Pumpkin Cheesecake

My Hubby's favorite dessert is Cheesecake. I never thought it would be possible to make it at home, but when I saw this recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake....it seemed like the dish was calling his name!  I had been wanting to make something special for him (since he is the one who bakes for me quite often!) and knew this would be the right dessert!

In my Hubby's words: "The cheesecake was similar to pumpkin pie, slightly richer. It was the perfect blend between the traditional pumpkin pie and cheesecake." 

I ended up making two pies from the ingredients listed below. One pie was made in a store-bought crust and the other one was a homemade crust. I strongly recommend making your own crust because the cinnamon flavor from the Graham Crackers and brown sugar will add an additional pumpkini, fall-ish flavor to the cheesecake.

This recipe is courtesy of Paula Deen found at the Food Network. 

Ingredients: 

•  cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
• 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*I also added a bit of ginger - I had seen that ingredient listed in other recipes I looked at online. 

Steps: 

1. Beat cream cheese until is smooth. 

2. Add sugar 

sugar and cream cheese -- what a delightful combination! 

3. Add remaining ingredients, except the Puree Pumpkin. 

4. The most awaited moment: add the puree pumpkin and pour into crust.

5. Bake it for 1 hr. 

If you make your own crust, bake the mixture with the raw crust as well. It will cook simultaneously. 

6. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 15 minutes. Refrigerate for four hrs or overnight. 

What type of pumpkin desserts have you made this season? 

~ Fabi