Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

We had a delicious Thanksgiving. My mom roasted a beautiful big bird with all of the trimmings and there was so much food that it almost didn't fit on the kitchen counter! There were classic mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green beans, and cranberries. Are you drooling yet? Katelyn (my aspiring chef sister) and I made buttery sweet whole wheat dinner rolls. My greatest contribution to the meal was this pumpkin cheesecake. I'd been saving the recipe it for this occasion. I also made my first pumpkin pie. It was a decent pumpkin pie, but this cheesecake shined far above it.

This recipe is simple and wonderful. The texture is a tad lighter than a dense New York Cheesecake. Almost fluffy. This pumpkin masterpiece is bursting with the flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, allspice, ginger, and cloves! Drizzled homemade caramel sauce and a dollop of real whipped cream put it over the top!

Forget that this cheesecake tastes amazing, I was thrilled enough by how it looks! I was ecstatic when my cake had finished baking and it hadn't yet cracked on top (I used the water bath method). And even after it had come to room temperature on the counter- still no crack! And the next morning when I peeked in the fridge- there it stood: a beautiful round crack-less cake. What luck.

Don't bother waiting until next Thanksgiving to make this pumpkin cheesecake. You've probably got a can or two of Libby's left or a lone pumpkin sitting on your porch- pumpkin season is not over yet! For instructions on how to make your own pumpkin puree follow this link.

INGREDIENTS
Crust:
9 whole graham crackers (about 4 oz.), crumbled
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Filling:
4 8 oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Homemade caramel Sauce

Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2-3 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS
1. Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Wrap a double layer of heavy-duty foil around the outside of a 10-inch springform pan.

2. To prepare the crust, combine graham crackers, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl or food processor. Blend until graham crackers are very finely ground (if you don't have a food processor you can crush them yourself with a rolling pin). Drizzle butter over. Pulsing, blend until crumbs begin to stick together (or mix by hand with a spatula). Press crumbs onto bottom (not sides) of springform pan. Bake in preheated oven until crust is slightly golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool while preparing filling. Maintain oven temperature.

3.To prepare the filling, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Add pumpkin and remaining 7 ingredients. Beat just until blended. Pour filling into prepared crust. Place springform pan in large roasting pan. Add enough water to come halfway up sides of springform pan.

4. Bake cheesecake for 90 minutes, or until slightly puffed and softly set and top is golden. (At this point I turned off the oven and left the door cracked open to gradually cool the cake. After a little while I transferred it to the counter to cool completely.) Transfer springform pan to rack and cool. Cover and refrigerate cake overnight.

5. Using a knife, cut around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake. Release pan sides. Cut cheesecake into wedges and serve drizzled with caramel sauce and a dollop of real whipped cream.

6. For perfect whipped cream, use a bowl that's large enough to allow the cream to double in volume. Refrigerate the bowl and beaters for at least half an hour, or place them in the freezer for 15 minutes, and make sure the cream is very cold. Use the freshest whipping cream available, and add sugar, vanilla, or any other ingredients near the end of whipping; adding them too soon in the process will decrease the amount of volume you achieve.

Makes 1 10-inch cheesecake.

(Adapted from Bon Appetit)