Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake
The Thanksgiving dessert of your dreams has arrived. Everyone in the Delish test kitchen has made too many cheesecake recipes to count. Here's what we've learned:
There's no need to pre-bake the crust.
When we're dealing with a graham cracker, Oreo, or Nilla Wafer crust, we NEVER pre-bake it. There's no point. It will hold together just fine if you bake it after the cream cheese mixture goes in.
ALWAYS set up a water bath.
Surrounded by the steam of hot water, the cheesecake will cook more gently and evenly, and the risk of cracking drops significantly. Bonus! A water bath also results in a creamier texture.
A little bit of flour helps.
Another way to reduce the chances of cracking (it's a seriously annoying cheesecake problem!) is to add a couple tablespoons of starch. It'll firm up the cheesecake a bit, instead of relying solely on eggs. We use all-purpose flour but cornstarch works too.
It's ready when it's slightly jiggly.
When checking to see if you cheesecake is ready, shake the pan very slightly. If it jiggles a little bit in the center, it's ready. If it's super sloshy all over, it needs to go longer.
Let it cool in an open oven first.
Yessss, this is yet another step to ensure a smooth perfect top. While cheesecakes aren't hard to make, they can be fussy. Case in point: You need to cool them gradually. Once you think your cheesecake is done, turn off the oven and prop open the oven door with a wooden spoon. Let it cool for 1 hour like this, then cool it to room temperature on the counter, THEN put it in the refrigerator for about 5 hours. It's a process, we know. But it's SO worth it.
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- Yields:
- 8 - 10 serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 25 mins
- Total Time:
- 6 hrs 40 mins
Ingredients
For the cheesecake
- 3
(8-oz.) blocks cream cheese, softened
- 1
(15-oz.) can pumpkin puree
- 4
large eggs
- 3/4 c.
granulated sugar
- 1/2 c.
packed brown sugar
- 1/4 c.
sour cream
- 2 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp.
all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp.
pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp.
ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp.
kosher salt
For the Oreo Crust
- 24
whole Oreos
- 6 tbsp.
melted butter
For Serving
- 1/4 c.
chocolate chips, melted
- 1/4 c.
caramel sauce
Whipped topping
Directions
- Step 1Preheat oven to 350º and position an oven rack in the middle of the oven.
- Step 2Make cheesecake: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin pure, eggs, sugars, sour cream, vanilla, flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt and beat until combined and no clumps remain. Set aside.
- Step 3Make crust: In a large resealable plastic bag or a food processor fitted with a metal blade, crush or blend Oreos until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a bowl and pour in melted butter. Stir until crumbs are completely coated and moist.
- Step 4Grease an 8" springform pan with cooking spray and double wrap the outside of the pan in aluminum foil. Press Oreo mixture into pan and 1/3 of the way up the sides, packing tightly.
- Step 5Pour cheesecake filling over crust and place pan in a baking dish. Place on oven rack and pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up the pan. Bake until cheesecake is slightly jiggly in the center, 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Step 6Turn oven off, prop open oven door, and let cheesecake cool in oven, 1 hour. Remove pan from water and unwrap foil. Refrigerate cheesecake until totally chilled, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
- Step 7When ready to serve, drizzle cheesecake with melted chocolate and caramel. Serve with whipped topping, if desired.
Cheesecakes tend to crack if you don't use a water bath. If you don't want to use one, place springform pan on a baking sheet (this will help catch any butter leaking from the crust since we're not pre-baking it) and bake until cheesecake is slightly jiggly in the center, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and run a knife around the inside of the pan to release the cheesecake. Let cool 1 hour on a wire rack, then refrigerate until totally chilled, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
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