Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan-Gingersnap Crust
A long-time reader favorite! This creamy pumpkin cheesecake, topped with whipped cream, caramel, and pecans (optional) is a great alternative to pumpkin pie.
Servings slices
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ¾ cups gingersnap crumbs about 30 small cookies, crumbed
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¾ cup pecans ground
Filling
- 3 8-ounce blocks cream cheese room temperature, see notes
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree canned
- 6 ounces white chocolate, melted 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs room temperature, see notes
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
Topping
- 1 cup whipping cream beat with ½ teaspoon vanilla and 4 tablespoons powdered sugar until medium peaks form
- ⅓ cup pecans, chopped roughly either toasted or caramelized
- 2 tablespoons caramel sauce jarred
Instructions
- Prepare: Place eggs on counter and allow to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350℉. Start water boiling, enough to fill your roasting pan 1 ½ to 2 inches.
- Crust: For the crust, use a food processor to crush gingersnaps first, then pecans. Combine gingersnaps, pecans, brown sugar, and butter and stir well to combine. Press into a 9" spring form pan. Evenly spread across the bottom of pan and up the sides about 1 inch.
- Mixture: To melt chocolate, place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. Set aside. With an electric mixer beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
- (If your eggs aren't at room temperature already, simply place in a bowl of warm water for about 5 minutes right now.) Add eggs, one at a time. Add pumpkin, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. With the mixer running, slowly add in white chocolate in a steady stream (or steady blobs). Pour mixture on top of the crust.
- Wrap in foil: Place the springform pan on top of 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Wrap the foil up the sides of the pan to prevent water from leaking into the pan. Place the foil-wrapped pan into a larger shallow pan, such as a large roasting pan, and place in the pre-heated oven. The larger pan should be at least 2-3 inches in depth.
- Water bath: With a kettle or pitcher filled with hot water, pour water into the larger pan about halfway up the side of the springform pan, or approximately 1 ½ to 2 inches.
- Bake: Bake for 60-75 minutes or until set. The center should be just a tad bit jiggly still. It will finish cooking while cooling.
- Cool: When it's done, remove from oven and place on a rack until completely cool. Place in the fridge for at least 12 hours. This is a very soft cheesecake so sufficient chilling is a must!
- Serve: When ready to serve spread sweetened whipped cream on top, drizzle caramel sauce over it, and sprinkle with pecans.
Notes
A note about room temperature ingredients
- You want your ingredients at room temperature to ensure everything is fully incorporated easily.
- If you need to bring your eggs up to temp, set them in a bowl of warm water for about 5 minutes.
- If your cream cheese is still cold, remove the wrapper and pop it in the microwave. Heat on 20-30 second intervals, stirring in between until it’s soft and stirs easily.
Other notes
- Store leftover cheesecake, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week. Although it will keep that long, it's best eaten within 3-4 days.
- Cheesecake is best when given the opportunity to chill, in this case for at least 12 hours. Feel free to make this a day or two ahead of time. Don't add your toppings until shortly before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 432kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 82mg, Sodium: 184mg, Potassium: 211mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 35g, Vitamin A: 2926IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 79mg, Iron: 2mg
Calories: 432kcal
Cost: $12
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