SPICED PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Spiced pumpkin cheesecake image

Provided by Lynnda Cloutier

Categories Cakes

Number Of Ingredients 20

1 cup ginger snap cookie crumbs, 24 small cookies
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs, four graham crackers
1/2 cup toasted pecan halves, pulsed in food processor
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoon sugar
pinch of salt
filling:
three packages cream cheese, room temperature, 8 ounces each
1 cup sugar
one can pumpkin purée, 15 ounces
three eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ground cloves
topping:
1 1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
lightly sweetened whipped cream, optional
glazed pecans, optional

Steps:

1. preheat the oven to 325°. Coat a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick spray. Mix ginger snap crumbs and graham cracker crumbs for the crust in a bowl. Add pecans. Stir in butter, the 2 tablespoon sugar, and salt until mixture is Sandy. Press crumbs into bottom and 1 inch up sides of the prepared pan. Bake crust until slightly Golden, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from the oven. Cool slightly.
2. Using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and the 1 cup sugar in a bowl until mixture is fluffy. Add pumpkin, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg. Beat mixture until smooth, scraping sides of the bowl. Pour filling into crust. Place springform pan on a baking sheet.
3. Bake cheesecake until sides are set but center still is jiggly, about 50 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven. Leave the oven on.
4. Whisk together sour cream and powdered sugar in a bowl. Spread topping over the cheesecake. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake until set, 15 minutes more. Turn off the oven and cracked open the door. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 20 minutes more. Remove cheesecake from the top. Allow cheesecake to cool in the pan on a rack for about an hour. Loosely cover cheesecake in a pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. To serve, remove ring from the springform pan. Slice cheesecake with a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry before each cut. Garnish individual servings with whipped cream and sugar pecans if desired.