Pumpkin Cheesecake

For whatever reason I got the craving for a pumpkin cheesecake at Thanksgiving dinner this past weekend, so this recipe is the love child of that craving! I mostly followed the lovely pumpkin cheesecake recipe from Natasha's Kitchen, with some tweaks to up the flavour a bit. The original is definitely worth checking out, especially if you like a sweeter cheesecake.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 graham cracker crust*

340g / 12oz of cream cheese (room temperature)

1/2 cup to 2/3 cup of packed light brown sugar**

200ml / 7.5oz of pumpkin purée

2 eggs (whisked)

2 tablespoons of sour cream

1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of nutmeg

1 teaspoon of rum extract

1/2 teaspoon of ginger

1/2 teaspoon of cardamom

1/4 teaspoon of ground clove

1/4 teaspoon of salt

*Feel free to follow the link in the intro to a recipe for a homemade crust, but I usually buy a crust from the shop. If you use a spring-form pan double the other ingredients.

**I don't love super sweat desserts, but I do like there to be more sweetness than the half a cup gives. My spouse loves just-off-savory desserts, however, and prefers the half cup. The original recipe called for three quarters of a cup. Do as you feel led!

Directions

1) Set your oven to at 165 degrees Celsius (325 degrees Fahrenheit) and place a bread pan half-filled with hot water in the oven.

2) While the oven's heating up beat the cream cheese and brown sugar until they're well combined and fluffy.

3) Stir together the remaining ingredients for the cheesecake in a separate bowl.

4) Gradually whisk the pumpkin mixture into the cream cheese 'n sugar until fully combined.

5) Add the filling to the crust, gently tap to remove any air bubbles, and then place on a middle rack in the oven and bake for 50 minutes or until the edges are set and the centre is just slightly wobbly.

6) Once the cheesecake is set turn the oven off, crack the door, and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 30 minutes to avoid cracking.

7) After the 30 minutes is up remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool further on the counter, then chill in the fridge. Serve as is or with whipped cream, and enjoy!