Silky Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap-Pecan Crust

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The reason most pumpkin cheesecakes taste watery and bland is the canned purée — it's about 90% water. Here you cook it down on the stove first, which concentrates the flavor into something almost caramel-deep and keeps the batter dense and custardy instead of loose. It bakes in a gentle water bath at 325°F for a crack-free, seamless top, sits on a buttery gingersnap and toasted pecan crust, and gets finished with a tangy maple sour cream layer baked right onto the surface. Plan for an overnight chill: this is a dessert that genuinely tastes better on day two.

Ingredients

• 9 oz crisp gingersnap cookies (about 2 cups fine crumbs)
• 1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

• 1 15-oz can pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
• 32 oz full-fat block cream cheese, room temperature (four 8-oz blocks)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature

• 1 cup full-fat sour cream
• 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
• 1/3 cup pecan halves, toasted and roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Cook the pumpkin down first — this is the step that makes the cheesecake taste like pumpkin instead of water. Scrape the whole can of purée into a wide skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring and scraping constantly with a silicone spatula, for 10 to 14 minutes, until it darkens slightly, smells nutty and sweet, and has reduced to a thick paste that holds a clean line when you drag the spatula through it — about 1 cup / 250 g by volume. Scrape into a bowl and let cool to room temperature (spread it thin to speed this up).
2. Heat the oven to 350°F. Wrap the outside bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan in two layers of heavy-duty foil, pressing tightly so no water can seep in. Lightly butter the inside.
3. Make the crust: pulse the gingersnaps and toasted pecans in a food processor to fine crumbs. Add the brown sugar and salt, pulse once, then pour in the melted butter and pulse until the mixture looks like damp sand and clumps when squeezed. Press firmly into the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the sides, using the flat bottom of a measuring cup to compact it.
4. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, until fragrant and set. Cool on a rack while you mix the filling. Reduce the oven to 325°F and put a kettle of water on to boil.
5. In a stand mixer with the paddle (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the room-temperature cream cheese on medium-low for 2 minutes, scraping down twice, until completely smooth with no lumps. Lumps at this stage never disappear later.
6. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and salt. Beat on low for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth and slightly glossy, scraping the bowl and paddle thoroughly.
7. Add the cooled reduced pumpkin, the sour cream, and the vanilla. Mix on low just until uniform and evenly colored, about 30 seconds. Keep the mixer on low from here on — beating air into the batter is what causes cracks and a soufflé-like rise.
8. Add the eggs one at a time, then the yolk, mixing on the lowest speed just until each disappears, roughly 15 seconds each. Scrape the bowl and fold twice by hand with a spatula. The batter should be thick, pourable, and the color of café au lait.
9. Pour the filling over the cooled crust and smooth the top. Rap the pan gently on the counter a few times to release large bubbles. Set the foil-wrapped pan in a large roasting pan, slide it into the oven, then carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan to come about 1 inch up the sides of the springform.
10. Bake at 325°F for 75 to 90 minutes. It's done when the outer 2 inches look set and matte, the center 3 inches still wobble like loose jelly when you nudge the pan, and an instant-read thermometer inserted 1 inch from the edge reads 150°F. Do not bake until the center is firm.
11. Stir the sour cream, maple syrup, vanilla, and pinch of salt together. Gently spread it over the hot cheesecake in an even layer and return it to the oven (still in the water bath) for 10 minutes to set the topping.
12. Turn the oven off, prop the door open a few inches, and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour — this slow temperature drop is your best insurance against cracks. Then lift it out of the water bath, remove the foil, and cool on a rack to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours.
13. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least 8 hours, ideally overnight. To serve, run a thin knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry around the inside edge, then release the springform ring. Slice with a hot, dry knife, wiping the blade clean between cuts. Top with soft whipped cream and chopped toasted pecans.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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