pumpkin spice cheesecake

What started it all–my first perfect, crack-less, non-runny cheesecake. It was a thing of beauty, and tasted like autumnal bliss. Co-workers asked to pre-order my cookbook, my boss told me for the 100th time I need to quit my job and go to cooking school. The ladies said, in between bites, simply ‘oh..my…god.’

And by the time the idea for this blog was born, this was all that remained:

And so, with the end of this cheesecake, a beginning:

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake

Recipe from the “What Can I Bring Cookbook” by Anne Byrn

Ingredients:

For the Crust

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from 12 whole graham crackers)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Filling

• 4 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature (room temp is crucial)
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs

Method

1. Make the crust. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350.
2. Place the graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 c cup sugar, and butter in a small bowl and stir with fork until the crumbs are thoroughly moistened. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bak the crust in the oven until it is slightly browned around the edges, about 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool but leave the oven on.
3. Make the filling: Place the cream cheese and 1 1/4 cups of sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes (I did this by hand…hence the importance of the room temp. cream cheese). Add flour and beat until combined, then add pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla, beating only until just combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating only until each one is incorporated. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and pour the filling into it, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 and bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in it for 2 hours. Do not open the over door. (If you are like me and do not have a window in your oven, this will be sheer torture. stay strong.)
5. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool 1 hour. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours. Serve with whipped cream

I let my guy chill for a full 24 hours before consumption (only because that’s when I had time to make it. 4 hours should do yo just fine).

Enjoy!

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