The pumpkin pie upgrade you never knew you wanted
By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor
Ingredients:
1 cup crushed graham crackers
2 cups sugar
3 tsp ground cinnamon
Ā½ stick melted butter
1 tsp ground coffee
4 cups room-temperature cream cheese
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground ginger
Ā¼ tsp ground cloves
1 can of pumpkin (425 g)
For this recipe you will need a springform pan, which is a cake pan with a removable bottom.
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees, and wrap the outside of your pan with tin foil. Mix graham crackers, Ā¼ cup of sugar, coffee, and 1 tsp of cinnamon together. When it is all blended evenly, mix in the melted butter. Continue to stir until the crumbs start to clump together. Using your fingers, press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of the pan. Do not press it into the sides. Bake the crust by itself for about 10 minutes, or until it gets slightly toasted. Set the crust aside to cool.
In a bowl, combine the cream cheese and the rest of the sugar, and then beat it until fluffy with either a stand or electric mixer. Add in the eggs one at a time, without allowing any clumps. Slowly add in the can of pumpkin. Once fully-blended with an even colour through-out, add in the vanilla, ginger, cloves, and the remaining cinnamon. Continue mixing until everything is evenly distributed through-out. Once done, pour the mixture into the springform pan, layering it over the pre-baked crust.
Place the smaller springform pan in a larger roasting pan, and fill the outside with water till it reaches halfway up the side of the smaller pan. Your goal here is to create a little bath for it so that the cheesecake will bake evenly and be super fluffy. Be careful not to get any water inside the springform pan.
Bake for an hour and a half, or until the top of the cheesecake is slightly puffy and a nice golden brown. Remove the pan from the bath and set it on a rack to cool. Once it is room temperature, transfer it to the fridge and let it chill overnight.
Before serving, run a knife along the sides of the springform pan, then carefully unlatch the outside ring and remove the bottom with the cheesecake intact. Cut into wedges and serve with either whipped cream, caramel sauce, or berries.
