Chef Lisa

This is based on a clone of the Cheesecake Factory’s pumpkin cheesecake. I made changes to it to suit our family’s tastes. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been asked for the recipe.

I use a 10″ springform pan. If you use a larger or smaller one, make sure to adjust the baking time (less for a larger pan, more for a smaller pan).

Lisa’s Pumpkin Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups cinnamon graham cracker or gingersnap crumbs
5 tbsp butter, melted
1 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
3 8 oz packages cream cheese, soften
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 tsp Chinese Five Spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the graham cracker or gingersnap crumbs with the butter and 1 tbsp sugar in a medium bowl. Mix it together until it’s all combined – you don’t want to make it into a paste. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the springform pan. You want to make sure the bottom as a pretty good coating, and that it comes up the sides enough to cover the seam between the bottom and sides of the pan very well. If you don’t, the filling will leak out of the pan and made a huge mess.

Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set aside until you’re ready to put the filling in. You can make the crust ahead of time, but it does not have to be completely cool to continue with the recipe.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla. Beat it together with an electric mixer until it’s smooth. Scrape the sides down and give it another little bit to make sure everything is mixed up well.

Add the pumpkin, eggs and Five Spice and mix until everything is smooth and creamy. Scrape the sides and bottom down then mix it again to make sure there aren’t any white shunks in the filling.

Pour the filling into the pan and bake for 40 minutes. The top will be a bit darker than it was when you put it in the oven. You’ll see some cracking around the edges, but those will disappear as it cools. Remove it from the oven and let it cool. When it’s room temperature, put it in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

To serve, remove the sides of the springform pan and cut the cake into 8 equal slices. If you wish, garnish with a dollop of whipped cream. If you really want to get fancy, sprinkle the whipped cream with some crushed crystallized ginger.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 598 Calories; 41g Fat (60.8% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 49g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 192mg Cholesterol; 502mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 1 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 7 1/2 Fat; 3 Other Carbohydrates.

(Nutrition info added 11/24/09, doesn’t include whipped cream or crystallized ginger)

This is one of Ari’s favorite breakfast dishes. If there are leftovers and we don’t put them away, she will calmly go and snatch pieces and eating them without telling anyone. One day, she’d eaten an entire cake before we’d realized it.

We usually have Cowboy Coffee Cake for Sunday breakfast, along with scrambled eggs and breakfast sausages (another of Ari’s favorites).

Cowboy Coffee Cake

 
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup shortening
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
2 well beaten eggs

Preheat oven to 375.

Grease and flour two eight inch round cake pans.

Combine with pastry blender flour, salt, brown sugar and shortening. Reserve 1/2 cup of crumbs.

Add baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg to remaining crumbs and stir.

Add milk and eggs and mix until blended. Pour batter into prepared pans (half in each). Sprinkle reserved crumbs on top.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until toothpicks inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serves 12-16.