Salted caramel pumpkin cheesecake

salted caramel pumpkin cheesecake // a thousand threads
Fall in the Heeley house…

Mark: Has he told you what he wants to be for Halloween?

Me: No?

Mark: He wants to wear a red body suit and carry a machine gun and run around screaming.

[pause]

… that’s what’s in his head.

Austin: [From upstairs, screams like a banshee and hits the bed, again – but thank god it’s not the wall – with a light-up sword that only makes the fun noise when it hits something hard.

… because toy manufacturers hate us all.]

Mark [ominously]: How scary is that?

salted caramel pumpkin cheesecake // a thousand threads
Happy fall! Time to shop for Halloween costumes, have another slice of salted caramel pumpkin cheesecake, and laugh at the holes in the walls.

Salted caramel pumpkin cheesecake
Adapted from Bon Appétit

Caramel
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons dark vanilla rum

Crust
9 whole graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Filling
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

salted caramel pumpkin cheesecake // a thousand threads
For caramel:
Whisk together granulated sugar and water in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved. Add butter and bring to a slow boil. Continue to cook over medium heat until sugar turns a deep copper brown. Remove from heat and slowly add heavy cream.

Set aside to cool. Before serving, whisk caramel together with rum and vanilla and pour over cheesecake.

For crust:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Wrap a double layer of aluminum foil around outside of 10-inch-diameter springform pan. Combine graham crackers, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter in a food processor until graham crackers are finely ground and crumbs begin to stick together. Press crumbs onto the bottom of the springform pan. Do not go up the sides.

Bake until crust is slightly golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.

For filling:
Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before combining. Maintain oven temperature at 350°F.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then add pumpkin and remaining 7 ingredients, being careful to beat only just until blended. Pour filling into prepared crust and place springform pan in large roasting pan. Add water to roasting pan to cover springform halfway.

Bake cheesecake until slightly puffed and softly set and top is golden, about 1 1/2 hours (This took only about an hour for me, so watch closely, but be careful to open the oven door as little as possible).

When cheesecake has set (it should still jiggle a little in the middle, but be firm) transfer springform pan to rack and cool.

Cover and refrigerate cake overnight.

Using knife, cut around sides of pan to loosen cake. Release pan sides.

Cover with caramel and serve.

salted caramel pumpkin cheesecake // a thousand threads

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