Thanksgiving is just around the corner! I have lists of desserts for my holiday table, and this cheesecake makes an appearance regularly. I serve it with a bourbon butter sauce, and even people who claim not to be fans of cheesecake or bourbon (I’m looking at you mom!) often rave about this recipe. Whether you are a cheesecake lover, or a fan of pumpkin spice flavors, this could be the perfect dessert to add to your holiday menu.
Answers to your questions:
I strongly recommend a water bath for cooking cheesecakes. I have never been a fan of wrapping the springform pan with foil and placing it directly into water because no matter how well I think I have wrapped it, water seeps in and makes my crust soggy. I do, however, place a pan full of water on the rack directly below my cheesecake while baking. Having said that, cracks are not the end of the world, and the cheesecake will taste delicious. Plus, there is always sauce and whipped cream to cover any flaws!
Feel free to substitute a tablespoon of good quality vanilla in place of any bourbon for the sauce.
The sauce is completely optional, and the recipe makes more than you might need for the cheesecake, but it sure is tasty and I like leftover sauce on top of ice cream!
Graham crackers, Nilla wafers, and biscoff cookies are all good options. For this cheesecake, I especially love to use gingersnaps!
Yes. This recipe calls for 100% pure pumpkin puree. The pumpkin pie filling has added spices and ingredients that are not appropriate for this recipe.
There are many commercial blends of pumpkin pie spice that can be found on the baking aisle of your local grocery store, or google a simple DIY pumpkin pie spice recipe to use as a base for your own custom blend. I tend to decrease the nutmeg and bump up cardamom for my own spice blend.
Perfect Pumpkin Cheesecake
This pumpkin cheesecake is not too sweet, full of cozy spices, and perfect for your Fall celebrations. Top it with a bourbon butter sauce and some lightly sweetened whipped cream for a wonderful Thanksgiving dessert.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 12+ 1x
- Category: dessert
Ingredients
For the Crust:
2 cups cookie crumbs
2 Tbs sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
For the Filling:
3 (8oz) pkg. full fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
For the Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 Tbs bourbon
Instructions
Heat oven to 325. Spray the bottom of 9″ springform pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. The cookie mixture should resemble wet sand. Press into bottom of pan and bake for 10 minutes until slightly golden.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and mix until well incorporated. Add the pumpkin puree and blend until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time until just combined. Do not over mix. Fold in the spices, and then pour onto the baked cookie crust.
Bake cheesecake in a water bath, or on a rack directly above a pan of simmering water for approximately one hour. The edges of the cheesecake should be slightly puffed, and the center should be just set. Remove from oven and cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
To make the sauce, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in brown sugar until mixture is smooth. Add the cream and bourbon and cook until it just comes to a boil. Serve with cheesecake, and refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
It is important to use room temperature ingredients for a smooth cheesecake.
Don’t over mix your cheesecake. Once you have added the eggs, limit the amount of beating you do to your batter.
Use pure pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling.
Keywords: perfect pumpkin cheesecake
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