Pumpkin cheesecake

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Pumpkin cheesecake
This delectable recipe is courtesy of Mona Wise from WiseWords

FOR THE CHEESECAKE

5 packages of cream cheese (200g)

90g light brown sugar

425g of canned or fresh pumpkin

5 lovely large eggs (we used duck eggs)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

AND FOR THE CRUST

1 packet of gingernut biscuits

6 tablespoons of butter (melted and cool)

Make the crust first:

Pre-heat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Butter the sides and bottom of your Cheesecake pan. We used a 9” springform pan. Place a round piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan and butter the parchment too. Now, stop worrying about all the excessive butter.

Using your food processor, grind up the entire packet of gingernut biscuits. Or, use a baseball bat and a ziplock bag. It all depends on your agression level for the day.

Once the biscuits have been ground up in to a nice finely ground pulp stir in the melted butter until it is well combined. Press the crumbs onto the bottom of the pan and about an inch and a half up the sides too.

Bake for fifteen minutes then allow to cool on a rack. Once it has cooled, place a very large sheet of HEAVY aluminium foil underneath the cheesecake pan and wrap the bottom and sides, because the cheesecake is going to be baked in a water bath soon.

FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING

Lower the oven temperature to 160 C (325 F).

Using your stand mixer and the paddle attachment (not the whisk) beat the cream cheese and sugar at a meduim speed until fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add vanilla, pumpkin puree, salt and spices and beat at low speed until smooth.

Pour into the cooled crust.

Place the foil wrapped pan into a large roasting pan and carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan around the wrapped springform pan. Do not splash the cheesecake – even if you are terribly distracted.

Place the roasting pan in the oven and bake for a good hour until the cake is puffy around the edges but still jiggly in the middle.

Turn off the oven and open the door and let the cheesecake sit there for an hour.

Remove the pan from the oven and remove it from the roasting pan.

Allow it to cool on a wire rack.

Chill overnight. When ready to serve run a butter knife (dipped in boiling water) around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it up from the springform pan.

Serve with a small layer of sour cream icing. (Sour cream mixed with a few spoonfuls of icing sugar.

Visit Wise Words for more delicious recipes and fabulous food inspiration

Serves
6

Preparation Time
30 minutes

Cooking Time
60 minutes

Main ingredients
Flour, Vegetables, Sugar

Recipe Type
Cakes & Baking, Dessert, Easy, Cheesecake

Special Info
Vegetarian

Level of Difficulty
Medium

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