Wow, so many great entries into the Williams-Sonoma gift certificate contest. Everyone seems to be in need of baking sheets and mixers and food processors and cupcake pans.
After hearing all the stories, I will now be eternally worried about those of who expressed the dire situations of the electrical prowess of your appliances. I'm sure I will never sleep again. Visions of smoking mixers and blenders, melted spatulas, teflon-less pans, burning toaster ovens and one-bladed-cracked-apart food processors are now filling my head. Not to mention all the college students who are having to cook meals with only one pan, a dull, sometimes plastic knife and a salad spinner at their disposal. How do you all do it?
This contest has completely stressed me out thinking about all your warped baking sheets, handle-less pans, chipped dishes, mismatched-glasses and missing measuring spoons. I have had a cold wash cloth on my forehead ever since the responses started coming in. But overall, I am glad I will at least be able to help one person get some shiny, new loot. Can I come shopping with you?
So without further chatting, the random winner of the Williams-Sonoma $200 gift certificate is:
Comment #510 - Bonnie..."I think that there should be a rule that after so many years of marriage you must have another bridal shower! After 22 years of marriage...lots of things need to be replaced. Well...some things have been replaced along the way...but I would love to replace lots of other things. One that immediately comes to mind is my knife set. I have the same set since I got married and they are awful!! Were great way back when...but now...I think they need to be put out of their misery. Oh yeah...my cookie sheets too!
I agree!! Second bridal showers for everyone!
Bonnie- contact me at cathy@noblepig.com from the email address you used to leave a comment so I can verify it's you!
Now on to cheesecake....
Who doesn't love pumpkin cheesecake (a million hands just went up, right?). And who wouldn't love pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap-pecan crust? Well you've come to the right place.
I often prefer pumpkin cheesecake to pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, it has such a creamy, yummy texture and is a good addition to all the other desserts I will be making for the Thanksgiving dessert buffet.
Let's make it...
To make the crust, preheat oven to 350o F. Butter an 8" springform pan (make sure it's the right size). Cover the outside of pan with 2 layers of foil. Stir together all crust ingredients. Press into bottom and up sides of pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool on a rack.
To make the filling, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and both sugars until light. Beat in eggs and yolks, 1 at a time. Beat in pumpkin, sour cream and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour and spice. Pour into crust.
Place cheesecake into large roasting pan, as you see here. Fill pan with 2" of hot water. Bake until cake is set around the edges but still slightly jiggly when lightly shaken (cake will firm as it cools), 55 to 65 minutes. Once you check the cake for doneness, turn off the oven and leave the door closed for several hours. It is the sudden changes in temperature that cause cracks in the tops of a cheesecake so let it slowly cool down in the oven.
After several hours it will still be warm, go ahead and pull it out of the oven, still in the roasting pan of water and let it cool more on the counter. Once cooled, remove it from the water, cover it and refrigerate it overnight or up to 2 days. Here it is...crackless cheesecake.
You can really see the creaminess of this cheesecake here as the sunshine glistens away. I better eat it quick.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crust:
1-1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
Filling:
Three 8 ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
To make the crust, preheat oven to 350o F. Butter an 8" springform pan (make sure it's the right size). Cover the outside of pan with 2 layers of foil. Stir together all crust ingredients. Press into bottom and up sides of pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool on a rack.
To make the filling, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and both sugars until light. Beat in eggs and yolks, 1 at a time. Beat in pumpkin, sour cream and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour and spice. Pour into crust.
Place cheesecake into large roasting pan, as you see here. Fill pan with 2" of hot water. Bake until cake is set around the edges but still slightly jiggly when lightly shaken (cake will firm as it cools), 55 to 65 minutes. Once you check the cake for doneness, turn off the oven and leave the door closed for several hours. It is the sudden changes in temperature that cause cracks in the tops of a cheesecake so let it slowly cool down in the oven.
After several hours it will still be warm, go ahead and pull it out of the oven, still in the roasting pan of water and let it cool more on the counter. Once cooled, remove it from the water, cover it and refrigerate it overnight or up to 2 days.
Other cheesecake recipes you might enjoy:
Mini Baked Cheesecakes with Strawberries
Mom's New York Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce
Mini Peanut Butter-Finger Cheesecakes
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Congrats Bonnie… yes to a 2nd bridal shower, and then a third one too please! That’s a fab cheesecake Cathy! Easy to make, and looks delish!
Hey, you mentioned taking the pan out of the water, but never put anything about putting the water IN the roasting pan. How much? Just a little? Half full? I need to know, as I will definitely be making this for Thanksgiving! Also, loved learning the new tip about the cracks in the cheesecake!
Well that is a problem isn’t it? Okay, 2 inches of hot water into the pan.
Congrats Bonnie and this cheesecake looks unreal…thank you for sharing this recipe!!!
love pumpkin cheesecake. gingersnaps is an excellent idea cath. that was an awesome giveaway you had. congrats to the winner indeed!
Congratulations Bonnie! I shall now drown my sorrows in cheesecake…
I have to say that this is in my opinion the best way to eat pumpkin!!!
Congrats to Bonnie! What a fun shopping trip that will be!
I’m on vacation so just found out about this giveaway when I was able to get internet again. Cathy, you are the bomb with these amazing giveaways!
The pumpkin cheesecake looks fabulous. It’s similar to mine which I haven’t posted yet, but definitely must soon.
Hugs,
Shirley
Congrats to Bonnie! Second bridal showers is a great idea, maybe we could call them “way to hang in there” showers
Congrats to Bonnie! It sounds like she can put that gift to good use!
Pumpkin cheesecake…I love it! My sister-in-law makes a fabulous one and I request for every birthday and family gathering! Thanks for this one too!
pumpkin cheesecake is probably my favorite dessert. this looks so delicious!
Hi,
Discovered your blog by accident and stumbled across this delicious looking pumpkin cheesecake. Can’t wait to try it! Pumpkins are plentiful in Portugal at the moment, and cheap! I am ashamed to confess I have never cooked with them before.
Kind regards
PigletinPortugal
Congrats to Bonnie!
ZOOBAMOOFOO that cheesecake looks good!
Agreed! The gingersnap crust is a must with pumpkin cheesecake, yummy- I would lovethe addition of the pecans too.
congrats Bonnie!
I know a lot of people will find this hard to believe, but people who are not married cook as well, and we don’t even get ONE bridal shower. Here is to bachelorette showers for those of us who haven’t made the what is the often poor decision to get married and want to cook anyway!
The cheesecake looks incredible. I love all the pumpkin recipes this time of year.
I am drooling!! I love anything with pumpkin, especially this and have always wanted to make it myself!!! thank you!!
Congrats to the lucky winner too!
I had to laugh at you listing people’s descriptions of their decrepit appliances! My daughter is studying in France this year (lucky girl) and is responsible for all of her own meals for the first ime in her life. Their apartment has been deemed the “best” among her ffellow students but has very little hot water and no oven! Fixing meals has been a challenge for them!
Try it with a bourban pecan sauce….it’s even more delicious!
Thanks everyone for your kind words! I was in shock when I saw my name….I first thought…”Oh there’s another Bonnie S.!” Then I read on in disbelief that I was the Bonnie!
I am stll deciding. So many wonderful items to choose from. I had it all picked and then my husband got in on the act. He’s a great cook and he’s wanting a new saute pan. Me…I was aiming for a knife that Cathy recommended and a panini grill. I’ll have to add a bit…but still…what a wonderful gift!
I’ll let you know what the final decision is!
Bonnie
Cathy,
Your pictures and recipes always make me hungry! LOL – Pumpkin Cheesecake is in the oven cooling as I type – can hardly wait to taste it – not sure we can wait until tomorrow! Will have to try it again as mine cracked – guess I’ll have to cover the cracks with whipped cream! mmmmmm…….
Thanks again for your awesome blog!
Wow this looks like the best pumpkin cheesecake!
Cathy,
This is the best ever pumpkin cheesecake! The hardest part is to wait overnight for it to set! I waited and was oh so glad!!! My top cracked while in the oven baking – I did not have it on the middle rack – I think it was too close to the top of the oven – next time (oh and there will be oodles of next times!) I’ll try a lower position in my oven. All I can say is DELISH!!!!
Thanks for sharing your love for food with us!
Rose
Ok, that sounds amazing. I’m assuming you just drizzle over the top before serving? Can you provide a link to the apprpriate recipe, as I found a few online.