Thanksgiving was coming up and I wanted to make a dessert that went well with the meal, but that was a bit different. A few years ago I made a Pumpkin Creme Brulee, and it was awesome! So I embarked on a Pumpkin Cheesecake. Now, I had never made a cheesecake before, so was definitely a little apprehensive. It didn't help that the night before we were hosting dinner I decided to make the cheesecake, started to get the ingredients out, and then couldn't find a spring form pan. I swore I had one, but apparently I didn't. So off on the hunt I went, to every grocery store, dollar store, and home store I could find in myneighborhood. I even went so far as to go into a diner and ask if they had one they could lend me. Inthe end I found one in a dollar store after having gone in twice already, I just had to check one last time! It worked out well, because Brent had done the dishes from my Cheesy Carrot Casserole Prep while I was out.
This dessert does take some time, but is definitely worth it, and a great end to any holiday dinner.
Pumpkin Cheesecake (from Best of Bridge)
Crust:
- 2 cups crushed ginger snaps
- 5 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
Filling:
- 4 - 8oz. pkgs cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp each ginger, cinnamon & freshly grated nutmeg (so much better than the powder)
- 14 oz can of pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie filling!)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
CRUST: Combine ingredients. Lightly grease a 13" springform pan and line bottom with crumb mixture. Pat firm and chill.
FILLING: Preheat oven to 325F (160C). Beat softened cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly beat in sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour, spices, pumpkin and maple syrup. Pour batter over crust.
Bake for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, or until filling is set. Cool for an hour and refrigerate for several hours. Don't worry if the top cracks, apparently that's okay and it still tastes great.
Garnish with freshly whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
This was a huge hit, as was Stewart's apple pie. All in all, a great night for desserts!
