Best cheesecake I have ever made and quite possibly the best I have ever tasted. Some of you were looking for the recipe so here it is. It is a recipe I adapted from online. If you want the original recipe I am sure you can Google the title and find it so you can see what changes I made.
Almost Famous Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup gingerbread cookies crumbs
- 2 T brown sugar packed (for crust)
- 2 1/2 cups sugar ( for cheese cake)
- Salt
- 2 pounds cream cheese , at room temperature (very important)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups sweetened whipped cream
- 1/3 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Brush a 10-inch springform pan with butter. Stir the remaining butter with the crumbs, brown sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, packing it tightly and evenly. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a rack, then wrap the outside of the springform pan with foil (make sure there are no holes) and place in a roasting pan. (Maybe double the foil to be sure there are no holes)
Beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups sugar and beat until just light, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in the sour cream. Put ¼ cup of mixture aside for later. Add the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, 1 teaspoon salt, and the spices and beat until just combined. Pour into the cooled crust. Mix set aside batter with 1-2 T milk to thin out and pour on top. Swirl with knife for a decorative design. I lined a 12 in springform pan with foil on the inside and then pour hot water (the hotter the better) in the pan till it covers the bottom and place the smaller 10 in springform pan with foil on the bottom inside. It fits like a glove.
Place the pans in the oven. 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 heat. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1 more hour, then carefully remove 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 springform ring. To finish, place a dollop of the whipped cream on each slice and sprinkle with the toasted pecans.