Caramel Topped Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake is the perfect autumn indulgence! This creamy, dreamy spiced homemade cheesecake with a swirl of caramel is the best cheesecake for Fall!

A Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake makes a beautiful presentation, plus it’s a nice change of pace from pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dessert.

Why You’ll Love Pumpkin Cheesecake 

• It had the classic flavors of a pumpkin pie but in a rich cheesecake!
• The simple caramel garnish makes it company-worthy, and you won’t break a sweat adding it.
• It’s super creamy and delicious!

The picky hubby is a huge fan of the classic pumpkin pie. It’s a must-make for Thanksgiving. But no tweaking allowed. Pumpkin chiffon pie is a no-go and, heaven forbid, no substitutions like this outrageously delicious pumpkin cheesecake recipe.

He also won’t touch pumpkin bread, Easy Pumpkin Fudge, pumpkin bars, or any other of my favorite pumpkin recipes. Well, it’s his loss. Though I really don’t get his logic, I was A-OK with more of this dessert for me.

Tips for Making Pumpkin Cheesecake

• My two top tips for making perfect cheesecakes never change. First, have your ingredients at room temperature, mainly the eggs and cream cheese. This makes a world of difference in how they incorporate into the batter. You want a smooth, lump-free batter for the silkiest cheesecake.
• Second, use the paddle attachment for mixing. A whisk will incorporate too much air and the texture will reflect that.
• I’d never used this combination before, but drizzling caramel sauce over pumpkin cheesecake turned out to be one stupendous idea! You could drizzle and swirl or just pour some caramel sauce over the top of each slice.
• But I piped a spiral of caramel over the cream cheese topping, then used a skewer to make this starburst design. I’m not too artsy, so don’t worry, this is an easy technique.
• PRO-Tip: Bring the cheesecake out of the refrigerator about an hour before serving. This will make the texture ultra-creamy when you’re ready to slice it.

I’ve made pumpkin cheesecakes before, but this one trumps any previous versions. The texture is light and luscious, and oh, so creamy. I’d pick a slice of this beauty over pumpkin pie every time!

How to Make a Pumpkin Cheesecake

1. Preheat the oven and Prep the springform pan.
2. Make the crust and Press into the pan.
3. Beat together the cream cheese and sugar, remove ¾ cup, and chill.
4. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, Add and Combine the remaining ingredients to the rest of the cream cheese mixture, in the order listed.
5. Scrape batter into the prepared pan.
6. Make a water bath in a large pan or roaster, place in the oven, and add the cheesecake to the pan.
7. Bake until the cheesecake is almost fully set.
8. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then run a knife or offset spatula around the perimeter. 
9. Allow to finish cooling, then cover and chill overnight.
10. Remove the cheesecake from the pan and place it on a serving plate.
11. Let the reserved cream cheese mixture warm to room temperature, add more cream as directed, then Spread over the top of the cheesecake.
12. Garnish with a swirl of caramel sauce using a piping bag, then make “spokes” by running a skewer across the caramel and topping from the middle to the edge at slice-sized intervals (see the overhead photo of the cheesecake below).

More Pumpkin Recipes

Savory

• Pumpkin Cappuccino Soup from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Pasta with Mascarpone Pumpkin Sauce and Toasted Walnuts from Creative Culinary
• Kaddu Ka Ambal – Sweet and Tart Pumpkin Curry from Spice Roots
• Roasted Pumpkin Herb Focaccia from Pastry Chef Online

Sweet

• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Brownies from Never Enough Thyme
• Pumpkin Scones from Mother Would Know
• Best Pumpkin Bars
• Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Snack Cake from Miss In The Kitchen
• Skinny Pumpkin Chai Latte from Jeanette’s Healthy Living

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The Recipe:

Caramel Topped Pumpkin Cheesecake

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Yield 12 servings

A lightly spiced, ultra creamy pumpkin cheesecake topped with luscious caramel sauce

Ingredients

Crust:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 stick butter, melted

Filling:

• 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 9 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup high-quality caramel sauce (I used Better Boy Bourbon Caramel Sauce)

Instructions

For Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Wrap base of a 9-inch springform pan with 2¾-inch sides with a double layer of heavy-duty (or regular) foil. Set aside.
2. Mix together graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Add melted butter and mix until combined.
3. Press crust mixture onto bottom and up about 1 inch along the side of the pan.

For Filling:

1. Using a stand mixer, fit with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar until light.
2. Reserve ¾ cup of the mixture to use as the topping (cover and chill).
3. Add pumpkin, 4 tablespoons whipping cream, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla to the pumpkin mixture and mix until well combined.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating just until combined. Pour filling into the crust.
5. Make a water bath by pouring boiling water into a large roaster to about an inch up the sides of the pan, and place in a heated oven.
6. Place well-wrapped springform pan filled with cheesecake batter into the roaster.
7. Bake until cheesecake moves only slightly when the pan is shaken, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
8. Transfer cheesecake to rack and cool for 10 minutes.
9. Run a knife around the perimeter of the pan to loosen Cool. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
10. Release pan sides from cheesecake.
11. Bring remaining ¾ cup cream cheese mixture to room temperature.
12. Add remaining 5 tablespoons whipping cream to cream cheese mixture and stir to combine.
13. Pour cream cheese mixture over cheesecake, spreading evenly.
14. Drizzle with caramel sauce or use a ziplock bag with a hole cut in the corner, starting at the center, pipe a spiral from the middle to the edges. Take a skewer and draw "spokes" from the center to the edge to make a web-like pattern.

Notes

Total time does not reflect cooling and chilling times.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 596Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 171mgSodium: 415mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 2gSugar: 41gProtein: 9g

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