the water bath. To make the cheesecake filling, start off with a large bowl or use a food processor. Cream the cream cheese, brown sugar and flour with a hand mixer until smooth for about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Add pumpkin, sour cream, vanilla and spices and mix it until smooth. Mix in eggs on a low speed until everything is evenly combined. Use a spatula and scrape down the bowl to make sure everything is well mixed. Pour it slowly on top of the graham crust and smooth it with a spatula. Cover the spring form pan in at least three layers of heavy duty aluminum foil or a silicon baking pan to make sure no water can enter. Make the water bath with hot water and bake the cake in a 1 inch high water bath at 325 °F for about 70 to 80 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in there for 10 minutes after baking. Then remove it from the water bath and cut around the sides. Let it cool on the kitchen counter for about 1 to 2 hours. Let it chill completely for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge.
Step 3:
Make the whipped cream cheese topping while the cake is chilling. For that simply mix cream cheese with powdered sugar and cinnamon until smooth. Add in very cold heavy cream and vanilla and keep mixing it until stiff peaks form. As soon as the cream is mixed in you can increase the speed of the hand mixer to medium high. Fill the frosting into a piping tip with a star tip.
Step 4:
To decorate the chilled cheesecake remove it from the baking pan gently. Pipe big dollops of frosting all around the cake or get creative and pipe a different pattern! Finish it with chopped pecans sprinkled all around the top.
Enjoy!
**Pro Tips**
To ensure a crack free cheesecake I recommend to read this cheesecake recipe.
To ensure a smooth consistency without any lumps of cream cheese the cream cheese has to be at room temperature and mixed well before adding more ingredients. Add just a small amount of liquid ingredients at the beginning and mix it in completely before adding more.
Tapping the cheesecake on the counter (covered with a kitchen towel) before baking helps releasing air bubbles that might have formed.
Always bake the cheesecake in a water bath. Got water in your layers of aluminum foil? Switch to a silicon mold to cover your spring form pan. Works wonders for me!
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