Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

The fall season has arrived and it is now October! The first thing I think about is...PUMPKIN!

Picture found online.

I absolutely LOVE pumpkin cheesecake and Paula Deen's recipe does not disappoint! Her recipe does not call for a topping, but I think adding the cinnamon whipped cream just adds another dimension of flavor that subtly complements the cheesecake! When baking, I encourage using brown eggs for more custard-like recipes since it just holds better. It is also important that the cream cheese is completely room temperature or else you will end up getting lumps in the filling. No worries though! If you are in a rush or simply do not have the patience, just mix all the ingredients for the filling together and use a food processor, regular blender, or an immersion blender to break up the lumps. Another tip is to bake the cheesecake in a water bath to avoid cracks in the cheesecake. You would need a large enough deep pan that would accommodate the springform pan.

Yields: 8 servings or more depending upon how you slice the cheesecake!

You will need a 9-inch springform pan. Anything smaller will overflow.

Ingredients:

Crust

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (do not get the honey flavored graham crackers)

3 tbsp. light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 stick salted butter, melted

Filling

3 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, room temp.

1 (15 oz.) can pureed pumpkin

3 brown eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1/4 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg (fresh is very important)

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon. Add melted butter and mix until everything is coated. Press down flat into the pan and press crumbs to surround the side as well. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar, spices, flour and vanilla extract. Beat together on medium until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and tap it on a table a few times to get rid of air bubbles. If you are using a water bath, cover the bottom of the springform pan with a big enough piece of aluminum foil so that it creates a cocoon around the pan like so:

Found this picture online

Place the springform pan into a deeper pan and fill that pan 1/3 - 1/2 of the way with water. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours. Once the cheesecake is ready to eat, whip up the topping really quick and enjoy! Pour the heavy cream into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until thick and frothy. Add the confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon and beat until medium peaks form. Careful not to over beat.

Happy baking!

Happy eating!