Pumpkin Cheesecake – Now Famous in our household!
I found this wonderful Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe on the food network. My son-in-law, Anthony, doesn’t like pumpkin pie, so I thought I’d find a variation he might enjoy…or the grand kids would eat. My grandson loves cheesecake and I love pumpkin so found a great combination that even Anthony enjoyed! Do make this a day ahead of time!
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 2-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (this took about 3-1/2 packages crackers from a graham cracker box)
- 3 Tbsp. light brown sugar
- 2-2/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 12 Tbsp. melted salted butter ( I used unsalted organic and for over 5000′ elevation – I added 2 more tbsp)
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped (optional)
Filling:
- 4 – 8 oz cream cheese (this recipe called for 32 oz – and I misread and used 16 oz all together turned out just fine and also less calories and less cost!)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 – 15 oz. can pure pumpkin (organic)
- 6 large eggs at room temperature, slightly beaten
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 2-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- Salt
- 2 tbs all -purpose flour (for high elevation use high elevation flour
Directions:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 325 ° Fahrenheit
For crust:
Put graham crackers in a large zip lock bag. Using a rolling pin roll until crackers are crumbs.
In a medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon (and pecans if desired). Add melted butter and stir.
Brush 9-inch spring form pan with some of the melted butter. Stir the remaining butter with the crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tbsp light brown sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Press crumbs mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the a bowl, packing it tightly and evenly. Bake until golden brown 15-20 minutes. Cool on a rack, then wrap the outside of the spring form pan with foil and place in a roasting pan.
For filling:
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add the remaining 2-1/2 cups sugar and beat until light, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in the sour cream, then add the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla 1 tsp salt and the spices and beaut until just combined. Pour into the cooled crust.
Gently place the roasting pan in the over (don’t pull the rack out) and pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the side of the spring form pan. Bake until the outside of the cheesecake sets but the center is still loose, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the door briefly to let out some of the heat. Leave the cheesecake in the over for 1 more hour, then carefully remover from the roasting pan and cool on a rack. Run a knife around the edges, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
Bring the cheesecake to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Unlock and remove the spring form ring. To finish, place of dollop of the whipped cream on each slice and sprinkle with toasted pecans.
(Recipe from Food Network online Magazine )
Personal Note: there will be some minor temperature changes at high altitude. I didn’t have a roasting pan so my husband brought in my canning pan from the garage. It was to late to go to the store so I tried it. It worked just fine. I actually did not have time to let it sit in my oven because I was foolish enough to make this recipe on Thanksgiving rather than the night before. It turned out beautifully and everyone loved it.