Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

I came up with this one after making a birthday cheesecake using a vanilla cake mix and wondered if a spice cake mix would work for a pumpkin cheesecake. This works well giving a lighter flavored pumpkin cheesecake that isn’t as strong as a traditional pumpkin pie. My husband isn’t a big fan of pumpkin pie because of the strong flavor so this is a great compromise and he loves it. Hard to keep him from eating it all!

Crust

• 1 sleeve of graham cracker crumbs (9 sheets – about 1 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3 Tablespoons of white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Filling

• 24 oz cream cheese, softened (3 – 8 oz blocks)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup sour cream (room temperature)
• 1 cup spice cake mix (your favorite brand)
• 1 – 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 4 eggs (room temperature)

Topping

• 1 1/4 cup heavy cream, cold
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Crust: Preheat oven to 350^oF (rack in the center of the oven).  Cover the bottom of a 9″ springform pan with parchment, attach the sides over the paper (this makes it easy to remove the cake if you want to put on a serving plate). Then cover the outside of the springform pan with aluminum foil so that the butter doesn’t leak onto your oven. Spray inside of pan with non-stick spray. In a small bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the melted butter and mix until the crumbs are coated. Pour crumbs evenly into the prepared springform pan and gently smooth out. I only like a crust on the bottom, but if you like it on the sides; work the crumbs up the sides so that they go about halfway up your pan. Place pan into the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool while preparing the filling.

Filling: Turn the oven down to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and sugars on medium speed for 2-4 minutes until smooth and creamy.  Add the vanilla, sour cream, cake mix, pumpkin, and spices then beat on medium until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low-medium just until incorporated. Don’t over mix the eggs. Pour the cream cheese filling over the crust, and bake for 60-75 minutes. Cake is done when the center is set (I test by lightly touching the top with a clean finger and nothing sticks to it) and center has a little jiggle. Turn off the oven and prop open the oven door open. Let cheesecake cool in the oven for at least 1 hour. Remove from oven, set on a wire rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate uncovered overnight. I do find that this cheesecake cracks (still working on a solution), but gives a good reason to cover in homemade whipped cream.

Topping: Add the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a medium bowl. Use the whisk attachment for your mixer and mix on medium-high to stiff peaks (don’t over mix). Run knife around the outside edge of the cake, release sides, and top the cake with the whipped cream. Since this is a stabilized whipped cream you can pipe the cream on top of the cake and your decoration will stay and last about 5-7 days in the refrigerator.