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Taking a slice of pumpkin cheesecake with whipped cream
5 from 5 votes

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake spiced with warm fall spices is the perfect Thanksgiving or holiday dessert. It’s the best of two perfect desserts, melded into one amazing sweet pumpkin treat.
Author Diana
Servings 12 servings
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs about 12 sheets
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

For the cheesecake filling:

  • 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese softened to room temperature, 32 ounces in total, See Note 1
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light brown sugar lightly packed
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature, Note 1
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • cup sour cream at room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

For the whipped cream topping:

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
  • To make the crust, in a food processor break down the graham crackers to create crumbs.
  • In a bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs with sugar and butter.
  • Press into a 9-inch springform pan, with about ½ inch on the sides up. Bake for 8 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.
  • Wrap the springform pan with two layers of foil from the outside.
  • Boil water for the water bath, this will help the cheesecake not crack. See note 2
  • Keep your oven temperature the same.
  • In a large bowl, heat the cream cheese with the sugars until creamy and well combined (about 4 minutes).
  • Add in the eggs, vanilla, pumpkin spice, pumpkin puree, sour cream and salt- beat until combined scraping down the sides as needed.
  • Pour the mixture into the pre-baked graham crust, place the pan into a larger pan and add the water into the larger pan to create a water bath.
  • Bake for one hour until the cheesecake sets at the edges, and the center is not very jiggly (it will still have a little jiggle).
  • Switch off the oven, open the oven door slightly and let the cheesecake rest in the oven until the oven cools down (about 45 minutes to one hour).
  • Remove the cheesecake from the water bath, cover with plastic wrap and let it cool down completely then chill in the fridge until it has been fully chilled and set, minimum 4 hours but preferably overnight. To release the cheesecake run a knife around the edges and release from the pan.
  • To make the whipped cream, in a cold bowl, combine all of the ingredients and beat on high speed until fluffy (do not over beat, takes about one and half minutes). Top the cheesecake with whipped cream, and sprinkle with ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

Notes

  1. Bring your dairy and eggs to room temperature. Starting with cold dairy will make it really difficult for you to get a super smooth filling. Let the cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs sit on the counter for about an hour before you start baking.
  2. Baking with a water bath is very important. You should wrap your cheesecake pan in two layers of aluminum foil, then place it inside of a larger pan, such as a roasting pan or a large cake pan. Carefully place the set up in the oven. Fill the space around the cheesecake with boiling water, and carefully slide the pan back, and close the oven door. You may be tempted to skip this part, but your cheesecake will most definitely crack if you don’t use a water bath to bake it.

Nutrition

Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 250mg | Potassium: 198mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 6860IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 2mg