I cracked out the ole’ Kitchen Aid mixer and attempted the baking of my delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie again this weekend, and I took some snapshots throughout the baking process.  When I posted about this magnificent edible masterpiece last month I had quite a few people request the recipe.  The most common issue I found with baking a cheesecake is keeping it from cracking during the cooling process.  I think the cooling process is the most difficult part of making one of these things.

So the helpful hints in this post are for others like my dear friend Rachel who, like myself had the cheesecake crack on their 1st attempt.  This time I nailed it, and I wanted to share the technique with you.

Combine cookie crumbs and butter.

Press onto bottom of 9 inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup of the sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until well blended.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended.

Remove 1 cup plain batter; place in small bowl.

Stir remaining 1/4 cup sugar, pumpkin and spices into remaining batter.

Spoon pumpkin batter into crust; top with spoonfuls of reserved plain batter.

Cut through batters with knife several times for marble effect.

Bake 45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

See no cracks!

Here are tips I used to keep my cheesecake masterpiece from looking like the Grand Canyon.

• Have everything at room temperature so the ingredients blend quickly.  The cream cheese should not just be softened, it should be soft.
• Don’t over mix.  This can add air to the mix which leads to pits and cracks.
• Run a knife along the edges, pressing the knife against the pan, to loosen the top. Cheesecake contracts as it cools and if the top edge remains stuck to the pan when it shrinks.
• Cool your cheesecake as slow as possible.  Remove your cheesecake from the oven after it’s 45 minutes are up, and place it on the counter to cool.  Make sure it is away from drafts and covered with foil, or cling wrap to help slow the cooling process.

If you would like to try this recipe you can get it here.

Derek and I had dinner with some friends Saturday night.   My friend Rachel made dinner (she’s wonderful at cooking), and I made dessert (I’m not too shabby at baking).  Rachel made a dish I’ve heard of but never tried, Chicken Tetrazzini, and it was so yummy.  I baked a Pumpkin Cheesecake which I have decided to name, PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE PIE.  I like the confusing title containing cake and pie because you can never quite pin down if you are tasting a pumpkin pie or a cheesecake.  Either way it was to die for.  I had intended to whip up some homemade whipped cream, but I ran out of time and didn’t have any heavy whipping cream at my disposal.  Oh well….the stuff in the can works too, and it keeps Derek entertained for days.  I love autumn because there are so many tasty treats you can make with pumpkin.  The next pumpkin treats I will tackle are some delicious looking Pumpkin Crème Pies.  I can’t wait!

…before going in the oven

…fresh out of the oven

After I put the Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie in the oven I decided to treat the puppies to a taste of HEAVEN...a.k.a – Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie. Derek stopped studying for a few to snap some shots of the, Puppy Pumpkin Lick Down.

After putting this bad boy in the oven we had to sit there; being tortured by the smell of what I can only imagine an Angels breath smells like.  Ahhhhhh! {eye lids fluttering, soft grin curling up on face as I drift into the memory of the smell of pumpkin, cinnamon, and cheesecake}  ……sorry I’m back now.

I lost myself for a second there.

Then after enduring a tortuous 45 minute bake time, and another 45 minutes of cooling on the counter; we still had to let the heavenly treat chill in the fridge for 4 more hours before we even begin to think about tasting it.  We toughed out the wait, and after a delectable dinner we were rewarded for our patience, with a little “slice” of heaven….baked in the form of Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie. This cheesecake was amazing.  All four of us had glutenous smiles on our faces as we devoured our slices of cheesecake.

I highly recommend this cheesecake for a holiday party (bake in a rectangular pan, and cut into bite size pieces) Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner, or just a casual get together with friends.  I promise people will beg you for the recipe.  I snapped a pic of the cheesecake without the springform pan around it just before we dug in.

Wait! I forgot to tell you…to bake the cheesecake I needed a 9″ spring form pan, so I told Derek that I would just by one of the pans sold at the grocery store while I was buying the ingredients.  To my surprise, he was all… if you are going to spend money on a new pan then I would rather you just buy one at William Sonoma that way at least you know it’s of decent quality.  So, I went to William Sonoma and purchased a new Kaiser La Forme Leakproof Springform Pan and a new cake carrier { BONUS }; all because I was making this dessert.  LUCKY ME!

Here’s the recipe to my delicious concoction…

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

INGREDIENTS

20 Nabisco Ginger Crisps, crushed  (using a food processor chop into crumbs)
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 (250 g) packages Brick Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 dash ground cloves

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom of 9 inch springform pan.
2. Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup of the sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Remove 1 cup plain batter; place in small bowl. Stir remaining 1/4 cup sugar, pumpkin and spices into remaining batter. Spoon pumpkin batter into crust; top with spoonfuls of reserved plain batter. Cut through batters with knife several times for marble effect.
3. Bake 45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Cut into 12 slices. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.