Pumpkin Spice Cheese Cake with a Ginger Cookie Crust
Edward Bottone is a food and lifestyle journalist, a former chef and restaurateur, TV and radio presenter, and culinary educator.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 237 ml (1 cup) finely-crushed ginger snap cookies
- 55 grams (¼ cup) butter, melted
- 2.5 grams (½ teaspoon) ground cinnamon
For the filling:
- 225 grams (1 cup) sugar
- 680 grams (1½ pounds) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 118 ml (½ cup) sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 397 grams (14 ounces) canned puréed pumpkin
- 5 grams (1 teaspoon) cinnamon
- 5 grams (1 teaspoon) ground nutmeg
- 2.5 grams (½ teaspoon) ground allspice
- 9-15 grams (2-3 teaspoons) ground ginger
- 59 ml (¼ cup) molasses
- Walnut halves, lightly toasted, for garnish
- Confectioner's sugar, for dusting
Preparation
1. For the crust: Preheat oven to 180°C (350ºF). Mix together the crushed ginger snaps, butter and cinnamon. Press into a 23 cm (9-inch) springform pan. Bake until firm, about 15 minutes.
2. For the filling: Preheat oven to 165°C (325ºF). In a stand mixer beat together the sugar and softened cream cheese until very smooth. Mix in the sour cream; beat until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the pumpkin, spices and molasses. Pour into the crust-lined springform pan.
3. Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 1 3/4 to 2 hours. Cool on a rack.
4. Remove cooled cake from pan. Decorate with whole walnut halves and showering of confectioner’s sugar.
This recipe can be made a day or two ahead, then covered and refrigerated. Bring to nearly room temperature and garnish with nuts and confectioner’s sugar just before serving.
Edward Bottone
Edward Bottone is a food and lifestyle journalist based in Philadelphia, whose works have appeared in Philadelphia Magazine, The Bermudian, London Times Express, Islands Magazine, and the online magazine Table Matters where he was also Editor. He has also published academic papers on Tourism and Taste.
He is a former chef and restaurateur with establishments in Philadelphia and Bermuda, a TV and Radio presenter, and Assistant Professor teaching a range of courses, including Gastronomy and Culture, at Drexel University and Delaware Valley University. Reach him at curiouscook77@gmail.com
Courtesy photo
