This recipe for pumpkin cheesecake from Vancouver’s historic Gotham Steakhouse may just make dessert the standout of holiday dinners this year. If you like celebrating with pumpkin pie, consider keeping the seasonal pumpkin but subbing out the traditional pie for a light, creamy, moreish cheesecake. Your guests will thank you.
Makes one 9- or 10-inch springform pan
Ingredients
For the crust:
7.5 ounces speculoos biscuits, finely ground
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
1 15 ounce can organic pumpkin purée
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup 36 per cent cream, cold
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
6 large eggs, room temperature
For the salted caramel sauce:
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
10 1/2 ounces 36 per cent cream
4 1/2 ounces salted butter
For the cinnamon whipped cream:
1 cup 36 per cent cream, cold
3 tablespoons icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
Method
For the crust:
Preheat oven to 210°F.
Wrap a 9- or 10-inch springform pan with aluminum foil. Butter the inside of pan.
Pulse speculoos cookies, sugar, and melted butter in a food processor. Transfer to the pan, press to an even layer, bake for 10 minutes, and cool on a wire rack while prepping the filling.
For the filling:
In a heavy saucepan, combine pumpkin, sugar, spices, and salt. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer, mixing constantly.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly
Place mixture in food processor. Process for one minute with blade running while adding cold cream. Add cream cheese and process for 1 minute. Add eggs one by one until well incorporated (do not overmix).
Pour batter into cooled crust.
Pour boiling water into a shallow pan and place at the bottom of the oven (to keep the cake moist and avoid cracks). Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes in a 250°F oven.
Carefully remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. When the cake is set, run a sharp knife around the edges to loosen the cake from the side of the pan.
Cool for 2 hours at room temperature before placing in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
For salted caramel sauce:
In a heavy-bottom saucepan, add the sugar dry and cook until golden brown. Carefully add a small amount of cream to the caramel. It will boil heavily. Then add the remaining cream.
When the boiling decreases, whisk in the salted butter in chunks. Reserve sauce at room temperature for later.
For cinnamon whipped cream:
Place the cold cream in the bowl of a stand mixer and turn to medium speed. Add icing sugar and vanilla extract when cream starts to thicken. Finish with freshly ground cinnamon. Reserve in the fridge.
To serve:
Cut the cheesecake using a blade run under hot water for a clean cut.
Plate salted caramel sauce at the bottom.
Place cheesecake on the sauce nicely.
Pipe a cinnamon whip rosette on top of the cake.
