Ultimate Pumpkin Cheesecake

I wasn't planning on making anymore cheesecakes in my series of all things pumpkin. Then I thought up this recipe for a small baby shower, and just had to share. 

This amazing pumpkin cheesecake, with a gingersnap crust and ganache topping made my entire house smell like fall!

Crust:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

2 cups (255g) gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 9 ounces)

1/4 cup (packed) (50g) golden brown sugar

2 tablespoons (30g) chopped crystallized ginger

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) (57g) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F/177C.

Spray 9-inch spring form pan with with nonstick spray.

Grind cookie crumbs, brown sugar, and ginger in a food processor until finely ground.

Add butter; pulsing to blend.

Transfer mixture to prepared pan; press onto bottom and 1-2 inches up sides of pan.

Bake crust until set and lightly browned, about 5-10 minutes. Cool completely.

I made this part hard on myself, but it worked out nicely. Here in Denmark you're not going to find ginger snaps, and making them from scratch was out of the question. Thankfully I managed to make my own 'fake gingersnaps'. I started by making my own crystallized ginger. Then I accidentally burned it! Lucky for me, it gave it more of a ginger and molasses taste.

After that little mishap, I used Digestive biscuits as my cookie base, added the brown sugar, and a few pieces of the burned ginger. Then added the melted butter, but it still wasn't 'ginger-y' enough for me. So, I added some of the burnt ginger syrup and mixed the crumbs into more of a dough. Because my dough was thicker than the original plan for my crust, I baked it for about 15 minutes.

Filling:

4 8-ounce packages (907g) cream cheese, room temperature

2 cups (383g) sugar

1 15-ounce can (425g) pure pumpkin puree

5 large eggs

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1-2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Beat in pumpkin.

Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on low speed to incorporate each addition.

Add flour, spices, and salt; beat just to blend.

Beat in vanilla.

Transfer filling to cooled crust.

Bake until filling is just set in center and edges begin to crack (filling will move slightly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour 20 minutes.

When cheesecake has set, turn off oven and open door part way and let stand for 1 hour. (A water bath will prevent the cake from cracking.)

Run knife around sides of pan to release crust.

Topping:

3/4 cup whipping cream

6 ounces (170 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon sugar

One hour before serving (or up to 3 days ahead of time), melt chocolate, sugar, and cream in a double boiler or bowl over a pot of water over low heat until smooth. I've found a whisk works better than a spoon or rubber spatula, but make sure to stir gently.

Cool slightly.

Pour over the center of the cheesecake, spreading to within 1/2 inch of edge and filling any cracks. Lightly dust with a mixture of pumpkin pie spice and sugar if desired.

Chill until the topping is set, about 1 hour if cheesecake has already been refrigerated.

When ready to serve, release the spring form pan sides, invert cheesecake onto a plate, or parchment paper, remove bottom of spring form pan, and invert again onto plate/cake stand/platter. (For an easy release, cover bottom of spring form pan with aluminum foil before making the crust.)

Transfer the cheesecake to a platter, and top with chocolate curls.

I decided mine should have it's very own moat filled with chocolate curls.

Linking up here:

Whipperberry
While He Was Napping
delicate CONSTRUCTION
Ginger Snap Crafts
Be Different Act Normal
Young & Crafty
I ♥ Naptime
C.R.A.F.T.
Mrs Happy Homemaker
All Things Fee
Embellishing Life
Craft-O-Maniac
Homemaker On A Dime
The Sweet Details
Ask Anna
It's a Wrap