I first made this cheesecake in November of 1996 after seeing it in the Thanksgiving issue of Bon Appetit magazine. Back then I was just looking for a way to keep my husband, who was yearning for his mom’s pumpkin pie, happy. Not having grown up with pumpkin pie, I wanted to find something a little more creative. This tasty dessert fit the bill for both of us by giving him his pumpkin pie and me a dessert that had so many more flavors to offer. It has long since become a family tradition in our home. Enjoy! Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without a Buttermilk Herb Brined Turkey, Ultimate Cranberry Sauce or some incredible Creamy Mashed Potatoes! 🙂
Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the buttered quiche pan.
Add the reserved cream cheese mixture by spoonfuls over the pumpkin filling.
With the tip of a sharp knife, gently swirl the cream cheese mixture w/the pumpkin mix creating a decorative pattern.
Tips for this recipe
- Don’t open the oven. Drastically reducing the temperature in your oven could cause your cheesecake to sink or crack.
- Cool it slowly to room temperature before putting in the refrigerator to avoid cracking. Yes, cheesecake does need to be refrigerated!
- You can freeze cheesecake once it is chilled. Wrap in plastic wrap and then foil before putting into the freezer. Store for up to a month. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight.
More great recipes you might like
Buttermilk Herb Brined Turkey-super moist and flavorful
Ultimate Cranberry Sauce– so yummy and easy to add your own touch
Creamy Mashed Potatoes with endless variations-the perfect blank slate to add your favorite flavors to
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Crust
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 3/4 cup flour
- 6 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons chilled butter cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
For the Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temp I use the 1/3 less fat version
- 6 tablespoons sour cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Butter a 9 inch removable bottom quiche pan.(Don't have one? Check out my recommendation on Amazon down below) In a food processor, blend the flour with the sugar and salt. Add the butter and process until it looks like coarse meal. Add the water and continue to pulse until it forms moist clumps. Transfer to a bowl with the chopped pecans and mix together until well combined and dough comes together. (Easiest to do using your hands)
- Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the buttered quiche pan. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes until firm. (You can prepare the crust one day in advance. Keep refrigerated and wrapped in plastic wrap.)
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the rack into the center of the oven. Line the crust with foil and fill it with beans or pie weights . Place the quiche pan on top of a baking sheet and bake about 10 minutes, remove the weights and foil and continue to bake about 10 minutes. (I like to put a piece of parchment paper under the quiche pan to make for easy transfer from the baking sheet to the counter or rack to cool.)
- Keep the oven at 375F.
For the Filling:
- In a mixer, beat the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Add in the sugar until blended, then the eggs one at a time just until blended. Move about a third of the cream cheese mixture to a separate bowl. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger and cloves to the mixer bowl and beat again until all blended.
- Pour the pumpkin filling into the crust. Add the reserved cream cheese mixture by spoonfuls over the pumpkin filling. (See picture above) Using the tip of a sharp knife, gently swirl the cream cheese mixture into the pumpkin mix creating a decorative pattern. (Tip: Use small strokes with the knife making multiple small strokes varying the direction each time)
- Bake until the filling is firm in the center(about 30 minutes)...press gently on the center with your finger to test it. You don't want to over cook it or the filling will begin to crack.
- Cool it on the counter or a wire rack, cover and chill if making a day ahead.
