I didn't start out making a pumpkin cheesecake this year. After making Irish Cream Cheesecake for Thanksgiving, I've been sitting on enough ingredients to make another... Not knowing what else to do with a Costco-sized container of ricotta and sour cream! I decided to make another cheesecake. Not just any cheesecake, though. A pumpkin cheesecake.
I debate over making a pumpkin pie every season. But I have to admit that I'm not particularly fond of making pie dough! Cheesecake dough is a pinch, though.
You need to make cheesecake the day before and this recipe calls for making pumpkin purée as well. But at least we could all use a recipe to make ahead of time! When you're fighting for time, energy, and oven space, having something already prepared is ideal. Especially when it's a dessert and you don't have to keep running back and forth to the oven throughout dinner to make sure that it's perfectly done and still warm for after supper!
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This cheesecake wasn't for an occasion and was kind of an experiment. I wasn't sure if merely adding pumpkin to my usual New York Cheesecake recipe would actually work! So, I cut into it a little early and the filling wasn't entirely set. It did firm up, though, by the next day!
Variations of Pumpkin Cheesecake
I made two cheesecakes this holiday season: an Irish Cream and Pumpkin. These are both variations of a classic New York-style dessert. I'm particularly fond of this denser variety of cheesecake. So much of what you find in stores and dessert menus is over whipped and more like a cake than a true cheesecake!
There is nothing better than pumpkin cheesecake in the fall. I make a cheesecake almost every year for the holidays! And this one is perfect for Thanksgiving. Or really any occasion during pumpkin season. In this variation of a classic New York-style cheesecake, I added fresh roasted pumpkin purée.
I don't tend to buy pumpkin in a can and prefer to make it on my own. I have a Pumpkin Purée recipe that takes about 2 hours and predominantly requires a pumpkin and food processor.
Crust
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heavily coat a springform cheesecake pan with butter. Set aside.I am a purist when it comes to cheesecake. I do not recommend spraying it with olive oil or attempting a cheesecake in anything other than a cheesecake pan! It will not have the same flavor and it will not come cleanly out of any other type of pan.
Add vanilla wafers to food processor and process for 1-2 minutes, or until the wafers turn into fine crumbs.You want 1 1/2 cups of vanilla wafer crumbs, so you'll need to add about twice as much whole vanilla wafers to reach this amount.
Add butter and sugar to vanilla wafer crumbs and process for 2 minutes, or until the mixture is fully incorporated and begins to form a ball.
Add wafer mixture to the springform pan and firmly pack down.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside.
Filling
Turn the oven up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a large baking dish on the bottom rack of the oven and fill with water.DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. An essential part of making cheesecake is creating steam in the oven.
Add pumpkin purée, cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar to food processor. Process for 2-3 minutes, or until smooth.
Add eggs gradually, along with nutmeg vanilla extract, and cornstarch. It’s best to add 1 egg at a time and process until barely incorporated, about 10-15 seconds per egg.DO NOT OVERBEAT. I repeat, DO NOT OVERBEAT! There is nothing that will ruin the texture of a cheesecake faster than overbeating the eggs.
Pour filling on top of the crust. Let sit for a couple minutes and tap or shake lightly.This will let the air bubbles rise to the surface and will prevent the bubbles from causing brown spots or cracks in the cheesecake. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!
Bake for 45 minutes. The cheesecake should be very lightly browned on top.
Check after 30 minutes and turn down the heat if browning too quickly.
Turn off the oven and place a wooden spoon the door to prop it open. Let sit for 1-2 hours, or until cool. This will allow the cheesecake to set without removing it from the oven.I cannot stress this enough: DO NOT TOUCH IT! DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE OVEN! DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE PAN! AND DO NOT CUT!
After the cheesecake is cool, put in the refrigerator and let sit for at least 12 hours. It’s best to bake in the evening and let it set overnight. It will not turn out if you try to cut into it too early.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
Cheesecake will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will technically keep for longer and is still fine to eat. However, after a couple days in the refrigerator the butter will begin to separate, so I advice eating it sooner rather than later.
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