- 12
- 45 mins
- 45 mins
Ingredients
- 1 cup 1cup pumpkin purée
- 1 cup 1cup English-style gingersnap cookie crumbs, (2 cups whole cookies)
- 1/2 cup 1/2cupground almonds
- 1-1/4 cups 1-1/4cups granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 pkg (each 250 g) cream cheese, softened
- 3 3eggs
- 2 tsp each cinnamon, and ground ginger
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- Pinch each ground cloves, and salt
- 3 cups sour cream
- 1 cup whipping cream 35%
- 170 g white chocolate, (6 oz), melted
- 1/3 cup sliced natural (skin-on) almondalmonds, toasted
Preparation
Step 1
Scrape pumpkin purée into centre of a square of cheesecloth; wrap in a bundle, twisting top to seal. Place in colander set over bowl; arrange small plate over top. Set a heavy can on plate. Let drain for 1-1/2 hours; discard liquid.
White Chocolate Almond Bark: On parchment paper–lined baking sheet, spread all but 3 tbsp of the chocolate in 1/16-inch (2 mm) thick layer. Sprinkle almonds evenly over top; drizzle with remaining chocolate. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. (Make-ahead: Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for up to 24 hours.) Break into 2-inch (5 cm) chunks. Set aside.
In bowl, stir together gingersnap crumbs, ground almonds, 1/4 cup of the sugar and the butter until moistened. Scrape mixture into greased 9-inch (2.5 L) springform pan; press into bottom and about 3/4 inch (2 cm) up side of pan. Bake in 350 F (180 C) oven until set, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool.
In large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, scraping down side of bowl twice, until light and smooth, about 3 minutes. On low speed, beat in eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down side of bowl often, just until smooth. Beat in pumpkin purée, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Beat in sour cream. Pour over crust, smoothing top.
Bake on rimmed baking sheet in 300 F (150 C) oven until top is no longer shiny and edge is set yet centre still jiggles slightly, 2 to 2-1/4 hours.
Turn off oven; run knife around edge of cake. Let cool in oven for 1 hour. Transfer to rack; let cool completely. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or wrap in heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks.)
Whip cream until stiff peaks form; spread over top of cheesecake. Top with chocolate bark.
Tip From The Test Kitchen: Make sure the cheesecake is fully chilled before slicing. After each slice, rinse your knife under hot water and dry it off well.