Brown-Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake with Chocolate-Shortbread Crust
Wheeee! Every year at the beginning of fall, I think the same thing: It’s Baking Season. It makes me more than a little giddy.
Now, you guys know that I bake year-round. But when the first autumn chill winds its way through the air, I get an irresistible urge to grab my apron, camp out in the kitchen, and keep the oven running for days on end. I know a lot of folks who are struck with a similar madness when it comes to baking pumpkin treats.
With Halloween just around the corner (a big deal here in the city of Salem), the timing couldn’t be better. We’ve already busted out our spooky kitchen gear. Plus, I just got my wisdom teeth out, so I have a serious need for soft food in my life right about now.
So, this cheesecake is like pumpkin pie dressed up in velvet. It has all the delicious, spicy autumn flavor of traditional pumpkin pie—coupled with the dense creaminess of cheesecake.
This recipe is a happy amalgamation of my traditional cheesecake filling and thick, orange pumpkin puree—served up in the crisp and buttery shortbread crust from that Chocolate Caramel Tart I made a few weeks ago.
I used all brown sugar (not a mix of white and brown, like many pumpkin cheesecake recipes), which adds faint notes of molasses. A heady drizzle of cognac replaces traditional vanilla extract and makes the whole thing just that much more deliciously fragrant.
Oh, and…pumpkin and chocolate? You better believe it. It’s not a combination that I’d normally think of right off the bat, but the flavors are great together. Serve it topped with whipped cream and fresh chocolate shavings. (Or skip the chocolate and go a la mode with a fat scoop of ginger ice cream.)
This is the kind of dessert you want when you’ve spent the whole afternoon trouncing through an orchard, picking apples. (Or, you know, for breakfast the next day.)
In a word: Yum!
Canned pumpkin versus fresh pumpkin puree
It’s not often that you’ll hear me say this about stuff that comes out of a can, but: I love canned pumpkin. I’ve gone through the trouble to break down a fresh pumpkin before for baking, and honestly? I think the canned stuff tastes just as good. Plus, it’s just so convenient.
When you’re shopping, be sure to buy 100% pure canned pumpkin—not pumpkin pie mix, which is already doctored up with sugar and other ingredients. Pure, canned pumpkin is also sometimes labeled “pure pumpkin puree” or “solid pack pumpkin.” When in doubt, just double check the ingredient list.
How to make your own pumpkin pie spice
If you can’t find it (or don’t want to buy a bottle just to make a cheesecake), you can make pumpkin pie spice yourself out of ingredients you probably have sitting in your larder.
The proportions below yield more than enough for this cheesecake. Store leftovers in a tightly sealed jar, as you would any spice. If you like, you could toss in a little allspice, too.
Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 Tbls. ground cinnamon
1 Tbls. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
Yields 3 Tbls.
A note on cheesecake timing
Make this cheesecake the day before you want to serve it. This recipe is in two parts. Three, if you count the final chilling.
It takes a few hours to bake. First, make and bake the crust and let it cool. Then, make the filling and bake the cheesecake. When it’s done, it needs to cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 6 hours to set up properly.
Let the baking begin!
Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake with Chocolate Shortbread Crust
Crust (See the original Chocolate Caramel Tart here.)
1 1/2 cups flour
5 Tbls. unsweetened cocoa powder (not sweetened hot chocolate mix)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
10 Tbls. butter, diced and softened
1/2 cup + 2 Tbls. confectioner’s sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Filling
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 Tbls. cognac
1 15-oz. can 100% pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
24 oz. cream cheese (that’s 3 8-oz. bricks), at room temperature
1 3/4 cups dark brown sugar
4 eggs
Makes 1 9-inch cheesecake
Make the crust for the cheesecake
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter or oil and set it aside.
Put the powdered sugar and butter in the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a large bowl if you’re mixing by hand).
Beat together until well combined.
Toss in the egg yolks and vanilla. Beat until well combined.
The mixture will be thick, fluffy, and a pale, buttery yellow.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
Beat until the dry ingredients are well combined. You want the mixture to be a uniform color and texture. It will feel kind of like Play Doh.
Scrape the dough out and plop it into your pan. With your hands, press the dough so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pan (stop maybe a half an inch from the top edge).
You want the dough to be relatively even in thickness, but don’t make yourself nuts.
Prick the dough in several places with a fork. The butter in the dough will release steam as it bakes, and those holes allow it to escape—and keep your crust from getting big air bubbles.
Pop the pan into your pre-heated, 350-degree oven. Bake it for about 20 minutes, until it’s completely opaque in color and the edges are starting to brown.
When it’s done, yank the pan out of the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool. If you do have air bubbles under the crust, poke one or two very small holes in the crust and gently press the air out to deflate it.
Make the pumpkin cheesecake filling
When your crust has cooled to room temperature, make the filling.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. (If you left your oven on, don’t forgot to drop the heat. The cheesecake itself bakes at 25 degrees cooler than the crust.)
Put the cream cheese in the bowl of your mixer. Beat it to break it up.
Add the brown sugar.
Beat until light and fluffy.
Toss in the eggs. (I like to break them into a separate bowl before adding them to the mixing bowl. It’s easier to fish out any little bits of shell that wind up in there by accident.)
Beat well to incorporate the eggs. The mixture will be a thick, soupy light brown, kind of like melted chocolate ice cream.
Toss in the pumpkin.
And the cognac. (I keep a bottle of cognac in the house for baking, but if you don’t want to bother with it, you can totally substitute vanilla extract.)
Beat to combine. The filling will be thick and creamy.
Toss in the flour and pumpkin pie spice.
Beat gently to combine.
Bake the cheesecake!
Pour the filling into your cooled crust.
Pour it just until it fills the crust. Depending on how high up the sides of the pan your crust comes, you may wind up with a little extra filling.
If that’s the case, grease a few ramekins and bake the leftover filling by itself, as a pudding. It’ll be just delicious. (Serve garnished with a couple of shortbread cookies.)
Pop the pan into your pre-heated 325-degree oven. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, until it *looks* set (i.e. firm and opaque) but the center jiggles a little when you move the pan.
Turn the heat off, crack the oven door about 4 or 5 inches. Leave the cheesecake in there (with the door cracked open) for an additional 3o minutes.
Cheesecakes are fickle creatures, and are incredibly sensitive to changes in temperature, which can cause big cracks on the surface of the filling. Leaving the oven door open like this lets the cheesecake cool gently, and will help you minimize (or even avoid) cracking.
Now, no matter how hard I try, my cheesecakes always crack. (Looks a little like the Grand Canyon, eh?)
Luckily, this is strictly an aesthetic issue—and one that’s easily remedied with any kind of topping. A dollop or two of whipped cream, and no one will be any wiser.
Yank the cheesecake out of the oven when that last 30 minutes is up. Then, cool it in the pan on a rack for another 30 minutes. Then, pop in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.
When the cheesecake has chilled, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Reader Cheesecake Photos!
October 14, 2009—Here’s the last piece of the pumpkin cheesecake that Dave made from this recipe, which he brought over to his friend Tina’s house (she’s the gal behind Carrots ‘N’ Cake). According to Dave, the filling recipe filled two store-bought pie crusts (one Oreo and one graham cracker) perfectly. Thanks for sharing!
Photo courtesy of: Carrots ‘N’ Cake
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50 Comments
I am drooling, like you I love the fall season because it marks the beginning of baking season. I am in awe by how amazing the cheesecake is. I’m totally feasting my eyes on that last photo! I just want to nibble away on that fat slice of pumpkin cheesecake
Hehehe, thanks honey.
+Jessie
wow, you have halloween plates? That’s dedication. GREG
Ha! Of course we do, silly. We live in Salem, Massachusetts.
+Jessie
This sounds like heaven with one bite. Cant wait to try it.
About your new design I love it and it is so much faster. Great job!
Thanks so much! And thanks about the new design. I haven’t gotten around to posting about it, but we did it to speed the site up and make our content more accessible.
Cheers!
+Jessie
Now that’s a pumpkin cheesecake!
Thanks, Kian!
+Jessie
This looks absolutely devine – love pumpkin, chocolate and brown sugar.
Thanks, honey! Yeah, the chocolate and pumpkin is so surprisingly good together!
+Jessie
Delicious!!! I do many many things to keep my cheesecake from cracking. The most popular one is to wrap the cheesecake w/ foiled and let it bake in a water bath, but that takes a bit longer for it to bake and you have to double, or triple wrap it to keep from water getting into the pan. The other trick someone taught me, but I have yet to do since I haven’t made one in a while, is to put the pan of water at the bottom of the oven and the cheesecake above it, not in it. I think when I make this (b/c I most certainly will), I will try that!
Oh gosh, thanks for the tips! Next time I make a cheesecake, I’ll try the pan of water in the bottom of the oven.
+Jessie
Sheer perfection!
Why, thank you!
+Jessie
Oh, I looove fall baking and canned pumpkin too! This recipe looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it for Canadian Thanksgiving…
Thanks, Elaine! Let me know how you like it!
+Jessie
Just in time for Canadian Thanksgiving! This is going to be our dessert for sure.
Oh, fabulous! Let me know how it turns out!
+Jessie
Oh wow that looks so good. I love all these fantastic fall recipes!
The last time I made cheesecake I did the oven door trick AND the water in the rack below the cake and it STILL cracked! Some of us were just not meant to have perfect cheesecakes.
Hehe, glad to know it’s not just me. Luckily, they still taste delicious.
+Jessie
With pumpkin time again it is no wonder that excellent desserts are cropping up like this one here.! Thanks Jessie for another fab recipe!
Thanks, Chef!
+Jessie
How do I wipe the drool off my keyboard?
do you think substituting an oreo pie crust shell for the chocolate shortbread one will work? I only ask because it’s my father favorite pie crust. Thanks! Can’t wait to try the recipe
Hey!
Oh, I’ll bet that would be delicious!
Question. Are you talking about using your own Oreo pie crust shell, in a springform pan? Or one of those pre-made ones you get at the market?
If you use a pre-made crust from the market, I’m guessing that you’ll have a ton of extra filling, so you might actually want to get two of them. A springform pan will be much deeper than a regular pie crust. Also, keep an eye on the baking time. A store-bought crust probably won’t take as long.
Let me know how it turns out!
+Jessie
Wow! Thanks for the step by steps. I’ve tried cheesecake before from Betty Crocker and could not get in down. But with your pictures and tips this is the first time in 10 years I am willing to try again. I love your site. It’s like a cooking school – great procedures, tips, and photos. Thanks again-
Oh goodness, thanks so much! That means a lot to me.
Let me know how it goes! Hit me up via email (jessie@thehungrymouse.com) if you have questions as you go. My iPhone is practically always in my hand…
+Jessie
I drooled looking at the pictures of this. No, seriously I drooled just a bit lol. Thanks so much for posting. I love cheesecake, and I love pumpkin pie, and this recipe is the best of both worlds! I actually work with Del Monte, and if you’re looking for more dessert recipes we have a really yummy tropical upside-down cake. Our citrus bowls and Superfruits really enhance the sweetness of the cake, and our pre-peeled fruit is very affordable. If you want to know more, visit the link and pick up some coupons while you’re there
http://bit.ly/qYT4q
Thanks so much, Louise.
And thanks for the coupon link!
+Jessie
Love the idea of using pure brown sugar as I’m a big fan of the flavor of molasses.
Thanks, Doug!
+Jessie
Hi Jessie–If we give The Angry Chef some money, can You make this for next Stogie Night!?!?!
Great site by the way-my friends @ work now follow you!
Thanks
Rick
Awww, shucks, Rick. (And thanks for passing the link along!)
I’ll totally make you guys a cheesecake, no bribery needed. You just say when.
xox
+Jessie
oh my heavens! that is just fabulous girl!!!
Hehe, thanks, Dawn!
+Jessie
WOW! I can’t wait to make this!!! My daughter wants a chocolate cheesecake for her birthday in 12 days…perfect!
Yay! Let me know how it goes? (If you like, send me a pic and I’ll post it up here!)
+Jessie
wow this is impressive and amazing pics
Hi Jessie – I’m Rick’s friend from work. I made this for the Pats game on Sunday… it was amazing! Everyone loved it, and it was surprisinly easy to make (I am definitely a novice baker). I used the pre-made graham cracker and oreo crusts and the filling recipe filled 2 crusts perfectly!
This sounds awesome esp with the chocolate crust! try baking your cheesecake in a waterbath, it helps with to prevent cracking.
Thanks! I may try a waterbath next time and see if it helps. Stay tuned…
+Jessie
I’ve been looking for a pumpkin cheesecake recipe for weeks and found this one. I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. Thanks for sharing!
Oh, fantastic! So glad to help. Let me know how it comes out!
+Jessie
I just finished eating my first piece of this wonderful cake. IT WAS DELICIOUS. The slow cool method really helped.
NOTE: I used a pizza stone below my cheesecake pan to help spread the heat and prevent the crust from hardening / burning.
Thank you sooo much for the wonderful recipe. KUDOS TO YOU.
I found this recipe while searching for a pumpkin pie with a cookie crust besides graham cracker. This whole recipe looks amazing, but I’m really excited to try this crust with my regular spiced pumpkin pie.
I have a bunch of pumpkin puree I made last year in my freezer, and I do think it tastes different. Most canned pumpkin that you buy is actually made with yams, not pumpkins. That said, I do think canned pumpkin tastes good too. I like to stock up whenever it’s on sale.
By the way–your photos make everything look delicious! I’m going to go poke around your blog more–I’m so glad to have stumbled upon your site!
Thanks so much! Let me know how you like the crust. It’s not overly sweet (or too fudge-y), so it doesn’t overwhelm sweet fillings. Let me know how you like it!
+Jessie
Jessie, I just made this last night for a party we are going to this afternoon. Your instructions were perfect to a tee, and that cognac really made the filling delicious. I linked a picture and your website on my blog today — please let me know if you prefer I remove the info. http://www.greatstems.com/2009/10/headless-horseman-strikes-the-garden.html
I look forward to partaking in the devouring of this cheesecake this afternoon!
I LOVE this recipe. I’ve never attempted making cheesecake but after doing this I feel like a cheesecake pro! I made this for my co-workers and they all loved it, even those who weren’t partial to pumpkin pie. I’m making another batch for my family for Thsanksgiving and I’m sure they’ll love it too. Love your website and the yummy food
Happy Thanksgiving!