In my family, the holidays mean big family dinners, tons of food.....and an upset stomach the next day from indulging so much. But I have to say, Thanksgiving and Christmas wouldn't be the same without the homemade pumpkin cheesecake - and my goodness I love pumpkin cheesecake! So, I hope my family's tradition can live on in your family too through this recipe.
Crust
- 1 box of vanilla wafers, crumbled to bread crumb consistency
- 1/4 tsp powdered ginger
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), melted
- 1/8 cup of sugar
For the crust, preheat your oven to 350. Combine crust ingredients and press into 10” springform pan. Put in oven and watch for around 10 minutes, just until the edges start getting a little bit of color and you smell the spices. Take out and reduce temperature to 325 while you prepare the filling.
Filling
- 4 8oz bricks of cream cheese
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tbs maple syrup
- 3 tbs brandy (I use Christian Brothers Brandy - pretty cheap)
- 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup cooked canned pumpkin (just pumpkin, no pumpkin mix or pie filling)
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy and light - this may take a few minutes. Add maple syrup, brandy, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Blend well, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Lastly, add heavy cream and pumpkin. Mix well - there shouldn't be any clumps and don't worry, because you cant over mix the filling.
Pour filling into prepared crust and bake for 45 minutes (at 325). Turn oven off and DON’T OPEN DOOR FOR 1 HR!!! Take out - center may be slightly jiggl-ee, but it will set fine with refrigeration. Edges should only be a little darkened, and don't sweat it if your cake cracked - it happens to the best of us and will be covered with the topping. Turn oven up to 375 for the topping.
Topping
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbs maple syrup
- 1 tbs brandy
- 1/2 cup whole raw almonds, sauted in butter
For the topping, blend the sour cream and all other topping ingredients except almonds. Spread over cake evenly. Put in oven and cook for only 10 minutes. Top shouldn’t look baked or solidified (it hardens up a bit when it cools). Set the cheesecake on the counter and let it come to room temperature itself. Decorate the top with the sauted almonds and then chill for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator before serving.
Hope you enjoy this family recipe and experience the joy of spending the holidays with loved ones.
