This show-stopping dessert combines two favorites: pumpkin pie and cheesecake! Not to be confused with a pumpkin flavored cheesecake, this is a layer of creamy cheesecake with toffee bits, topped with a smooth and perfectly spiced pumpkin pie. The best of both worlds! This has become a holiday tradition for so many people. Try it once and it might be your new tradition as well!
Ingredients and Equipment Needed
- Springform Pan – If you don’t own a springform pan, now is the time to get one! You can use a 9 or 10 inch. I prefer a 9″ because I like the thickness of the finished dessert, but a 10″ will work as well. Your dessert will be slightly thinner than mine.
- Crust
- Graham cracker crumbs – I use cinnamon-sugar graham crackers in this recipe, but regular grahams work just as well, I just add a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon to the mix.
- Cheesecake
- Cream cheese – Regular or full fat is fine. Avoid fat free.
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Toffee bits – Such as Heath Bits ‘O Brickle or Skor bits. Make sure when you’re at the store you grab regular toffee and not the chocolate covered ones.
- Pumpkin Pie Layer
- Canned pumpkin
- Whipping cream
- Granulated sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Pumpkin pie seasoning
- Salt
- Eggs
- For Serving
- Sweetened Whipped Cream or cool whip.
- Toffee bits
How to Make a Layered Pumpkin Pie Toffee Cheesecake
- Start with the crust, which is your basic butter and graham cracker crumb mixture. Simply press it into the bottom of a springform pan.
- That goes in the oven to bake for a few minutes, and while it does you can mix up your cheesecake layer: cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and a few toffee bits.
- Spread the cheesecake layer over the baked crust and set it aside.
- To save yourself unnecessary dishes, give the bowl you were working in before a quick rinse and then whip up your pumpkin pie layer. In goes pumpkin, eggs, cream, sugar, a pinch of salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Then very carefully, and slowly pour the pumpkin layer over the cheesecake. You want to avoid pouring it all out in one big gush because it will mess up your layers. It actually works best to pour it out of the side of the bowl, or over the back of a spoon.
- Then it goes into the oven for 2 hours. Yes, two. We’re cooking low and slow. When the edges are set, but the center is still a little jiggly, just turn off the oven and crack the door, but leave the pan in the oven for about 30 minutes.
- After it comes out and cools completely, run a knife around the edge of the pan, but leave it in the pan. Cover it with plastic wrap and chill for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.
- When you’re ready to serve it, plop some whipped cream on top. I’m generally a proponent of using fresh sweetened whipped cream for this sort of thing, but you could also use Cool Whip, or the kind in a spray can if you’re serving it right away.
How to Garnish your Layered Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
There are lots of options to garnish this dessert. I love putting my whipped cream in a piping bag and piping dollops of whipped cream around the perimeter with an extra sprinkle of toffee.
- Another fun option is a chunk of toffee (as seen in the above photo and below). In the fall time, I buy pumpkin seed brittle at both Williams-Sonoma and Trader Joes and it’s a fun “extra” touch if you want to make this dessert look over the top!
- A drizzle of caramel sauce is delicious on top as well.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished pumpkin pie cheesecake in the fridge, tightly covered. Consume within 3-4 days for the best results.
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients – One trick when making any kind of cheesecake is to have all of your ingredients at room temperature, or even slightly warm. Try to plan ahead and have things completely thawed out of the fridge.
- This is a great make-ahead dessert, which is especially helpful on busy holidays. Feel free to make it a day ahead and keep well covered in the fridge, or freeze it for up to a month. When doing either of these options, I prefer to add the whipped cream topping fresh right before serving, though if you really needed to, you could also freeze it with the whipped cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! Feel free to make it a day ahead and keep well covered in the fridge, or freeze it for up to a month. When doing either of these options, I prefer to add the whipped cream topping fresh right before serving, though if you really needed to, you could also freeze it with the whipped cream.
How long will fresh whipped cream hold its shape before serving?
If you’re worried about your whipped cream falling flat between decorating and serving, you can always make Stabilized Whipped Cream. It contains a little gelatin to help the whipped cream hold its shape. Heavy whipping cream with a high fat content will also hold up better than regular whipping cream or whipped cream from a can, each of which would need to be served pretty much immediately.
My dessert cracked- what happened??
I’ve never had this dessert crack on me, but others have reported it did! We are not using a water bath, as most traditional cheesecakes do, but I’ve never had a problem with cracking. The good thing is that it doesn’t affect the taste at all! Just top with a little extra whipped cream to cover the cracks 🙂
Layered Pumpkin Pie Toffee Cheesecake
A delightful layered dessert with a classic graham cracker crust, toffee cheesecake on the bottom and pumpkin pie on the top. Sure to please everyone!
Servings slices
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups cinnamon graham cracker crumbs (200g) just short of 2 sleeves
- ½ cup butter, melted
Cheesecake Layer
- 16 oz cream cheese softened, 2 standard blocks.
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 bag toffee bits, divided
Pumpkin Pie Layer
- 15 oz can pumpkin or use homemade, it's 1 ¾ cup
- ¾ cup whipping cream
- ⅔ cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning
- ⅛ teaspoons salt
- 3 large eggs
For Serving
- Sweetened whipped cream
- reserved ½ bag toffee bits
Instructions
Crust
- Heat oven to 300℉. Spray a 9" springform pan with cooking spray. A 10" pan will also work, it will just be a shorter dessert overall. I prefer the 9" if you have one.
- In a small bowl, mix crumbs and butter. Press in bottom of pan and up about ½-1" the sides. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
Cheesecake Layer
- In large bowl, beat room temperature cream cheese, ½ cup sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in 2 of the eggs. Stir in 1 cup of the toffee bits. Spread over crust. Clean out your bowl.
Pumpkin Layer
- Mix pumpkin, ¾ cup whipping cream, ⅔ cup sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt and remaining 3 eggs just until blended and smooth. Slowly and carefully spoon over cheesecake layer.
Cook and Chill
- Bake for 2 hours or until edge of cheesecake is set at least 2 inches from edge of pan but center still jiggles slightly when moved. Turn oven off; open oven door a crack. Leave cheesecake in oven 30 minutes.
- Run a sharp knife around edge of pan. Cool 30-60 minutes at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
- To serve, run knife around edge of pan again; remove side of pan. Pipe sweetened whipped cream* around edges of cheesecake; sprinkle with remaining toffee bits. Slice and Serve!*You most likely bought a pint of whipping cream for this recipe and used part of it in the pumpkin layer, pour the rest in a bowl with a big spoon of powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla and whip it up for the topping.
Notes
-
- Store finished pumpkin pie cheesecake in the fridge, tightly covered. Consume within 3-4 days for the best results.
-
- Use room temperature ingredients – one trick when making any kind of cheesecake is to have all of your ingredients at room temperature, or even slightly warm. Try to plan ahead and have things completely thawed out of the fridge.
- This is a great make-ahead dessert, which is especially helpful on busy holidays. Feel free to make it a day ahead and keep well covered in the fridge, or freeze it for up to a month. When doing either of these options, I prefer to add the whipped cream topping fresh right before serving, though if you really needed to, you could also freeze it with the whipped cream.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 481kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 149mg, Sodium: 309mg, Potassium: 186mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 37g, Vitamin A: 6972IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 74mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 481kcal
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Questions & Reviews
I would love to win all these new recipes, and to be able to see them every month! My birthday’s in November — turkey month!!
I have never been a huge fan of pumpkin pie but I will definitely try this!
Born in May. Live by Calenders. Crossing my fingers.
I would love one of your calanders. My birthday month is April!!
January!
I would love to have this for my January Birthday!
How did you keep your top from cracking!?! I usually lift my springform pan into a larger roasting pan and put an inch or so of water in the roaster to keep the top from cracking, but another idea occurs to me – you cook till edges are just set and the top is still jiggly – I cook till my top puffs up a little bit and that’s probably why it cracks – what’s your experience?
Peggy – cook it until the center is still jiggly – not wet on top, but still a little moveable when wiggled – then leave the oven door cracked (with the oven off) for 30-60 minutes like she said in the instructions. It helps the center set without getting dried out and cracked. For sure take out cheesecakes before they puff up at all. Once they puff, they’ll be dry. Kind of like taking out cookies when the edges are just barely golden and the center is still a little wet, but then letting them cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet – the centers finish cooking without the whole cookie getting overdone. 🙂
I also generally do cheesecakes in a waterbath to ensure even baking, but I asked about that above and Sara said that the pumpkin layer helped protect the cheesecake from getting dried out. If anything, the pumpkin layer was close to not being done. (comment #30). Good luck!
Thanks so much for the detail – it’s usually pumpkin pie that splits on me – I cover the top of my cheesecakes in so much cherry filling you’d never know if the thing was cracked or not! Thanks again!
KJRISTI –
I’m trying it today. Times THREE! I am making one for my family’s Thanksgiving, one for my husband’s family, and one for the open house we have on Thanksgiving Saturday. I have followed the instructions to the T so far and they’re now in the oven – wish me luck!
I just read this and I know it was months ago, but if you test doneness on your pumpkim pies or cheesecakes with a knife, that alone can cause it to crack. There are sometimes other factors too, but if you always check it with a knife and it always cracks, that could be why. Just a thought.
Wow! Can I just tell you amazing this looks? Is it wrong that I kind of want to lick the computer screen? Also, I’m glad I’m not the only one who despises shopping with my children but treats the trip like a mini vacation when they’re not with me!
This dessert sounds and looks fabulous. I’ll be making this for FHE next week. Thanks for the great idea!
Looks interesting…worth a try, I think.