This Pumpkin Cheesecake has a smooth and creamy pumpkin filling and a buttery gingersnap crust, and is topped with piped whipped cream. This Cheesecake can easily be made ahead of time, and makes the most perfect dessert.
Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Crust
Hi hi! Just popping in to share this recipe from my friend Kelsey's book - Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Gingersnap crust! I am not usually one for baked cheesecake, but Kelsey's version is smooth and creamy, and the pumpkin filling is super light and delicious. I topped this one with blobs of whipped cream, but Kelsey finished it with lightly torched Swiss Meringue in her book, which looks amazing!
The Farmer's Daughter Bakes by Kelsey Siemens
The recipe for this Pumpkin Cheesecake comes from my long time internet friend Kelsey's new, beautiful book, 'The Farmer's Daughter Bakes'. Kelsey grew up on and still works on her family orchard in BC in Canada, and writes a blog sharing beautiful seasonal recipes. I was SO EXCITED when she said she was writing a book - her photos are all so beautiful and she shares the most amazing in depth behind the scenes look at orchard life. Every year her and her family have a pumpkin growing contest, and it's just the best thing ever.
Kelsey's book is broken up into seasons, with recipes reflecting what is in season at that time - Falling for the Harvest, Spring Fever etc. Each section is filled with so many beautiful recipes inspired by the farm. It is all so beautiful and I can't wait to bake my way through it - there's basically a whole section on rhubarb, which might just be my favourite thing of all time.
I knew when I saw this cheesecake though that it had to happen - despite living in the States for 6 years I have never baked with Gingersnaps, or made a pumpkin cheesecake, so it was time to change that! Congrats Kelsey, the book is so, so beautiful - I hope you are so proud! xx
Steps for making Pumpkin Cheesecake
This recipe is super easy to make - there are only a couple of steps. The hardest part is waiting for it to chill down before you can eat it!
- Make the crust - The crust is made of ground gingersnaps, which are pressed into the bottom and sides of a springform. The crust is then baked and left to cool.
- Make the filling - This pumpkin cheesecake is cream cheese based, so cream cheese is mixed with sugar, then pumpkin puree, flour, and spices go in. Eggs are then added one at a time, and you are good to go.
- Bake the cheesecake - The pumpkin cheesecake filling is added to the cooled crust, and baked at a low temperature until set.
- Cool the cheesecake - To prevent cracking, the cheesecake needs to be chilled gradually, so it hangs out in the oven with the door cracked for a while. It then cools to room temperature, then chills down in the fridge to set the filling to make it a sliceable texture.
- Top and serve - Kelsey does a torched Swiss Meringue in her book, but I just went for a simple whipped cream topping. Either is great!
How to make Pumpkin Cheesecake ahead of time
This Pumpkin Cheesecake needs a fair bit of time to cool down after it has baked, so this is perfect to make ahead. Kelsey says in her book that you can make it up to a few days ahead. Store the baked cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge. Keep it naked though - don't add the toppings until you are ready to serve.
FAQ for Pumpkin Cheesecake
I had a whole bunch of canned pumpkin in my cupboard so I used some of that, but if you don't have any on hand you can easily make your own. Kelsey has a recipe for it in her book!
Graham crackers would work, or digestive biscuits if you're in NZ, otherwise any sort of vanilla cookie should work great. You may have to adjust the butter quantity - you want to aim for a wet sand consistency.
Kelsey has a version in her book, otherwise you can follow the steps in this recipe too. I would make 1.5 times the meringue in that recipe. Hold off adding it until just before serving.
A few wee tips for Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Low and slow is your friend when making pumpkin cheesecake. This recipe bakes for an hour, and then cools in the oven. It then finishes cooling at room temperature before going into the fridge. The slow cooling process and low baking temperature is what prevents the cracks on the top from forming.
- You want to make sure you don't have any big air bubbles in the cheesecake batter. To fix this, run a spatula through the batter a bunch of times (see recipe). Then, bang the mixing bowl on the counter a few times too to get rid of an big bubbles. Bubbles will rise to the top when baking and make the top surface bumpy.
- When you pull this out of the oven, and leave to cool at room temp, the filling may feel a little soft to the touch. Don't worry about that - it will firm up into the most perfect creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling in the fridge!
- Make sure you allow enough time for this to properly chill down. It needs 20 minutes in the oven then an hour or so at room temperature. Then it needs at least a few hours in the fridge to fully chill before you cut into it. This would be great to make ahead.
- Make sure your cream cheese is VERY room temperature. If not, you may end up with little lumps in your cheesecake batter. Take it out the night before if you can.
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Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 (8") cheesecake, serves 8 1x
Description
This Pumpkin Cheesecake has a smooth and creamy pumpkin filling and a buttery gingersnap crust, and is topped with piped whipped cream. This Cheesecake can easily be made ahead of time, and makes the most perfect dessert.
Ingredients
Gingersnap Crust
- 335g crushed homemade or store bought gingersnap cookies
- 85g unsalted butter, melted
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
Pumpkin Cheesecake
- 465g full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 100g granulated sugar
- 245g pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 2 large eggs, a room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
Whipped Cream Topping
- 300g heavy cream, cold
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste, optional
Instructions
GINGERSNAP CRUST
- Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. To make the crust, place the gingersnap cookies in a food processor or blender and blend into fine crumbs.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the gingersnap crumbs, butter, and salt. Press firmly into the bottom and sides of a greased 8" (20cm) springform pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until fragrant. Set aside to cool.
PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE FILLING
- Reduce the oven temperature to 260°f / 130°c. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and sugar on low for 1 to 2 minutes, until completely smooth. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature or the batter will have small lumps in it.
- Add the pumpkin puree, vanilla, flour, cinnamon and allspice and beat on low for 2 minutes, until smooth. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and gently run it through the batter to press out some of the air.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until barely mixed, and then add the yolk and beat on low until just incorporated. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and press out any air bubbles. Try not to over mix once the eggs are added.
- Pour the batter into the cooled crust and slam the entire pan down onto the counter firmly several times. You should see a few air bubbles pop on the surface. We don't want these bubbles rising through the batter while it bakes, as they can create a bumpy surface.
- Bake the cheesecake for 55 minutes, then turn off the oven, crack the door, and let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, run a thin knife around the edge and then leave in the pan for at least 1 hour.
- Carefully remove the springform pan wall piece and let the cheesecake come to room temperature before placing in to the fridge in an airtight container. Chill thoroughly before topping with whipped cream.
WHIPPED CREAM
- Using either a stand mixer or a whisk and a bowl, whip the cream and vanilla bean paste to medium peaks (you don’t want to take it to the stiff peak stage or you run the risk of splitting it and it not being nice to pipe).
- Transfer the cream to a piping bag fitted with your tip of choice (I used an ateco #826 Open Star Tip) and pipe the cream on the top of the chilled cheesecake. Alternatively swirl the whipped cream on top of the cheesecake.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Notes
Recipe reprinted with permission from "The Farmer's Daughter Bakes" by Kelsey Siemens
This looks perfect for the holidays!
★★★★★
Erin!! This made me so so happy to read, and your photos are so beautiful as always! Thank you thank you for such kind words, and for your consistent support and encouragement over the years <3 I appreciate it so much!!
Ahhhh of course! Congrats again on the book xx
Never tried pumpkin in baking as it’s not so common in uk so gave that one a shot and I liked it!
★★★★★
Yay! It's not common in NZ either (we mainly just eat it with roast!) but I love it in baking!