Sometimes I see recipes online labeled as “the best” and I wonder if it’s actually true. What makes something truly the best dessert? Well, one bite of this pumpkin cheesecake, and I knew it was the best pumpkin cheesecake I’ve ever had. There’s no room to improve this recipe! And if you’re intimidated by making cheesecake, I’ve outlined some tips below to make your cheesecake light and fluffy and super smooth and silky.
The first thing that you want to do when making a cheesecake is beat the eggs separately and set them aside. For a long time with cheescake I followed the same order of mixing ingredients that I would for a layer cake: creaming butter and sugar and then adding the eggs one at a time. While that’s a great tip for making a traditional layer cake or cupcakes, it doesn’t work for cheesecake. Beat the eggs until very light and fluffy and then set them aside to gently fold in at the end. That will give you a light and fluffy pumpkin cheesecake that doesn’t sink in the middle.
The next issue you see with cheesecakes is that they crack in the middle. To avoid cracking you want to do two things. First, you’re going to bake the cheesecake in a hot water bath. I know this is a bit of a pain, but the added humidity to the oven will keep the pumpkin cheesecake from drying out. Second, you’ll bake the cheesecake at a really low temperature and not change the temperature too quickly. I like to bake my cheesecake at 300 degrees and then let it cool in the oven with the door cracked instead of removing it from the oven as soon as it’s done baking. The drastic temperature change can cause the cheesecake to crack and/or sink.
I love pumpkin desserts. Really I love pumpkin in just about anything, and pumpkin pie is my favorite kind of pie. This pumpkin cheesecake has just enough pumpkin flavor and pumpkin spices to be the perfect mix of pumpkin pie and cheesecake. It really is the best Thanksgiving dessert. The pumpkin filling goes onto a gingersnap crust, and fresh whipped cream completes the dessert to round out your holiday table.
Is this the best pumpkin cheesecake? I certainly think so, but I’ll let you try it and be the judge. Make this your Thanksgiving dessert!
- 12 oz. gingersnap cookies
- 6 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
- 3 large eggs
- 24 oz. cream cheese (3 x 8oz. packages)
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- ½ tsp. ginger
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
- ¼ tsp. allspice
- ¼ tsp. cardamom
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. You can also line the bottom with parchment paper with a slight overhang to go up the edges if you'll need to completely remove the completed cheesecake from the springform pan to serve. Wrap the edges of the springform pan in aluminum foil. Make sure the foil goes all the way up the edges of the pan.
- Use a food processor to crush the gingersnaps to form fine crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and add melted butter. Press firmly into the prepared springform pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Using a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat eggs until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
- Since I use my stand mixer to make the rest of the filling, I transfer the eggs carefully to another bowl. You can also use a new bowl with a hand mixer as well!
- Cream together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin and beat again until smooth. Add vanilla, salt, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, and cinnamon. Beat until smooth.
- Use a spatula to gently fold in the eggs to the cream cheese mixture.
- Place the springform pan into a large roasting pan and add a few inches of water. Pour the cheesecake batter into the pan.
- Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours and 15 minutes until the center no longer jiggles and appears to be set.
- Turn the oven heat off and crack the oven door until the cheesecake is cooled.
- Once cool, refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight before serving.
- Top with fresh whipped cream.
- Enjoy!
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