Pumpkin Cheesecake

Cheesecake looks like the expensive dessert on a fall table and behaves like one, but the ingredient list is cream cheese, sugar, eggs and a can of pumpkin. Twelve servings out of a single pan puts it well under the price of bakery slices, and it is the dessert to make when a lot of people are coming.

The oven is the part most people get wrong. A cheesecake sets from the edge inward, and it is done when the outside is firm and the center still moves slightly as the pan is nudged. Baking until the middle looks set means baking past done, and that is what cracks the top while it cools.

The four hours of chilling are not optional and are not really work. A cheesecake made the day before is better than one made the morning of, which makes it the rare dessert that wants to be finished and out of the way before anyone arrives.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Creamy, smooth, and perfectly spiced, pumpkin cheesecake offers everything people love about pumpkin pie with an extra layer of indulgence. The rich cream cheese filling blends beautifully with pumpkin puree and warm baking spices, creating a dessert that's elegant enough for Thanksgiving yet simple enough to prepare for any fall gathering.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

  

For the crust

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons melted butter

For the filling

• 16 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 325F (163C).
• Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until evenly combined. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
• Bake the crust for 8 minutes, then allow it to cool slightly.
• Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, mixing until combined.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed just until incorporated.
• Pour the filling over the prepared crust.
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center has a slight wobble.
• Cool completely before refrigerating for at least four hours or overnight.

Notes

Chill for at least four hours, preferably overnight, before serving. Frugal tip: leftover canned pumpkin can be frozen in small portions for future baking, helping you avoid waste while saving money on seasonal ingredients.

Keyword Autumn, cheesecake, holiday baking, pumpkin cheesecake