Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Bourbon Pecan Sauce
Guys.. this is probably one of THE best foods I've ever eaten. I'm talking dinner, and dessert, anything at all. Definitely in the top 5 and I'm clearly making it again at Christmas. If not sooner! My only regret is that there's none left.
I made this for Thanksgiving.. we ALL had seconds on the cheesecake, it was that good! We also had a pie from a notorious local pie company, that didn't hold a candle to this cheesecake. You're probably going to want to make it for yourself this holiday season.. Just sayin'.. :)
Not sure why the photo is a tad blurry in some spots, I was using my mom's camera.
I only made ONE substitution to this, and that was to use whipping cream instead of plain yogurt, only because that's what I had. I will ALWAYS go with this! Not only was it flavorful, the sauce was amazing, but the cheesecake itself was almost.. dare I say.. 'fluffy'. It was on the lighter side of the cheesecakes, which probably plays into account for the reason we were able to stuff in 2 pieces that night ;)
If you make this, plan a head. Make the cheesecake a day ahead so it can sit/cool in the fridge overnight.
Believe it or not, this is faily easy of a recipe. I did do the water/foil thing they mentioned, so I don't know what the results would be like if you didn't.
spiced pumpkin cheesecake with caramel-bourbon sauce
Bon Appétit | November 2005
Cheesecake basics:
• To avoid overbeating the filling, make sure that all of the ingredients are at room temperature.
• To get the neatest slices, dip the blade of the knife into a glass of very hot water and wipe the warm blade dry before cutting each wedge of cake.
Servings: Makes 12 servings.
Ingredients
Crust
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted, cooled
3 tablespoons golden brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Filling
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
4 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt [**NOTE: This is where I used 1/3 Cup whipping cream, NOT yogurt. I think it came out great and possibly lighter because of the whipping cream! Not only that but you need to buy the whipping cream for the sauce anyway so you may as well go ahead and use it!]
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Large pinch of salt
Sauce
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted, cooled
Preparation
For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Grind first 4 ingredients in processor until nut mixture sticks together. Press evenly onto bottom of pan. Bake crust until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely. Wrap outside of pan in triple layer of heavy-duty foil.
For filling:
Using mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, and lemon peel in large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then pumpkin, yogurt, flour, vanilla, spices, and salt. Pour into pan.
Set springform pan in roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cheesecake. [NOTE: Mine went up probably about 1/3rd of the way high up the pan.. but my pan was also about 1/2" taller than the suggested height]. Place in oven. Bake until outer 3 inches puff slightly and center is softly set, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool in water bath 30 minutes. Remove from water. Cut around sides of cake to loosen. Refrigerate in pan until cold, about 4 hours. Cover and chill overnight.
For sauce:
Bring sugar, cream, butter, corn syrup, and salt to boil in deep medium saucepan, whisking until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium; boil 1 minute without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in bourbon, then pecans. Cool, stirring occasionally.
Remove foil. Cut around pan sides; remove sides. Cut cheesecake into wedges; spoon sauce over.
----------
I'm still drooling over this. You'd never know I hate pumpkin/pumpkin pie by all my recipes that make pumpkin taste amazing!
I made this for Thanksgiving.. we ALL had seconds on the cheesecake, it was that good! We also had a pie from a notorious local pie company, that didn't hold a candle to this cheesecake. You're probably going to want to make it for yourself this holiday season.. Just sayin'.. :)
Not sure why the photo is a tad blurry in some spots, I was using my mom's camera.
I only made ONE substitution to this, and that was to use whipping cream instead of plain yogurt, only because that's what I had. I will ALWAYS go with this! Not only was it flavorful, the sauce was amazing, but the cheesecake itself was almost.. dare I say.. 'fluffy'. It was on the lighter side of the cheesecakes, which probably plays into account for the reason we were able to stuff in 2 pieces that night ;)
If you make this, plan a head. Make the cheesecake a day ahead so it can sit/cool in the fridge overnight.
Believe it or not, this is faily easy of a recipe. I did do the water/foil thing they mentioned, so I don't know what the results would be like if you didn't.
spiced pumpkin cheesecake with caramel-bourbon sauce
Bon Appétit | November 2005
Cheesecake basics:
• To avoid overbeating the filling, make sure that all of the ingredients are at room temperature.
• To get the neatest slices, dip the blade of the knife into a glass of very hot water and wipe the warm blade dry before cutting each wedge of cake.
Servings: Makes 12 servings.
Ingredients
Crust
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted, cooled
3 tablespoons golden brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Filling
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
4 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt [**NOTE: This is where I used 1/3 Cup whipping cream, NOT yogurt. I think it came out great and possibly lighter because of the whipping cream! Not only that but you need to buy the whipping cream for the sauce anyway so you may as well go ahead and use it!]
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Large pinch of salt
Sauce
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted, cooled
Preparation
For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Grind first 4 ingredients in processor until nut mixture sticks together. Press evenly onto bottom of pan. Bake crust until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely. Wrap outside of pan in triple layer of heavy-duty foil.
For filling:
Using mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, and lemon peel in large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then pumpkin, yogurt, flour, vanilla, spices, and salt. Pour into pan.
Set springform pan in roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cheesecake. [NOTE: Mine went up probably about 1/3rd of the way high up the pan.. but my pan was also about 1/2" taller than the suggested height]. Place in oven. Bake until outer 3 inches puff slightly and center is softly set, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool in water bath 30 minutes. Remove from water. Cut around sides of cake to loosen. Refrigerate in pan until cold, about 4 hours. Cover and chill overnight.
For sauce:
Bring sugar, cream, butter, corn syrup, and salt to boil in deep medium saucepan, whisking until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium; boil 1 minute without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in bourbon, then pecans. Cool, stirring occasionally.
Remove foil. Cut around pan sides; remove sides. Cut cheesecake into wedges; spoon sauce over.
----------
I'm still drooling over this. You'd never know I hate pumpkin/pumpkin pie by all my recipes that make pumpkin taste amazing!