Skip to main content

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake from Smitten Kitchen

 I made this for Thanksgiving this year and we loved it!! I couldn't find gingersnaps at the local store and will definitely try that next year.  







    FOR CRUST
  • 3/4 cup graham cracker (from five 4 3/4- by 2 1/4-inch crackers) or gingersnap crumbs
  • 1/2 cup (50 grams) pecans, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup (45 grams) packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  • 4 tablespoons (55 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • Two pinches of salt
    • FOR FILLING
  • 1 15-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup (95 grams) packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) bourbon liqueur or bourbon (optional)
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
  • 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
    • FOR TOPPING
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon bourbon liqueur or bourbon (optional)
  • Garnish: pecan halves
Make crust: Invert bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (to create flat bottom, which will make it easier to remove cake from pan), then lock on side and butter pan.

Stir together crumbs, pecans, sugars, and butter in a bowl until combined well. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of pan, then chill crust, 1 hour, although, honestly, I do it for much less these days, often only 15 to 20 minutes.

Make filling and bake cheesecake: Put oven rack in middle position and heat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and liqueur (if using) in a bowl until combined. Stir together granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in large bowl. Add cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, then add pumpkin mixture and beat until smooth.

Pour filling into crust, smoothing top, then put springform pan in a shallow baking pan (in case springform leaks). Bake until center is just set, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool 5 minutes. (Leave oven on.)

Make topping: Whisk together sour cream, sugar, and liqueur (if using) in a bowl, then spread on top of cheesecake and bake 5 additional minutes.

Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 3 hours. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours. Remove side of pan and bring back to room temperature before serving.

Do ahead: Baked cheesecake can be chilled, covered, up to 1 week.

A few ways I’ve simplified this recipe over the decade-plus I’ve been making it:

Do you have a food processor? If so, listen closely: this recipe is easier than you can imagine. For the crust, you can go ahead and grind your cookies and pecans (no need to pre-chop, although it helps to break up the cookies a little), and sugars together to make fine crumbs, then even add cold (!) butter in cubes and run the machine until the mixture clumps. You can then wipe out your food processor bowl (not even fully wash it, it doesn’t matter) and make the cheesecake layer in there. But I put the ingredients in a different order: First in the bowl go the sugars, then cold (!) cream cheese, cut into a few chunks. Blend and blend together until it’s absolutely smooth, no lumps at all. Scrape down the sides. Now add pumpkin, cornstarch, salt, and spices and blend to combine. Add the eggs one at time, blending briefly between additions. Add the vanilla, cream and bourbon, if using. That’s it; you can go ahead and pour it over the crust now and bake it as written above.

Want to make cheesecake bars? Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch cake pan with one large piece of foil with no tears in it. (I find that flipping your cake pan over and molding the foil over top and sides first, before flipping it back over and lining the pan with this foil, causes less tearing.) Coat it lightly with butter or nonstick spray. Either 1.5x or 2x the crust recipe so you have a substantial enough base for a bar. Press it across the bottom and then 1/2-inch up the sides, then chill it as you do above. Make the pumpkin layer as written above and pour it on top. This bakes at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes (check it at 30, then 35 to be safe), i.e. it’s much faster. Continue with the sour cream topping as written. To serve it once it’s totally chilled, carefully lift the whole pan out using the foil sling and transfer it to your counter. Use a knife dipped in hot water to make clean slices, and wipe the knife between cuts. I cut mine into 24 squares.

Want to make even fewer cheesecake squares? You could halve the recipe (but use a full yield of the crust) in an 8×8-inch square pan. The baking time is 30 to 40 minutes, about the same as the full-size bars.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spicy Tomato coconut Bisque with Shrimp and Mushrooms

This recipe from NTY hit all the notes!  mildly spiced and the herbed mushrooms were perfect as a topping! Ingredients: 1   (14-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes 1   (12-ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped (about 1 cup) 4   tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling 8   ounces mixed fresh mushrooms, such as oyster, maitake or shiitake, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 4 loose cups) 2   garlic cloves, peeled and sliced 1   (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced 2   fresh makrut lime leaves (or 1 tablespoon lime zest)   Kosher salt ¼   cup sliced scallions 2   shallots, peeled and diced 1   tablespoon tomato paste 1   (13-ounce) can coconut milk ½   red habanero chile, seeds removed 1   pound large (tail-on) shrimp, peeled and deveined (or 1 pound any firm white fish, such as halibut, cut into 2-inch pieces)   Steamed white or brown rice, for serving 1  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Spicy Chorizo Chili with Pinto Beans

I had this with Soyrizo instead of meat and it was perfect.  The heat is well balanced and we used Rancho Gordo pinto beans, so creamy and smooth!  Definitely a hit! Ingredients Ingredient Checklist 1 tablespoon olive oil 12 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo, casings removed 1 yellow onion, chopped 1 poblano chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon garlic powder 2 15-oz. cans no-salt-added pinto beans, drained and rinsed  if you want a shortcut but I did Rancho Gordo beans in the Instapot and froze what we didn't use in the chili! 3 cups unsalted chicken broth   diced avocado, finely shredded cabbage, chopped fresh cilantro, and lime wedges, for serving. Prep: Directions Instructions Checklist Step 1 Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add chorizo in large chunks; cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Break up chorizo with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring occasionall...
Post a Comment
Read more

Saffron Spiced Butter Paparadelle

 This is Heidi Swanson's recipe that I have been making for years!  You can use any vegetable, I've done it in the winter with shaved brussel sprouts, in the spring with snap peas, and love the asparagus as it's written.  Comes together easy and it special enough for a casual dinner with friends! Ingredients 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads pinch of salt 1 stick / 4 oz / 100 g butter 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 6 medium shallots, chopped 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon scant 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/4 teaspoon+ fine grain sea salt black pepper 1/2 pound / 8 oz / 225 g dried pappardelle egg pasta 1/2 pound / 8 oz / 225 g asparagus, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds splash of cream 1/2 cup / 2 oz / 60 g pine nuts, toasted and chopped 2 tablespoons roughly chopped mint 2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley Place a large pot of water ...
Post a Comment
Read more