I have been a pumpkin cheesecake fan for as long as I can remember.
I'm not someone who wants to eat it in February. I certainly don't think about it in August, but around September 28th I can't stop thinking...
Pumpkin Cheesecake.
PUMPKIN cheesecake.
PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE!!!
I
craaaaave it.
In October, I start saying things to Bruce's mom like,
"I really hope you're okay with pumpkin cheesecake at Thanksgiving again because I'm making it even if I'm the only one who eats it."
Guess what? I'm not the only one who eats it.
I
wish that were the case because then I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner on Black Friday.
A little known not quite truth is that it's called black friday because you're supposed to wear head to toe black the day after that much food is consumed.
This fall, I have been making this cheesecake (and
this one!) for all of the
Craft Weekends. In the past 30 days I have eaten more cheesecake than I care to admit. This is why I am declaring the entire month "Black November". Head to toe black all of November! Anyone with me?
It's that good.
Adapted from:
The Kirby House Cookbook
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crust ingredients
30 gingersnaps or 1 3/4 cups
gingersnap crumbs
¼ c. white sugar
2 Tbs. butter melted.
Cheesecake filling
(3) eight ounces packages
Philadelphia Cream Cheese
(3) large eggs
1 1/2 cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin
2 ½ Tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cloves
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
Whipped Cream
1 half pint of whipping cream
¼ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1
teaspoon maple flavoring
Preheat the oven to 350
degrees.
To make the crust:
Place gingersnaps in food
processor and pulse until fine. In a bowl, stir gingersnap crumbs, butter and
sugar until all are mixed very well. Line the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan
with parchment paper. Spray the
paper and the sides of the pan with a cooking spray to coat. Place crumbs in
the bottom of the pan and pat down for an even crust.
Making the filling:
Beat the cream cheese,
sugars, and eggs in a large mixing bowl for two minutes. Add the can of pumpkin, cornstarch,
cinnamon, ginger, cloves, whipping cream, and vanilla. Beat until just mixed
all together. Then pour over the crust.
Bake the cheesecake for
approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. When the cheesecake middle doesn’t wiggle
much it’s done. Take it out and let it cool for 20 minutes. Run a knife around
the outside of the cheesecake then release and remove the springform. Let the
cheesecake cool completely. Don’t worry if the cheesecake has a crack in it.
Whipping cream covers a multitude of sins.
Place the cheesecake in an
airtight container until you’re ready to serve. This cheesecake can be made up
to three days ahead of time.
When you are ready to serve,
beat a half pint of heavy whipping cream, a generous ¼ cup of white sugar, and
a teaspoon of vanilla. Or for fun, try a teaspoon of maple flavoring instead of
the vanilla!