Flavors of Fall {Pumpkin Bourbon Cheesecake}

My baby napped for 3.5 hours today.  That is absolutely unheard of in our house—usually she naps for 1-2 hours.  So I took advantage and baked a cheesecake.  And cleaned the kitchen. And made some phone calls.  And marinated a London broil for dinner.  And ate lunch at 12:30.  It was amazing.

In my 31 years on this earth, I have never baked a whole cheesecake.  Mini ones in a muffin tin, yes, but I don’t count those.

I recently discovered Pinterest and a whole new world of recipes opened up before me.  In searching for things to make with my five cans of pumpkin, I came across this recipe.  I didn’t alter it at all.

Recipe from Gourmet via Epicurious.com

{Pumpkin Bourbon Cheesecake}

Ingredients

For crust

• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs {5 crackers}
• 1/2 cup pecans {1 3/4 ounces}, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 stick {1/4 cup} unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For filling

• 1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon bourbon
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

For topping

• 2 cups sour cream (20 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon bourbon

• Garnish: pecan halves

Method

Prepare the baking pan; flip the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan so that the flat side is facing up. Close the latch and butter the pan.

Melt and cool the butter.

To make the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, finely chopped pecans, sugars and butter.  Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan.  Allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

After 30 minutes, prepare the filling and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, vanilla and bourbon until well combined.

In the bowl of a stand mixer {a hand mixer can also be used}, combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.

Add the cream cheese, then beat on high until smooth and creamy.

Next, add the pumpkin mixture to the mixer and mix in on medium speed until well combined and smooth.  Then pour the filling into the pan.

Place the pan on a shallow baking sheet in case of leaks and put it in the oven for 50-60 minutes until the center is just set.  Be sure to put the pan on the middle rack.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping.

Whisk together the sour cream, sugar and bourbon, then refrigerate it until the cheesecake comes out of the oven.

Now that is just a sorry state of affairs.

Back to the cheesecake.  Once it is set, remove it from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.  Leave the oven at temperature when you do this.  After 5 minutes, spread the topping on the cheesecake then put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes.

Allow the cheesecake to cool on a wire rack for 3 hours.  Then cover and store in the refrigerator, covered, for 4 hours.  After 4 hours it will be ready to serve, garnish with the pecan halves.  Those will be 4 Very.Long.Hours.

So delicious.

The filling is so smooth and creamy, it reminds me of mousse.  I also love the tang of the sour cream topping.

Next time, I think I will make a thicker crust {and press it up against the sides more as Gourmet suggests} and I will add a bit more bourbon—the flavor of bourbon is very faint in the final product.

This should serve 12-14.  Three people live in this house and one of us can’t eat solid food.  You do the math.

And just because I love her and I love you for reading my blog, here’s my daughter wearing a sweater set that was knit for me as a baby.

Enjoy!

Tagged as: bourbon, cheesecake, desserts, pumpkin