Description
Ina Garten’s pumpkin cheesecake offers a luxurious autumn dessert blending creamy richness with warm spices. Silky smooth filling nestles atop a graham cracker crust, promising delightful seasonal comfort you will savor to the last bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 packages (8 oz / 226 g) cream cheese, softened
- 6 eggs
- 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) pumpkin
- 1.75 cups sugar
- 1.5 cups finely ground gingersnap cookies
- 5 tbsps (74 ml) butter, melted
- 0.25 cup finely ground walnuts
- 0.25 cup sugar
- 3 tbsps all-purpose flour
- 1.5 tsps pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Crust Preparation: Pulverize gingersnap cookies and walnuts into fine crumbs, blending with sugar and melted butter. Press the mixture firmly into a 10-inch springform pan, creating an even base that climbs slightly up the sides.
- Cream Cheese Base: Whip cream cheese, sugar, and flour until silky smooth. Integrate eggs individually, ensuring each is thoroughly incorporated. Fold in vanilla extract, maintaining a luxurious, velvety consistency.
- Pumpkin Infusion: Separate the cream cheese mixture, reserving a portion. Introduce an additional egg, ground pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin puree to the remaining base, stirring until achieving a uniform amber-toned blend.
- Layering Technique: Alternate pumpkin and original cream cheese mixtures in the prepared crust, creating a marbled effect by gently swirling with a spoon to produce an artistic, swirled pattern.
- Baking Process: Initiate baking at 500°F for 10 minutes, then immediately reduce temperature to 200°F. Continue baking for approximately 90 minutes, covering with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. Allow the cheesecake to rest in the oven with the door slightly open for 20-30 minutes after cooking.
- Cooling and Setting: Transfer to a wire rack, allowing 15 minutes of room temperature cooling. Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight to achieve optimal texture and flavor integration.
Notes
- Precise Crust Pressing: Firmly pack the gingersnap-walnut mixture to create a stable, compact base that won’t crumble when serving.
- Temperature Technique: The high-heat initial baking followed by low-temperature cooking prevents cracking and ensures a creamy, smooth cheesecake texture.
- Gradual Egg Incorporation: Add eggs one at a time and mix gently to maintain a silky, lump-free batter that prevents overbeating and potential separation.
- Cooling Ritual: Allowing the cheesecake to cool slowly in the oven and then at room temperature helps prevent surface cracks and promotes even setting.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 47 g
- Sodium: 370 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 17 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 160 mg