Heirloom Meals: Savoring Yesterday's Traditions Today

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup candied ginger, minced
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 stick melted butter

Filling Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups pumpkin flesh (we roast a sugar pumpkin and spoon out the flesh, canned is fine, too)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 3 eight oz packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp corn starch
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Topping Ingredients

  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp bourbon
  • 16 pecan halves

Crust Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients. Press into bottom and up the sides of a buttered 9” springform pan. Chill for an hour.

Filling Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt and light brown sugar
  2. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar, add the cream, cornstarch, vanilla and pumpkin mixture until smooth.
  3. Pour into crust and bake in middle of oven for 50 minutes or until the center is set. Remove and let cool on rack for 5 minutes. While cooling prepare the topping.

Topping Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the three ingredients. Spread over the cheesecake and return to oven for 5 minutes.
  2. Let cheesecake cool in pan on rack and then in refrigerator overnight.
  3. Remove springform pan sides, garnish with pecans and enjoy!
  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 50 minutes
  • Total time: 1 hour & 30 minutes

Yield: 15 servings