How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Caramel
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Have you ever been tasked with Thanksgiving dessert and had no idea what to make that would please everyone? While you can’t please everyone, you can piss everyone off. Let me introduce you to the controversial but decadently delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Caramel.
It starts with a spicy pumpkin cheesecake featuring perfectly earthy pumpkin and chai spice. Then, a luscious brown sugar pecan caramel kissed with a wee bit of bourbon drapes gorgeously over top.
So, while your family nutter butters are fighting over traditional desserts, you can treat yourself and your level-headed cousins to the perfect holiday treat.
The 4 Pumpkin Cheesecake Commandments
Before you embark on making this most excellent cheesecake, I have to share my “cheesecake commandments” with you. If you follow the rules, your cake will come out flawless. If you go off the trail, though, I don’t know what will come out of your oven. Probably a mess, honestly…
First: Use Room Temperature Ingredients
Both your cream cheese and eggs need to be at room temperature. Warmer fats are easier to whip (think softened butter versus butter right out of the fridge). But then, cold eggs added to a warm fat cause the fat to seize up and look curdled. Long story short, use room temperature ingredients so your batter will be smooth.
Second: Do Not Open the Oven
You’re going to be baking this cheesecake with a steam bath. Do not open the oven until the timer goes off. Steam cooks and sets the cheesecake to the perfect texture. Then, after you turn off the oven, you’re going to let it cool for a couple of hours in the oven. This allows the cake to set properly and stay moist (everyone’s favorite word). It also prevents cracking from cooling too quickly.
Third: Use Real Cream Cheese
This is not a low-fat food, nor is it intended to be. Making a cheesecake is a long and committed experience. So, at the end of the day, you should enjoy the product of your labor in all its sweet, creamy glory.
That said, do not use fat-free cream cheese. The chemistry that makes this cheesecake work hinges on the fat content of the cream cheese and how it interacts with the sugar, the proteins in the eggs, and the heat of the oven. I cannot promise a fat-free cheesecake is going to come out right.
Fourth: Remove Air Bubbles Before Baking
Fair warning: It’s going to get loud for a minute. After you’ve poured your filling into your springform pan, you’ll need to drop the pan from a height of about two inches onto the countertop repeatedly to bring air bubbles to the surface.
This sounds nuts, but bubbles inside the filling will rise during baking and cause your surface to crack. So, bring the bubbles up, and then using a toothpick, pop them and smooth the surface out.
Putting Together a Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Caramel
Knowing that there are a couple of rules to adhere to, it’s time to learn how to assemble a cheesecake. The good news is that it’s actually really easy. I’m sure it sounds like I’m giving you a Gremlin, but trust me, you can do this.
Start by Prepping the Pumpkin Purée
It starts by seasoning a can of pumpkin purée and then roasting it to remove moisture. You could also use 12 oz of your own homemade pumpkin purée.
Why? Too much liquid in a cheesecake can lead to cracking. Or, in the case of one test, you’ll have a cheesecake that won’t set even after three hours in the oven.
So, by roasting the purée, you preserve the integrity of the cake. There’s also the added benefit of concentrating the pumpkin flavor.
Once the purée has been sufficiently roasted, it needs to cool completely. During this time, take the opportunity to bring the rest of the ingredients to room temperature.
The Crust
The crust is so easy. You’re just going to pulverize a packet of graham crackers to fine crumbs, first. Either use a food processor or a plastic bag and a rolling pin. Dealer’s choice. Just aim for an even texture.
After that, just add a little melted butter, stir that together, and press the moistened crumbs into your springform pan.
The Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
Once you have room-temperature ingredients, you’ll start by whipping the cream cheese until it’s fluffy. This stage is about creating a flexible texture that will accept the other ingredients added to it.
Secondly, you need to add the eggs one at a time. This reduces clumps. You’ll also need to scrape the sides of the bowl down to make sure there is no eggless cream cheese along the edge. Not scraping the sides will create chunks, and we don’t want that.
So, scrape the sides every few steps to make sure your filling stays smooth.
Third, slowly add in the pumpkin purée and drizzle in the condensed milk slowly as the mixer runs. I like to switch to a paddle attachment here to reduce air bubbles. Mixing slowly and using a paddle or a spatula to fold in the final ingredients further helps with a smooth filling.
The Pecan Caramel Sauce
The caramel sauce is very easy. Just keep an eye on it while it’s on the stove so it doesn’t burn. I use a silicon whisk to keep it moving so nothing creeps up the sides or burns on the bottom.
Toast your pecans until they smell fragrant, and give them a little chop to start.
Chuck the butter and sugar into your pot. Once it melts, you’re going to let it simmer for two minutes, then add in some bourbon and cinnamon. Slowly drizzle in some cream, mix in your toasted pecans, and you’re all set.
While the caramel is still warm, pour it on top of your cheesecake (still in the springform pan, by the way). Then chill your cake for at least two hours, but I prefer overnight.
Never serve a warm cheesecake… it’s just not right.
How to Serve Your Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Caramel
And speaking of serving, this recipe serves 12 pretty large slices. Use a clean knife that’s been run under hot water to make each slice beautiful. I think it’s gorgeous on its own, but for Thanksgiving, people expect whipped cream. Give each slice a pretty squirt of cream, and you’re ready for service. Enjoy with coffee!
The Pumpkin Cheesecake Toolkit
Here are the supplies you’re going to need to make your cheesecake:
- Rimmed half-sheet pan
- Non-stick 9-inch springform cake pan
- Parchment paper (optional, but makes it so much easier to get out of the pan)
- Aluminum foil
- Kettle
- Mixer
- Medium saucepan
- Silicone whisk
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Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Caramel
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Springform pan
- Medium sauce pan
Ingredients
Crust
- 12 oz graham cracker crumbs (about 1 sleeve)
- 1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- 16 oz pumpkin purée (or 1 can)
- 2 tsp chai masala (or pumpkin pie spice)
- 24 oz cream cheese (3 sticks) room temperature
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk (1 can)
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp pink himalayan salt
Pecan Caramel
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1½ cup pecans toasted and chopped
- 1 Tbsp bourbon (or vanilla extract)
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
For Cheesecake
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Mix pumpkin puree with cinnamon and spread across a lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until dried to a thick paste. There should be notably less moisture, but it should not be burnt. Cool to room temperature.
- Turn off oven for at least an hour to bring temperature down.
- Then preheat to 300°F.
- To prep your pan, pop the bottom of your springform pan out. Place a square of parchment paper on top, and then lock it into place with the springform. Cup the bottom of the pan with a square of aluminum foil. You want the pan sitting in a fitted bowl of foil to prevent leaks or water from getting into your cake. Set the prepped springform pan into the center of a rimmed baking sheet.
- Boil 1 cup of water in a kettle.
- Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter, and press into the bottom of springform pan and slightly up the sides, forming a small lip.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Reduce speed to medium-low and add in eggs one at a time. Mix until well combined.
- Slowly fold in the cooled pumpkin puree, and then drizzle in the condensed milk.
- Finish with vanilla and salt. Mixing slowly to incorporate so as not to whip in air bubbles.
- Pour filling into crust.
- Tap the pan against the counter, forcefully, to bring bubbles to the surface. Pop with a toothpick and smooth surface.
- With the cheesecake in the springform set into the rimmed baking sheet, set the whole affair on the middle rack of your oven. Pour your boiling water (1 cup) into the rimmed baking sheet, careful not to get it inside the foil or cheesecake.
- Bake for 75 minutes. Then turn off the oven. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN. Reset the timer for 2 hours, and leave the oven sealed for that time.
- Remove the cheesecake, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
For Pecan Caramel
- If you haven't already toasted your pecans, do so now, stopping when they are fragrant. Chop the pecans once they are toasted and cooled.
- Bring brown sugar and butter to a simmer over low heat, then allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add in cinnamon and bourbon. Simmer an additional 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat, and stir in heavy cream, whisking continually until fully incorporated.
- Add in the toasted pecans.
- Immediately pour the sauce over the cooled cheesecake, and return the cake to the fridge for at least 2 hours or, ideally, overnight.
