Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon and a Pecan Crust
Must be started the day before: it needs a full night in the refrigerator to set. Two pounds of cream cheese to one can of pumpkin, so it reads as cheesecake rather than pie. Ground pecans go into the crust instead of a praline topping, brown sugar and bourbon behind the spice. Bakes in a water bath and must be chilled overnight before it will slice.
Ingredients
Pecan Graham Crust
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted, for brushing the pan
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, for the crust
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs from about 8 whole crackers
- 1 cup pecans about 4 ounces, ground fine but not to a paste
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 pinch kosher salt
Bourbon Pumpkin Filling
- 2 pounds cream cheese four 8-ounce blocks, full fat, at room temperature
- 2 cups packed brown sugar light or dark
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 can pumpkin puree 15 ounces, plain puree and not pie filling
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 whole nutmeg freshly grated, about 1/4 teaspoon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Equipment
- Springform pan
- Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer
- Wire rack
- Roasting pan
- Spatula
- Whisk
- Aluminum foil
Instructions
Make the Pecan Crust
- Heat the oven to 325F with a rack in the center. Wrap the outside of a 10-inch springform pan in two layers of heavy foil, crimped up the sides, and brush the inside with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Put a kettle or a large pot of water on to boil.
- Stir the graham crumbs, ground pecans, granulated sugar and the pinch of salt into the remaining 7 tablespoons of melted butter. Press the mixture hard into the base and about an inch up the sides, using the flat base of a measuring cup, until the crumbs stop moving. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until it is golden and smells toasted, then cool on a wire rack.
Mix the Filling
- Beat the cream cheese and sour cream on medium until completely smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl twice. Any lump still visible now will still be there in the baked slice. Add the brown sugar and beat until it is fully incorporated.
- Whisk the pumpkin puree, eggs, bourbon, vanilla, kosher salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and allspice together in a second bowl until smooth. Add this to the cream cheese with the mixer on low and stop the moment it is uniform. Beating air in at this stage is what makes a cheesecake dome and then crack.
Bake in a Water Bath
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top. Stand the springform inside a roasting pan and pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the springform.
- Bake about 1 hour 45 minutes. It is done when the outer 2 inches are set and matte, the center wobbles as one mass rather than rippling, and an instant-read thermometer pushed an inch off center reads 150F.
- Turn the oven off, prop the door open a few inches and leave the cheesecake inside for 30 minutes. This slow drop is what stops the surface contracting faster than the middle.
Cool and Chill
- Lift the pan out of the water bath, peel off the foil and run a thin knife around the edge straight away, while it is still hot, so the cake can shrink without tearing. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours.
- Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover loosely and chill at least 8 hours and preferably overnight. Unmold it cold and slice it cold, using a long thin blade dipped in boiling water and wiped dry between every cut.
Notes
The times above cover the work and the main bake. This cheesecake also needs a minimum of 8 hours in the refrigerator, and is better after 12, so start it the day before you serve it.
Doneness: 150F an inch off center. Edges set and matte for about two inches, middle wobbling as one mass. It firms up a great deal during the 30 minutes in the switched-off oven and again overnight.
Room temperature matters: cream cheese and eggs out 2 hours ahead. Cold cream cheese gives a lumpy filling that no amount of beating fixes later.
Water bath: two layers of heavy foil, boiling water halfway up. Without one, bake at 300F with a tin of water on the shelf below and expect a crack.
Storage: 4 to 5 days refrigerated, or 2 months frozen. Slice cold with a hot dry knife, wiping between cuts.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 641kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 212mg | Sodium: 486mg | Potassium: 254mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 4180IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 2mg