Grade: A
Time it takes: 1 hour and 45 minutes (45 minutes prep, 1 hour bake)
Yield: 1 cheesecake
Source: Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen
I love this cheesecake! It is a softer cheesecake, but deliciously rich and pumpkin-y. Pumpkin pie had always been the norm for Thanksgiving. Last year I decided I wanted to try something new. I wasn't 100% sure of pumpkin cheesecake - to me it just sounded kind of odd. Cream cheese and pumpkin? I don't know. I eventually decided that if I didn't like it somebody would, it had someplace to go where people would eat it - one of the nice things about having family nearby, right? Turns out that wasn't an issue at all! Everybody thought it was scrumptious. I've made it 4 or 5 times since. So good, perfect for the holidays!
Click below to expand for the recipe!
- crust -
- 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, melted - I never have salted butter around, I just use unsalted
- filling -
- 3 8oz packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
- 15 oz can pureed pumpkin
- 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
For the crust- Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter. Press into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
For the filling- Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar, and spices stirring to combine. Add flour and vanilla, beat together until well combined making sure to scrap down the sides.
Pour into crust. Spread out evenly, dust the top with a little cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (optional) and place in the oven for 1 hour until set. Let cool on a wire rack and then refrigerate for several hours before removing the edge of the springform pan. Slice and serve!