I’ve been baking this autumnal classic for years, and it has been a crowd favorite for just as long. It travels beautifully for when you’re called upon to bring the Thanksgiving dessert, and ships effortlessly for those homemade holiday gifts. See notes at the bottom of page for gift giving tips!
Classic Pumpkin Cheesecake
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 10slices | 30mins |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 45mins | 8-10hours |
|
|
Ingredients
Cinnamon-Graham Crust
- 16 graham crackersquares (1 plastic sleeve)
- 1/3cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3cup buttermelted
- 2tbsp granulated sugar
- 1-1/2tsp cinnamon
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- 16oz cream cheese(2-8oz packages, room temperature)
- 15oz prepared pumpkin(1 can)
- 1cup granulated sugar
- 1/3cup heavy whipping cream
- 2large eggs
- 2tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2tbsp cornstarch
- 1tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2tsp fresh ground nutmeg
- 1/4tsp kosher salt
Vanilla Cheesecake Topping
- 8oz cream cheesesoftened to room temperature.
- 1/2cup granulated sugar
- 1tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1tsp vanilla bean paste(Or vanilla extract)
Instructions
To Prepare Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt 1/3 cup butter in the microwave, or over the stove in a small saucepan, set aside.
- Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with an 8-inch parchment disc.
- To a large 1 gallon size plastic zipper bag, add: graham crackers, flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Press air from bag, and seal.
- Lay zipper bag flat, and with a rolling pin, wine bottle, are the back of a skillet, roll across the bag to crush graham crackers to a mealy crumb. Shake bag to combine.
- Add melted butter, and shake and massage bag until the crust mixture resembles wet sand. Check with your fingertips to ensure butter has fully coated the flour & crumb mixture.
- Evenly disperse crust mixture into the bottom of prepared springform pan.
- With the bottom of a straight-sided water glass or measuring cup, working from the center-out, gently and eventually press crumbs into the bottom of the pan, working out to the sides, form a 1/2 lip around the circumference to form a short-sided crust up the sides of the pan (about 1/2 an inch).
- Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 12 mins.
- Transfer pan to a rack, let cool completely.
- Prepare Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling.
To Prepare The Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Adjust oven temperature to 325 degrees.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat together: softened cream cheese, sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla, being sure to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, blend until smooth, and sugar has dissolved.
- Mix in pumpkin, flour, and cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg into cream cheese mixture, combine until no streaks of white batter remain.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Place prepared crust on a baking sheet.
- Pour cheesecake filling over crust, (1/4 inch from the top to allow for a slight rise) using an off-set spatula to evenly spread out filling.
- Place on your oven’s center rack, and bake for 45 minutes or until the edges of the top of the cheesecake begin to puff slightly and the center slightly jiggles (but has not puffed) when gently wiggled.
- Turn off heat, and open the oven door slightly, using a rolled-up kitchen towel to keep the door open a jar.
- Allow cheesecake to cool in and along with the oven until room temperature (about 4 hours).
- Refrigerate cheesecake for at least 4 hours or better, overnight.
- Center the Vanilla Cheesecake Topping in on large dollop on top of the center of the cheesecake, from the center out, with an off-set spatula, evenly spread over the top of the cheesecake.
- Refrigerate 2 hours longer. Serves 10.
To Prepare Topping
- Mix ingredients together until smooth, and sugar has completely dissolved.
- To check if the sugar has dissolved, rub a bit of topping between your fingers to check for grittiness.
- With an off-set spatula, spread topping evenly over the cheesecake, refrigerate two hours to set.
Recipe Notes
Cheesecake freezes beautifully, and it one of the easiest cakes to ship - and who wouldn’t want to receive one?
These 7-1/4 inch oven-safe paper ‘Panettone‘ pans are perfect for presenting and giving your pumpkin cheesecake. Just use them as you would a springform pan. They even have a pull tab to easily remove the cake. They are available on Amazon.
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