Pumpkin-Ginger Cheesecake

By kas_9232

If you prefer cheesecake to pumpkin pie, this pumpkin cheesecake is for you. Sweet and spicy crystallized ginger studs the pumpkin cheesecake filling and the crust combines walnuts with gingersnap cookies.

*EACH SERVING*
Calories *348*
Total Fat *23g*
Saturated Fat --
Cholesterol --
Sodium --
Total Carbohydrate *31g*
Dietary Fiber --
Sugars --
Protein *6g*
Calcium --

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 34 gingersnaps, broken in half
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Filling:
• 4 packages (8-oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons crystallized ginger, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cups heavy cream

Details

Servings 20

Preparation

Step 1

*1*.Crust: Heat oven to 350°F. Tightly wrap the outside of a 9x3-inch springform pan with 2 sheets of heavy-duty foil.
*2*.In a food processor, process gingersnaps to fine crumbs. Add walnuts and sugar and process until walnuts are finely chopped. Add butter and process until crumbs are evenly moistened. Turn crumb mixture into pan and press to cover bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan. Bake 12 minutes or until crust is set; cool.
*3*.Filling: In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in granulated sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until blended, scraping the bowl occasionally. Beat in vanilla. Remove 1 cup of cream cheese mixture to a small bowl and stir in ginger.
*4*.In a cup, mix brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg; add to cheesecake mixture in the large bowl and beat until blended. Beat in pumpkin puree and heavy cream until well mixed. Pour half of pumpkin mixture into springform pan. Top with a few small spoonfuls of ginger mixture. Spoon remaining pumpkin mixture over the top. Top with small spoonfuls of remaining ginger mixture and swirl a few times with a knife. Place springform pan in a large shallow roasting pan and place in the oven. Fill roasting pan with enough boiling water to come halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the cheesecake is set but still slightly jiggly in the center. Let cool in water bath on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove springform pan to rack and run a thin knife around sides of cheesecake. Let cool completely. Remove the foil; cover and refrigerate overnight.