pumpkin cheesecake.

last year, for christmas, i asked for a spring-form pan and i actually got one from my boyfriend! i was so excited. i had so many plans for making all kinds of cheesecake. well, not so much. 

cheesecake is so delicious and i do love it but it is kind of a pain to make. 

not to mention, you can't really eat it right away. like don't even plan on eating it the same day. and to be honest, if i am putting the effort in to baking something, i'm thinking that i'm probably not gonna want to wait twenty fours to eat it. 

maybe that's just me. 

however, i am totally powerless when it comes to pumpkin so when i saw the recipe for a pumpkin cheesecake over at brown eyed baker, i knew i had to try it!

i was a little nervous about baking a cheesecake...i really didn't want it to crack or have air bubbles so i am so thankful this one turned out! 

p.s. i am really, really sorry if you are sick of pumpkin...i promise not to post any more pumpkin recipes for a while!  plus, i have a hard time getting appetizing pictures of anything pumpkin...it drives me crazy!

pumpkin cheesecake + printable version

--recipe from brown eyed baker

crust:
2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (i crushed the cookies in my blender)

2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
pinch of salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

cheesecake:
32 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
4 eggs, at room temperature
2½ tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. double-wrap the bottom and outside of a 9-inch spring-form pan with heavy duty foil. 

in  a large bowl, mix together the crust ingredients and press into the bottom and on the sides of the spring-form pan. bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. remove from oven and cool completely.

bring a large pot of water to a boil to use for a water bath.

in a large bowl or mixer, beat together the cream cheese and the sugars on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about three minutes. add the pumpkin and mix on low until completely fully blended. add the eggs one at a time, beating well until fully incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. next, add the heavy cream and vanilla and beat until well combined, about one minute. lastly, add the cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, cloves and allspice and mix on low to blend.

pour the batter into crust. **tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles. 

place the pan into a larger pan and pour the boiling water into the larger pan until it is about halfway up the spring-form pan.

lower oven temperature to 325 F and bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the edges are set, but the middle still jiggles a little. keep the cheesecake in the oven for about an hour with the door closed. remove from the oven, remove from water bath, take off foil and place on wire rack to cool completely for about two hours. when completely cool, place in refrigerator for at least six hours or overnight. 

serve with whipped cream and drizzled with caramel sauce, if desired.

leftover cheesecake can be wrapped in plastic wrap for about four days or can be frozen for two months.