Pumpkin Cheesecake

I love Pumpkin, whether it is in a cake or pie or cookie.  Pumpkin is such a great flavor to work with.  I decided that I would try the Pumpkin Cheesecake in our Famous Tidewater on the Halfshell.  I made this cheesecake or our October cluster meeting with the Junior League.  It is found on page 310.

Crust
1/3 Cup butter softened
1/3 cup of sugar
1 Egg
1 1/4 Cup of flour

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; blend in egg; add flour and mix well;
• Spread dough on bottom and 2 inches up dies of a 9-inch spring form pan.
• Bake at 400 degrees for five minutes Remove from over and lower temperature to 350 degrees

Baking with a spring form pan can be challenging if you have never used one before.  They are wonderful pans to work with.  When purchasing one, break down and get a good one.  Make sure that it is a non-stick and leak proof pan.  Not only are they good for cheesecakes, but work well with cheese appetizers.

Batter
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 Cup of sugar
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
dash of salt
2 Eggs
Whipped cream

• Combine cream cheese and sugar.  Beat until smooth.  Blend in pumpkin, spices and salt;
• Add eggs, one at a time; beat well after each addition.  The batter will be a beautiful Carmel color, then pour into baked crust
• Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
• Let cool for 15 minutes.  The best way to tell if a cheesecake is done is to insert a knife into the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is done.  A lot of times, you will get a slit in the center of the cake, but the way to prevent that is to immediately remove the cake from the pan after baking.  The only problem is you run the risk of the sides falling. 

• After removing, Chill and serve with whipped cream.

If you do not want to cut and cook your own pumpkin, you can use a 16 ounces of canned pumpkin.  Whether you use real or canned pumpkin, you will have a delicious pumpkin cheesecake and it will not last long.