The New York Times recipe: Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

Fluffier than both cheesecake and pumpkin pie, this dessert combines a silky cream cheese-pumpkin filling and a tangy sour cream topping with a biscuit crust. The warmth of ginger, ground and candied, ties together the other warming spices: cinnamon, cardamom and turmeric for flavours reminiscent of — and as soothing as — turmeric tea and chai.

Ingredients:

For the crust

½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for the pan

2 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 15 crackers) or substitute for digestive biscuits or other plain, sweet biscuits

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp fine sea or table salt

For the filling

1 (225g) block cream cheese, softened

150g sugar

1 ½ tsp ground ginger

¾ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp fine sea or table salt

1 (425g) can pure pumpkin

2 tsp brandy (optional)

2 large eggs, at room temperature

For the topping

50g sugar

¼ tsp ground turmeric

340g sour cream

Candied ginger, cut into thin slivers or pieces, for garnish

Preparation:

Step 1 Make the crust: Heat the oven to 175C. Butter a 9 or 9.5-inch (23-24cm) deep-dish pie dish. Mix the crumbs, sugar and salt in a large bowl (or pulse in a food processor if you’ve ground your own crumbs). Add the butter and mix (or pulse) until the mixture is well blended and feels like wet sand.

Step 2 Dump all of the crumbs into the pie dish and spread in an even layer. Firmly press against the sides, but not over the rim if there is one, to form a 0.5cm-thick edge. Firmly press the rest of the loose crumbs against the bottom. Bake until darker brown and dry and firm to the touch, 12-15 minutes. Turn the oven heat down to 160C.

Step 3 While the crust bakes, make the filling: Beat the cream cheese with an electric stand or hand mixer until there are no tiny cream-cheese lumps. Add the sugar, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and salt, and beat until very smooth, scraping the bowl if needed. Add the pumpkin and brandy (if using), and beat until fully incorporated, then beat in the eggs, just until combined. You don’t want to beat the mixture too much once the eggs are added or your filling will balloon and then sink rather than bake evenly.

Step 4 Pour the filling into the crust (it’s OK if it’s hot, warm or cooled) and spread in an even layer. Bake until the edges are set, the entire top looks dry, and the very centre is just a bit jiggly, 45-50 minutes.

Step 5 After the cheesecake goes into the oven, make the topping: Mix the sugar and turmeric in a medium bowl, breaking up any clumps. Add the sour cream and stir gently until evenly tinted gold. Let sit at room temperature until ready to use.

Step 6 Carefully spread the topping over the hot baked filling in an even layer. Return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate uncovered until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Cover loosely with plastic wrap after 2 hours if you plan to chill it longer.

Step 7 When ready to serve, decorate the top with the candied ginger.

Serves 8-12

Total time: 1½ hours, plus chilling

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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