Two of my best friends came in from out-of-town to visit and to cheer me up that weekend, and one of them has Celiac's. I wanted to make sure she would be able to enjoy the dessert (and other foods!) I cooked up for our celebratory bbq, so I made the crust for this cheesecake with gluten-free gingersnaps. You could certainly leave off the crust altogether or substitute a different gluten-free crust if you can't find gluten-free gingersnaps. Or, if it isn't something you have to worry about, use real gingersnaps!
Also, may I just say, this recipe is extremely forgiving. I did not read the original recipe thoroughly before starting, so I missed the part when the crust is supposed to chill for an hour. And the part where you add the sour cream topping right after baking and before cooling, rather than after the cheesecake has set in the fridge overnight. No matter. It tasted fine, anyways. And I'm sure your texture will be much better than mine was, given that I mixed this up by hand since my stand mixer broke last weekend. *Sigh* As I said, it's very forgiving, since it still tasted fantastic!
I did try to get a picture of the whole, uncut cheesecake, but given the line of bottlecaps in the picture and the lack of focus, the drinking had proceeded too long to get a decent picture. The other picture was taken a few days later, while sober, and, as you saw, it's MUCH better!
Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake (Adapted from Apple A Day)
Crust
- 3/4 c. crushed gingersnaps (gluten-free or normal)
- 1/4 c. finely chopped pecans
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 4 Tbl. unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tbl. bourbon (I subbed Jameson, since I was out of bourbon)
Pulse together crushed gingersnaps, pecans, butter, and bourbon (or Jameson) in a food processor until moistened and starting to come together. Press into the bottom of a 10" springform pan. Chill 1 hour (or don't, since I forgot this step). Bake the unfilled crust for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Filling
- 2 c. pumpkin puree
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 2/3 tsp. nutmeg
- 2/3 tsp. ginger
- 2/3 tsp. salt
- 2/3 c. brown sugar
- 2/3 c. granulated sugar
- 4 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
- 3 Tbl. heavy cream
- 1 1/2 Tbl. cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 1/2 Tbl. bourbon (or Jameson)
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until creamy. Cream the granulated sugar with the cream cheese. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin puree with the spices and salt. Add this to the cream cheese mixture, and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Beat in the brown sugar, vanilla, and bourbon. Dissolve the cornstarch in the heavy cream, and beat this into the cream cheese mixture until the batter is smooth.
Pour the filling into the pre-baked crust. Wrap the springform pan in a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil and place in a water bath (or don't, since you're going to put a topping on it anyway that will hide any cracks). Bake for 65 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until center is just set. Without removing from the pan, let cool for 5 minutes.
Topping
- 2 c. sour cream
- 2 Tbl. granulated sugar
- 1 Tbl. bourbon (or Jameson)
Mix all topping ingredients until thoroughly combined. Spread over the top of the (still hot) cheesecake. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes at 350 degrees F. Or, if you neglect to read the directions and cool the cheesecake completely, top the cooled cheesecake with sour cream and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 2 hours. Once it is somewhat cooled, refrigerate until it's time to serve (at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight). Feel free to decorate it with whole pecans, if you have any on hand (I didn't).
This looks delicious!! I love Pumpkin pie and cheesecake!! So this is a great combo!!
ReplyDeleteAnd, deffinetly never let a guy stand in the way of what makes you happy, including eating yummy desserts!! (this is something every woman needs to learn!!)