Recipes > Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake
Fall flavors spice up this decadent and creamy cheesecake.
Dawn Thomas
- Serves: 10 to 12
- Active Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 16 hrs
- Views: 63,756
- Success Rating: 99% (?)
Steps
Step 1: Making the Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 2 tbsp light-brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp table salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 large egg yolk
Method
To begin the cheesecake, cover the bottom of a 10" -inch spring form pan with a parchment round, letting it hang over by about an inch. Lock the base over the paper and place onto a large, round piece of foil. Fold up the sides. Fold and wrap a 3’ -foot strip of foil securely around the pan. Spray the inside with non-stick spray and set aside.
Next, mix together the flour, icing sugar, brown sugar and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or knife. Break up the egg yolk and drizzle over top. Keep mixing, cleaning the cutter from time to time with a knife. Then gently knead the dough with your hands until it just comes together.
Flour the surface and shape the dough into a round, gently rolling and turning the dough so it does not stick to the counter. Transfer the dough to the pan. Press it into place, making sure the dough is snug against the sides. Chill in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350° degrees Fahrenheit and bake the crust for approximately 30-35 minutes or until golden. Remove and let cool slightly. Gently press the edges up against the sides, so the filling does not leak to the bottom. Let cool completely, while you make the filling.
Step 2: Making the Filling and Baking
- 32 oz cream cheese (four 8 oz pkgs)
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 can solid pumpkin purée (15 oz)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
Method
Before you make the filling, be sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. Blend the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and continue to mix. Next, add the vanilla, ginger, clove, cinnamon and grated nutmeg. Lastly, add the pumpkin puree and mix until blended. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl as you go. Blend the mixture together, but don’t over mix.
Pour the filling into the crust, smooth out the top and place into a roasting pan. Place the roasting pan into the oven. Fill the roasting pan with hot water until it reaches half way up the side of the cheesecake. Bake at 350° degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Check the cheesecake by gently shaking the pan. It should be somewhat solid but still jiggle slightly. Keep in mind that the cheesecake will continue to cook as it cools and sets. Take the cheesecake out of the water and place it onto a cooling rack for a few minutes. Run a knife along the edges to prevent the top from cracking as it cools. Remove the foil, leave the ring on and let cool for about 30 minutes. Transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator, keeping it on the cooling rack. Chill for at least 12 hours (up to 48 hours).
Step 3: Serving the Cheesecake
Method
To serve the cheese cake, slide a knife around the edges one more time. Remove the ring and gently lift the cheesecake onto a cutting board. Use a flat spatula to loosen the paper, then slide the parchment out from underneath.
To cut the cheesecake, place a long knife into hot water. Dry the knife before slicing. Do this each time you make a cut and you will wind up with perfect pieces every time. This cheesecake is great on its own or served with a dollop of whip cream.
Chef's Notes
- by Dawn Thomas
- •
- November 7, 2007
When making the filling, it is important to have all of your ingredients at room temperature. Mix the cream cheese just until there are no lumps. If you try to cheat and use cold cream cheese, you will wind up incorporating too much air by over-beating it. This may form unattractive air bubbles on the surface of your cake. Once the eggs are added, mix just until combined. Again, don’t over-beat the mixture and incorporate too much air. Excess air could make the cheesecake fall during baking. If you do wind up with lumpy batter, press the mixture through a sieve to obtain a smoother batter, rather than over-beating it.
51 Comments
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I was nervous I wouldn't get the flawless result my stepmother does when she makes cheesecake, but the video recipe made it too easy. One of my dinner guests claimed it was the best dessert she had ever had. But it was the accolade, "better than pumpkin pie" that will make me repeat this dish for Thanksgiving. P.S. Icing sugar is the same as powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar. -
Indeed they are all the same. They are all just sugar that has been crushed into a fine powder. There is usually a very small amount of cornstarch added, to prevent it from clumping. You may also need to sift icing sugar before using. -
There's no instruction about the oven temperature for the cheesecake, I suppose it's 275 - 300 F... I'm just doing it, I'll come back. -
The oven temperature should stay at 350° degrees for the filling. We have tested this many times and it seems to be a good temperature. The last 6 times I have baked it, it has only needed 1 hr. 15 mins. This has also been tested by a few of my friends, and they also only baked the cheesecake for 1 hr. 15 mins. I have had the pleasure of eating those cheesecakes and they were perfect. If you like a cheesecake that is more dense, you could bake it for a bit longer.
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Thanks for the reply, I baked it a bit different and I think it came out great, first I mixed 2 tbsp of all purpose flour in the sugar, and I baked it at 300° Degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. I did everything else exactly the same, and it really is wonderful.
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what do you do to save the cheesecake if some water gets into the pan and cake. That happened to me and the top looked cooked. So I ended up removing the cake from the water and baked it for an extra 30 minutes or so to try and dry it out.
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This was only my second time making cheesecake, but it was a big hit. Excellent recipe - light texture, great taste. Everyone I served this to was very impressed. I made the entire Rouxbe holiday meal for Christmas (except for pumpkin pie) and it was fun, and successful! Thanks team Rouxbe.
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Can you use a stand mixer to incorporate all the ingredients or will that affect the consistency of the filling? -
I used a standing mixer and it worked fine.
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Rouxbe Staff
It's fine to use a standing mixer, just be careful not to over-mix/whip and incorporate too much air. This could form unattractive air bubbles on the surface of your cake. Too much air could also make the cheesecake fall during baking. -
Can I substitute canned pumpkin by fresh pumpkin after boiling and crushing it?
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Rouxbe Staff
For this recipe, canned pumpkin is highly recommended. There are many great brands available, and they tend to have a more concentrated flavor. If you choose to use fresh pumpkin, you'll need to make sure most of the water is extracted after cooking it. If the pumpkin puree is too wet, it will alter the recipe and it may not set. If you do use fresh pumpkin and it works out for you, we'd be happy to hear about it. Hope this helps.
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I made this cake two times in the last month, it's just marvelous. the only problem I have is finding cream cheese here so I substitute with mascarpone and/or cottage cheese (although cottage cheese does add quite a sour touch to the cake).
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I love cheesecakes and I make them alot although I never actually tried this recipe yet , as the recipe says the best way to bake a cheesecake is in a water bath this will insure a smooth texture and a crack free cake . Last week I was making a cheesecake and the aluminum foil teared up and started leaking water ,the cheese cake looked good but when I sliced it it was actually wet in the middle and the crust wasn't that crispy as usual , so I started searching the internet for a waterproof spring form and I found one made by a company called Kaiser Bakeware I bought it and it's on it's way I will try it and I hope that I never face any more similar problem's . -
Thanks, please let me know how this works for you. I would love to get one.
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I made this cheesecake and added 1/4c D'Eaubonne brandy and one extra egg to compensate for the extra liquid. Followed the instructions to the letter (a first for me) and the cheesecake turned out perfectly. No cracks and very light in texture. Not heavy like some cheesecakes. The flavour was exquisite. The little water I had inside the foil was only condensation that collected. I will definitely make this again and again. Thanks Rouxbe! -
I have not made this cheesecake yet, but want to try it. Can you suggest another flavor that might work, if I don't want to use the pumpkin? Also, can you recommend a substitute for parchment paper? I live in India and we don't get parchment paper here. Can I simply butter the pan instead?
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By the end of the video I could actually smell the damn thing as if it were right in front of me. You did a great job with this recipe, and the video demonstration is fantastic as well!
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Where do you get fresh nutmeg from? can you used dried? what would be the equivalent of fresh to dried?
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Just to clarify, the recipe indicates freshly grated nutmeg (not fresh nutmeg). Grating or grinding spices yourself will provide more intense flavor as opposed to pre-ground spices. To identify quality, whole nutmeg that isn't old, the surface of the nutmeg should be somewhat shiny. This indicates the volatile oils haven't dried up. That being said, you can use pre-ground nutmeg and still have great results - we just prefer to grind our own spices whenever possible. Hope this clarifies this for you.
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Since the cheesecake is basically a custard I heard that it can actually benefit from a long slow cooking (about 200 degrees) I heard you can get a smoother texture this way is that right and is there any risk in using low temperature like water leakage for example ? My second question is about eggs some recipes call for 2 , 3 , 6 or even more eggs some call for egg yolks only or a mixture of booth. My question is how will the texture of the cheesecake change by changing the egg to dairy ratio ?
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There are no quick and simple answers that I can give you to address all of the variables here. Here is a link to a site called baking 911 and here you will find quite a bit of information on cheesecakes. Question for you Khaled...did you make this recipe as is, and if so, did you like it? How did you find the texture?
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Actually I never made this recipe yet !! and the reason is that I couldn't find the pumpkin puree!. However I always make fruit cheesecakes and it really became much much better after baking in a water bath. The reason I'm asking these question is because I want to understand baking and custards rather than just use recipes this way I can know what to do to in order to change the flavor or texture to my liking instead of looking for another recipe. One very good example is making cookies I can now make thin and crispy cookies and chewy cookies just by altering the ingredients a bit.
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First of all, congratulations for taking the right approach to cooking in general (that is learning how and why things happen, rather than just following recipes). As for custards, cheesecakes and baking in general, these are things that we will address in the cooking school when we get to baking and pastry (which is a monumental project in itself). I wish that we had more information for you at the present time, but our focus has been on cooking and not baking and we need to finish up the cooking curriculum. We'll get to it. Hang in there - it's just such a big topic to address here.
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I am a bad chef. I usually get non-local recipes from the web that are full of unavailable ingredients, try substituting with care but usually end up messing. I loved the recipe and really want to accomplish a similar result. But before i try and substiture commercial pumpkin puree with home made puree (as we do not have it here) and most likely end up with some strange goo, i want to give a local recipe a try. But it has somewhat different components on ingredients and technique which i would like to ask (its a flat cake, no pumpkins). 1 - Substituting the made-from-scratch base with butter+digestive biscuit base ; What is the difference in tastes? 2- Adding two tablespoons of all purpose flour ; Does it make a big difference in texture, taste or cooking times? (I still will go with bain-marie) 3- 1/2 glass of fresh cream ; texture, taste, cooking times? 4- The local recipe says preheat oven to 260 degreee C, cook for 11 mins, lower the temperature to 95 deg. C, cook for 40 mins.. I baked this. Word for word. But it had a crusty top and crunchy sides. That i do not like. Yours is evenly textured center to side and just looks "dreamy". Mine looked more like an apple pie with cheesecake center. If i cook this recipe with your technique, i wonder if i can get that homogenous doneness. The filling for local recipe is ; 900 gr. cream cheese; 1+1/4 waterglass of sugar 4 large eggs 2 teaspoons of all purp. flour 1/2waterglass of whipping cream PS: If anyone needs any Turkish recipes, I will be more than happy to provide it from my mothers own recipe book.
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The best advice we can give you, without testing your local recipe ourselves, is that you try it out. You can try following the method in the video, but we can't guarantee that you will get the same results since you are using different ingredients. To try and answer your questions: 1. It is a completely different crust so it will taste different. 2. The small amount of flour is likely used as a bit of a binder and won't affect cooking times. 3. Cream adds richness and will smooth out the batter. 4. Cooking times will vary depending on the type of cheesecake. As for your results, you'll just need to experiment with your recipe. Hope this helps.
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Thank you for your prompt answer. It has been great help and i surely will give it a try.
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i want to make this cake but i really dont like pumkin, i want to make a new york cheese cake, is there something else that i can add instead of pumkin to make a new york cheese cake? -
You might wand to try this Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping, it is more of a New York Style. I have tried it and it is really good.
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Hello everybody, Quick question on the springform pan to buy for this receipe - do I need a heavy aluminum springform or is a light tin springform fine? Thank you JoAnn p.s. love this website
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If you like to bake, I recommend buying a good quality springform pan. I have had my springform pan for many years now and I think I only paid about $25 for it. Since this particular cheesecake is baked in a water bath, it should be fine. Give it a try; but, like I said, you might want to invest in a sturdier one. Hope this helps. Cheers!
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I know it's a bit late to ask as I am in the middle of this recipe now, but what baking modifications would be needed when using a 9 inch pan (I discovered that's all I have). I assume, and will soon know for sure, that it may take just a bit longer to set. I'll post back with my results.
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The smaller sized pan will result in a thicker cheesecake. It will also take a bit longer to cook and set. Cheers!
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1 hour and 10 mins later and it looks perfect. I'll know for sure on Thursday. Dawn, thanks for the reply so quickly. I can't wait to eat.
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Any suggestions on how long it takes to reach room temperature for the butter and cream cheese, assuming it's about 67-70 degrees inside our house? Was concerned that I might leave it out too long. Thanks.
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20 to 30 should be fine Bill. Cut it up into small cubes if you don't have much time. This will help it to come to room temperature faster. A little more time won't hurt either as you want a nice creamy consistency when you are blending it. good luck. happy tday. joe -
Everything seemed to go well with the cheesecake until I served it. It was absolutely delicious, but it was definitely "custardy" in the center as opposed to feeling like a cooked cheesecake. No one seemed to mind, but I was concerned it was undercooked. I cooked at 350 degrees for about 1 hour 10 minutes. I took it out when it appeared to have a "solid jiggle" and the edges were raised. Any other suggestions for determining when the cheesecake is done? I'm thinking I should have felt the edges once they were raised, and then compared that texture to the center of the cake. Thanks for any tips you might have.
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Rouxbe Staff
With some things, it just comes down to practice and making tweaks for the next time. Perhaps your oven was a bit off, so bake the cheesecake a bit longer next time. It just takes practice. Also, it is really important to chill the cheesecake for at least 12 to 24 hours before serving. This helps it to set and firm up. Glad you enjoyed the cheesecake though! Don't give up - practice makes perfect :)
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I make about 3-4 cheesecakes a year and instead of using a springform pan I use a 9-inch round, deep cakepan. I put a parchment round in the bottom. Sometimes I have to warm the bottom in some hot water to get the cake to release but I have not yet had a problem turning the cake out and then getting it back right side up on the serving plate (do make sure to run a thin knife around the edges). I normally turn it out on a cutting board with a piece of buttered plastic wrap to protect the surface of the cake. Using the cake pan means I don't have to worry about leaks at all. Question. I use a modified version of the Cordon Rose Cream Cheesecake from Rose Levy Beranbaum's "The Cake Bible". I use 24oz of cream cheese, 16 oz of sour cream, and 3 eggs. I would like to make a version that is less tangy and a little more sweet. I understand that I can do this by using heavy cream instead of sour cream. If a make a partial or entire substitution of the sour cream with heavy cream will I need to adjust the recipe in other ways to account for the fact that heavy cream is more "liquidy" than sour cream?
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Without testing this out for ourselves we cannot provide you with a fool-proof answer. This would take some testing on our part but for the moment we are focused on the basic cooking school curriculum...more baking related lessons will be covered down the road. In the meantime there are many books out there that may provide you with some guidance. Cheers!
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I like this cheesecake and will be trying it with mascarpone instead of cream cheese. I like the flavor and consistency of mascarpone and can use less granulated sugar in the recipe.
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I was thinking of mascarpone as well. If it comes out well, I would appreciate hearing how much sugar you used.
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I just finished making the Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake and I have to say that the hardest part of the whole process is having to wait 24 hours before I can eat it!! I do have a question though. The cheesecake is now sitting in the fridge, but I am worried about it not being covered. It seems to me like I should be covering it with Aluminum foil, or plastic wrap to keep it from drying out... but I am afraid to cover it in case trapping the moisture in is a bad idea. What are your recommendations? -
Rouxbe Staff
Hi Leigh- It is worth the wait. if you feel the need to cover it, try a loose piece of parchment... you do want the cheesecake to "set" and that means that there is a net loss of water during that 24-hour period. If you wrap it, the crust can get too moist. Try it the way the recipe suggests and then next time.... improvise! But, please let us know your thoughts! -
This recipe never fails to please! -
I made this last year and it came out perfectly... today, its in the water bath and i look inside (not opening the door) and it has a large crack on one of the sides.... i think i overmixed it, but am not sure (doing 3 things at a time, which probably didn't help)... what could have gone wrong? -
Rouxbe Staff
Hi Ximena- This can be caused from a bit of uneven heating in the oven or simply do to the expansion and contraction of the mix as it cooks. It is a large mass that you are essentially coagulating (cooking until firm) and that structure can "split" easily and form a visible crack. ~Ken
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Thanks for the response Ken, you're probably right, one side was a little more brown than the other, but by the time my guests got see it, the crack wasnt noticeable.... And they couldn't have enough. Going back to what i did, I realized I had forgotten to spray the pan... So that and the uneven temp probably caused it. If I learned anything this Thanksgiving, its to trust your instincts, go slow and double check the instructions! Hope you guys had a wonderful holiday, my guests and I enjoyed our food (and they insisted on leftovers) because of you guys. Thank you!
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I discovered a tip today (Thanksgiving Weekend in Canada) when assembling my spring-form pan. I have always had trouble locking the ring onto the base once the parchment paper is placed over the base. My brain kicked in today and I simply placed a base from the 8" spring-form pan under the 10" base. Then with the parchment paper over the now slightly raised 10" base I had absolutely no trouble at all capturing the base and parchment paper inside the 10" ring.
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Excellent tip Leigh! Thank you for sharing! Chef Kirk -
Thank you for an amazingly tasting recipe!!!! I have been making this cheesecake for the past year and I have had soooooo many compliments.
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