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Thanksgiving: Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

Source of Recipe

From "Cook's Illustrated All Time Best Holiday Entertaining"


Recipe Introduction

"Spiced pumpkin is a well-trod flavor profile, but this cheesecake truly delivers on all fronts, from its clear pumpkin flavor and warm spices to its velvety yet firm texture. For a complementary crust, we spiced up a graham cracker crust with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Blotting the pumpkin with paper towels removed excess moisture, protecting the crust. Heavy cream added richness and white sugar (rather than brown) let the pumpkin really shine. Be sure to use unsweetened pumpkin purée."

List of Ingredients

Crust:
â—¦ 9 whole graham crackers, broken into 1-inch pieces
â—¦ 3 tablespoons sugar
â—¦ ½ teaspoon ground ginger
â—¦ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
â—¦ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
â—¦ 1 â…“ cups sugar
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
â—¦ ½ teaspoon ground ginger
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
â—¦ 1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin purée
â—¦ 1 ½ pounds cream cheese, cut into chunks and softened
â—¦ 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
â—¦ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
â—¦ 5 large eggs, room temperature
â—¦ 1 cup heavy cream
â—¦ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted


Recipe

For the crust:
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Pulse crackers, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in food processor until finely ground, about 15 pulses. Transfer crumbs to bowl, drizzle with melted butter, and mix with rubber spatula until evenly moistened. Transfer crumbs to 9-inch springform pan and, using bottom of dry measuring cup, press crumbs evenly into pan bottom. Bake until browned around edges, about 15 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let crust cool completely on wire rack, about 30 minutes, then wrap outside of pan with two 18-inch square pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil and set springform pan in roasting pan. Bring kettle of water to boil.

For the filling:
Whisk sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice together in small bowl. Spread pumpkin over rimmed baking sheet and pat dry with several sheets of paper towels.

Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat cream cheese on medium-low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down bowl, then beat in half of sugar mixture until combined, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining sugar mixture. Beat in vanilla, lemon juice, and pumpkin until combined, about 1 minute; scrape down bowl. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in cream until combined, about 1 minute. Give filling final stir by hand.

Being careful not to disturb crust, brush inside of pan with melted butter. Pour filling into prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula. Set roasting pan on oven rack and pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come about halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake until cheesecake registers 150 degrees, about 1 ½ hours. Let cake cool in roasting pan for 45 minutes, then remove from water, discard foil, and set on wire rack; continue to let cool until barely warm, about 3 hours. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours.

To unmold, wrap wet, hot dish towel around springform pan and let stand for 1 minute. Remove sides of pan, slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, and slide cake onto serving platter. Let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 12



• To make ahead:
Cheesecake can be made up to 3 days in advance, but crust will lose crispness after 1 day.