As promised, Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream
 

Pumpkin Cheesecake

32 oz. of cream cheese, softened
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 recipe Pecan Graham Cracker Crust, as follows
1 recipe Cinnamon Whipped Cream, as follows

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a large bowl, or mixer, and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the pumpkin and beat until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and pour the mixture into your cooled Pecan Graham Cracker Crust. Place the springform pan in a larger baking pan and add water about one inch up the side.**

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for one hour and 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the springform pan to a wire rack to completely cool. Cover the pan and refrigerate overnight. Loosen the cheesecake from the side of the pan and remove the side of the pan. Place the cheesecake on a serving plate and top with Cinnamon Whipped Cream.


Pecan Graham Cracker Crust

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons melted butter

Combine the pecans, graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl and toss to mix well. Add the butter and mix to the consistency of wet sand. Press the mixture evenly over the bottom of a 9-inch* springform pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with foil to make it watertight. Set aside.


Cinnamon Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine the whipping cream, confectioners sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a small bowl. Beat at low speed until well blended. Beat at high speed until stiff peaks form. Top pumpkin cheesecake.

*I use a 10-inch springform with good results, as sometimes the mixture overflows a 9-inch making it hard to remove from the pan later.

**I usually put a pan of water on the rack under the cheesecake, so I don't have to worry about a watertight pan.

Credit where it's due: This recipe comes from our local Junior League cookbook and was created by Brad Barden.

Goodness gracious! Gotta try it!

It sounds like a lot of stuff, and a lot of work, but it's certainly worth it.

No harder than making praline for the topping on my favorite pumpkin cheesecake!

BTW, this works great: put your springform pan in a roasting bag, set it down in the water and fold the top back so you don't get condensation dripping back into the cheesecake. I actually let mine cool in the water bath and used the bag to lift the pan out of the water, wiped the outside dry, put a twist tie on it, and took it to dinner right in the bag!

Thanks for the recipe, I'll have to try this to see if it's competition for next Hannaka!

There's a Hannaka cheesecake competition? Who'd've thought it?

:lol: Not really. At the end of Thanksgiving dinner, I ask hubby's nephew what kind of cheesecake he wants me to bring for the Hannaka celebration.

I still haven't found out what kind the mother-in-law's roommate wants for her birthday in January...

My favorite cheesecake is still good ol' plain, pure, unadulterated New York style cheesecake with nary a graham cracker in sight.

That's pretty much what hubby is getting for his birthday, although he sez that's not when he wants it. He interrupted the discussion with the roommate to try to veto the chocolate cheesecakes we were discussing, but it ain't his birthday, is it?

A discussion on food I can finally chime in on. I love cheesecake! Especially with strawberries on top. Cherries will do, which is usually the case when dining out, but strawberries....Although I do like the graham cracker crust better. Think I'll see if I can bribe the wife into making one.

We have raspberries in the freezer...

Those are two things I wouldn't have with cheesecake--graham cracker crusts and raspberries--and for the same reason: The flavor of both graham crackers and raspberries is so strong that you might as well leave out the cheesecake.