Pumpkin Cheesecake

Happy Birthday Paul.


I asked my husband what he wanted for his birthday cake and it was an immediate "cheesecake" response....But then it took him several more requests to get a more specific flavor.


Finally he decided on pumpkin.  Possibly in no small part because he is SOO practical and noticed the 15 frozen containers of pumpkin puree while digging around in our freezer.  You may remember that our garden produced a healthy supply last summer.

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Origin: Unknown

Crust
9 oz Oreos, finely crushed
6 T. butter, melted*
Filling
10oz pumpkin puree
1/2 c brown sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
5 oz Half and half
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c sugar
1 T. cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 ground cloves
dash of salt
3 (8oz) cream cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Mix cookie crumbs and butter.  Press mixture firmly onto the bottom and of 9-inch spring-form pan.  Bake until crust is set, about 8-10 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugars, cornstarch and spices until smooth.  Add eggs and beat on low until combined.  Add pumpkin, milk and vanilla and stir to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Wrap spring-form pan with foil and place on rimmed baking sheet to catch dips.  Pour pumpkin mixture into prepared crust.  Bake at 350 deg F for 50-60 minutes or until the center is just set.  Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 30 minutes.  Refrigerate for 4 hours or over night.  Remove sides of spring-form pan to serve.

I poured a layer of ganache over the top of this one for an added hit of chocolate, cause that's how I roll.  It's still very tasty without it.

*Note:  I would decrease the amount of butter slightly as it was quite difficult to get the crust off the bottom of the pan...Maybe the butter had something to do with that.

Sorry I don't have any photos...We ate it THAT fast.