Pumpkin Cheesecake - Home Cooking

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2 cups gingersnaps cookie crumbs (from about 1/2 lb. cookies)
1/3 cup butter - melted
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree
1/4 cup cup whipping cream
1 T. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp.nutmeg

Preparation -
Butter and flour a 9" or 10" springform pan. Mix the gingersnap crumbs with the melted butter. Press the crumbs onto the bottom of the pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350º for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Lower the oventemperature to 325º.

In a large bowl, at medium speed, with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the sugars. Add the eggs and beat until thoroughly mixed; set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin, whipping cream, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg together. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add this mixture to the cream cheese mixture and beat again until well blended. Wrap aluminum foil around the outside of the springform pan.(Since the filled cake pan will be placed in a shallow pan of water to bake, this will prevent any water from seeping into batter.) Pour the batter into the pan, over the baked gingersnap crust. Sit the filled pan in a shallow broiling pan. Add 1-inch of warm water to the broiling pan. Place the pans in the oven and bake at 325º for about 70 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven, then remove the cheesecake pan from the pan of water. Place it on a wire rack.

topping

1/4 cup sugar
2 cups sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla

Preparation -
In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream with the sugar and vanilla. Pour the sour cream mixture over the baked cheescake. and gently spread the topping over the top of the cake with a spatula. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake at 325º for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Remove the foil from the outside of the pan. Run a knife around the outside of the cheesecake, between the cake and the side of the springform pan. Remove the side of the pan. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving.

Kaiser 4-pc. Round Nonstick Noblesse Mini Springform Pans
Many single pan cheesecake recipes will adapt to work with this set of four mini pans. A dark exterior allows these pan to conduct heat quickly and evenly. The spring buckles securely holds batter as it bakes, preventing leakage. And, the nonstick interior allows for flawless release.