Pecan Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake

It’s all things pumpkin at the moment, and I’m not complaining! Along with pie, cake, and crême brûlée, we just love pumpkin when it is flavouring a cheesecake.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Yes, the title has Pumpkin in it. But I will make it with roasted honeynut squash as well, and it turns out fabulously. You can roast the squash or pumpkin using the recipe for my Brown Butter Honeynut Squash Cake, or you can use canned pumpkin, they will all work fine.  My go-to cheesecake recipe is one by Junior’s Restaurant in Brooklyn, They make the best cheesecake, hands down!.  Their pumpkin cheesecake is no exception. Most of their cheesecakes are not overly sweet, and have the perfect texture, somewhere between creamy and crumbly.  If you ever get to visit NYC make sure to grab a slice, you won’t regret it.

Along with cream cheese (don’t use low fat), the ingredients are simple: sugar, pumpkin purée, eggs, some cornstarch, vanilla and whipping cream.  I do add a few more spices, like Cinnamon, Ginger, Allspice and Cloves, than their recipe, for a bit of depth.  Blend everything well with a mixer, but once blended, stop.  Avoid over blending. You don’t want to keep blending only to incorporate more air into the batter than needed, this may cause the dreaded rise and then cracking.  

My Go-To Gluten Free Crust

Yes, you can totally use your favourite gingersnap or graham wafer cookies.  What I like to use is a blend of cookies, and pretzels!! The pretzels give a great salty accent to contrast against the sweetness of the cake.  Whether gluten free or not, why not try adding crushed pretzels to your crust next time!?  The bottom line: you need two cups of finely crushed crumbs, no matter what they are made of.  You will blend them with melted butter, and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or brown sugar.  Mix it all together and press into a 9 inch springform pan.  Bake it off till golden and set, about 15 minutes in a 350 oven is all you need.  Here are the pretzels I use.  I will often blend up a couple of bags and then freeze the crumbs for when the mood strikes.

No Water Bath Needed

Yes, most classic cheesecakes are baked in a water bath.  This means that the pan must be wrapped in foil, and then placed in an even larger roasting pan etc which will also hold water.  The water will warm up in the oven, giving the cake an even moist heat in which to cook.  And yes, it does work in minimizing the chances of a crack or two appearing on the surface.  Some recipes give the alternative of placing a pan of water on the rack below the cheesecake as it bakes. 

But here is a method that I use.  Bake the cake on a really low temperature, 275F, for a longer period of time, and then leave the cake to slowly cool down in the oven after the heat has been turned off.  No water involved in any way. It really works!  NO Cracks!  But you can’t be in a rush.  In fact, as is the case with all cheesecakes, bake it the day before you want to serve it.  Not only should it come to room temperature, it should actually be chilled.  This will help set the interior, so that  the texture is even from edges to centre.  Over night in the fridge is ideal.  Then no matter which type of cake you are making, if you want to top it, it will be firm and ready to accept any type of ornamentation.  Which brings me to the next step!

Let’s Top it with Pecan Praline

Similar to the firmer candy praline, all you need are pecans, butter, brown sugar, cream, a little whiskey, and spices.  Instead of using less of the butter and cream, you will take these to create a caramel type sauce, that will coat the pecans, and create a beautiful topper to the cheesecake.  You can make this as the cake cools, if you find that the sauce starts to cool and thicken enough that pouring it over the cake is challenging, just warm it in the pot over low heat just to loosen it up again.  Make sure it isn’t too hot though, you should be able to put and keep a finger in the sauce for a moment or two.

By chopping some of the nuts, you will have a topping that is easier to cut through and down into the cheesecake.  Save some of the pecans and keep them whole, for presentation.

Final Thoughts

This cheesecake should be stored in the fridge (because of the dairy component).  It will keep, covered with plastic wrap, for up to five days.

This cheesecake is luscious, an easy straightforward recipe.  Follow it, and it will always work.  Halve it and use a 6 or 7 inch springform pan if you want all the flavours of autumn but less of a commitment.  Adjust cooking times of course, use the visual cues of set edges and jiggly centre.  Don’t worry if you omit the pecan praline topping, whipped cream will be fabulous.  Add a bit of bourbon to the whipping cream for that smokey effect, and sweeten the cream with a couple of tablespoons of icing sugar (icing sugar gives it stability so that it won’t fall apart and melt too quickly) as it is whipping. 

If you make this rich and creamy Pecan Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.

Love Jen

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Pecan Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake

Autumn desserts don't get any better than this perfectly spiced pumpkin cheesecake, topped with a sweet and salty Pecan Praline Caramel. The play of sweet and salty is sublime. The cheesecake is foolproof, and it can be made in advance if you are serving at the end of an autumn feast.

Course Dessert

Cuisine North American

Keyword cheesecake, pecan praline, pumpkin

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Cooling 3 hours

Servings 12

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 cups (336 grams) crushed gingersnaps, graham crackers, honey pretzels, or your favourite gluten free cookie crumb option
• 6 tbsp (85 grams) butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt

Pumpkin Filling

• 3 packages (750 grams/24 oz) regular Cream cheese, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 extra large eggs, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
• 1 cup pumpkin purée, firmly packed, or roasted squash purée, or even canned pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 cup whipping cream, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

Pecan Praline Topping

• 6 tbsp (85 grams) Butter
• 1/2 cup Dark Brown sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, if the butter is salted, you can go down to 1/4 tsp.
• 1/3 cup Heavy cream
• 1 tbsp whiskey or bourbon, optional
• 1 1/2 cups halved Pecans

Instructions

Crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Combine the cookie crumbs, melted butter and brown sugar or maple syrup in a bowl. Stir together till completely blended and holds together.
3. Press the crumb mixture into a 9 inch springform pan with high sides. Start with the edges first to ensure that you have enough to go up at least 1 1/inches. Go slowly, and then pull the excess from the bottom edge and pull it towards the middle. Fill in the bottom.
4. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 10 minutes till fragrant and golden. Take out, cool and set aside while the filling is being prepared.

Pumpkin Filling

1. Reduce the heat to 275F.
2. Place one of the packages of cream cheese (8 oz) along with 1/2 cup of sugar, and the cornstarch into the bowl of your mixer. Beat on low until creamy, about 3 minutes. Then beat in the remaining cheese.
3. Increase the speed and add the remaining sugar. Then add the vanilla. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides as needed.
4. Combine the pumpkin purée with the cinnamon, ginger, allspice and cloves till blended. Add this to the cheese mixture and beat through.
5. Add the heavy cream. Mix only till completely blended, but no further. Do NOT over-mix the batter.
6. Gently spoon the filling into the cooled down crust. Give the pan a couple of gentle taps to release any air bubbles.
7. Bake in the centre of the oven till the outer 2 inches of the edges are set, and the centre is still slightly jiggly, anywhere between 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.
8. Turn off the oven. Leave the cake in the oven to cool down as the oven cools.
9. Remove the cake from the oven to a wire cooling rack. After 15 minutes gently run a knife along the outer edge of the cake to loosen it. Keep the pan intact and once cooled place in the fridge to chill (overnight is best) Then you can remove the sides before serving.

Pecan Praline Topping, can be made while the cheesecake is cooling

1. Chop 3/4 cup of the pecans into a coarse smaller size. Save the remaining as whole pecan halves.

2. Place a medium saucepan over medium heat, add and melt the butter. Then add the brown sugar, vanilla, and kosher salt, whisking constantly.

3. Add the heavy cream and whisky if using, and mix until well combined. Let the mixture simmer over medium heat.
4. Add all of the pecans and stir through for another 1-2 minutes until the mixture is thickened and the pecans have warmed through. Set aside to cool. If the sauce stiffens up before you are ready to spoon it over the cake, just place the pot back onto the burner and warm on low to loosen the caramel sauce. It doesn't need to be hot, just loose enough to spoon easily over the cake.

Assembly

1. Use a spoon to transfer the Pecan Praline Sauce over the cake, spreading it about as you go. I don't like to go all the way to the edges, it is nice to see some of the pumpkin cheesecake peeking through. Turn over any of the pecan halves so that the pretty ridges are on top.
2. Serve by slicing with a serrated knife run under hot water. Wipe away excess water and you will make nice clean slices.
3. See blog post for storage and freezing directions.

Recipe Notes

Here is the link for how to roast and prepare the squash or pumpkin if you are doing it from scratch: Brown Butter Honeynut Squash Cake