Pumpkin Cheesecake

Good Housekeeping
Food Associate Lisa Troland has been baking this dessert "on demand" for
years. It's light (in texture) and rich at the same time.

Serving: 16
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours plus chilling

Crumb Crust:

1 cup graham-cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar

Pumpkin Filling:

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 can (16 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin (not pumpkin-pie mix)
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons bourbon or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs

Sour-Cream Topping:

1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crystallized ginger strips for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In 9" by 3" springform pan, with fork,
stir graham-cracker crumbs, melted margarine or butter, and sugar until
moistened. With hand, press mixture onto bottom of pan. Tightly wrap
outside of pan with heavy-duty foil to prevent leakage when baking in
water bath later. Bake crust 10 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire
rack.

In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese until
smooth; slowly beat in sugar until blended, about 1 minute, scraping
bowl often with rubber spatula. With mixer at low speed, beat in
pumpkin, sour cream, bourbon or vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Pour pumpkin mixture into crust and place in large roasting pan. Place
pan on oven rack. Carefully pour enough boiling water into pan to come 1
inch up side of springform pan. Bake cheesecake 1 hour 10 minutes or
until center barely jiggles.

Meanwhile, prepare Sour-Cream Topping: In small bowl, with wire whisk,
beat sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until blended. Remove cheesecake
from water bath, leaving water bath in oven, and spread sour-cream
mixture evenly over top. Return cake to water bath and bake 5 minutes
longer.

Remove cheesecake from water bath to wire rack; discard foil. With small
knife, loosen cheesecake from side of pan to help prevent cracking
during cooling. Cool cheesecake completely. Cover and refrigerate
cheesecake at least 6 hours or overnight, until well chilled. Remove
side of pan to serve. Garnish with crystallized ginger.


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