Pumpkin Cheesecake

Did I ever mention that I have the most awesome cousin, every time she sees a recipe she thinks I'll love she sends it my way and I start baking. This next recipe was one she shared with me and I'm so glad she did. Its super appropriate for the fall season and "delish" too!

It cracked a little, because I did it following the instructions. Hint for you, if you bake the cheesecake in a water bath it bakes beautifully without cracking. It still tastes super delicious. I guarantee that!

This is how it looked once out of the oven.

Just a little crack, no big deal. I covered it with some whipped cream and made a spider web design to make it look fun. The girls loved it! Then added a border with some more whipped cream. This whipped cream was from a can, since I had no heavy cream at home. I won't use it anymore. It's not really worth it. Making your own whipped cream is so easy there's no need to buy it from a can.

Now for the recipe.

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups graham crackers crumbs (about 9 crackers)
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• whipped cream (please make your own) 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and 1 T sugar in a medium bowl. Stir well enough to coat all of the crumbs with the butter, but not so much as to turn the mixture into paste. Keep it crumbly.

Put foil partway up the outside part of an 8-inch springform pan. Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the springform pan. You don't want the crust to form all of the way up the back of each slice of cheesecake.

Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set aside until you are ready to fill it.

In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 C sugar, and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and continue beating until smooth and creamy. Pour the filling into the pan.

Bake for 60-70 minutes. The top will turn a bit darker at this point.

Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool. When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the refrigerator. When the cheesecake has chilled, remove the pan sides and cut the cake into 8 equal pieces.

Serve with a generous portion of whipped cream on top or decorate as you wish. Enjoy it and share with others!