I wanted to make something besides the usual pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and saw a recipe for pumpkin cheesecake in a Better Homes & Gardens Pumpkin Recipes magazine. When I was reading the recipe, I was a little skeptical on how “pumpkin”y this would be. I did make a few changes, mainly making the graham cracker crust into a ginger thin crust, as well as adding a few spices. The pumpkin cheesecake turned out wonderfully light and fluffy, and had more than enough of a pumpkin-pie flavour.
To up the game a bit, I added some of my homemade candied pecans on top and drizzled the whole thing with some Werther’s caramel sauce. A tip for when adding the candied pecans is cut the cheesecake into slices before added the pecans. This way you don’t have to worry about the pecans getting smushed into the cheesecake. Also, don’t add them until just before serving.
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Candied Pecans
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups ginger thins finely crushed (1 1/2 boxes of Anna's Ginger Thins)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted
Filling
- 2 8 oz-packages cream cheese room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cardamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
Instructions
Crust
- Combine the crushed ginger thins, spices, sugar, and butter until crumbly. Press the crumb mixture into the bottoms and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
- Set in fridge until needed.
Filling
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine the filling spices in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and vanilla with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, until combined.
- Add half of the spice mixture and blend until combined.
- Remove 3/4 cup of the mixture and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, pumpkin puree, and spice blend to the cream cheese mixture and blend until combined.
- Place the springform pan on top of 2 layers of heavy duty foil and mold the foil around the sides of the pan to form a watertight seal.
- Set a full kettle of water to boil.
- Pour the pumpkin filling into the crust.
- Drop spoonfuls of the reserved filling into the pumpkin filling and then swirl with a butter knife.
- Place the pan into a large roaster, place the roaster onto the oven rack and then pour the boiling water into the roaster, until it is halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
- Bake 40-45 minutes.
- Cool the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- Run a metal spatula around the edge of the crust to loosen and then remove the sides of the pan.
- Completely cool.
- You can place the sides back on and store in the fridge until needed.
- When ready to cut, remove the sides and cut into 12 slices (although light, it is very rich). Top with the candied pecans (after cutting!) and drizzle with caramel, then serve!