If you love this cheesecake, you’ve got to try Cream Cheese Lemon Crumb Cake, Red Velvet Cheesecake Bites, Mixed Berry Pizza with Vanilla Glaze, and Caramel Coconut Macadamia Nut Pie. Cheesecake is so deliciously decadent all on its own. But, since my baking motto is: “If you’re going to do something, you might as well overdo it,” I came up with the notion that I could take an already luscious dessert and make it more so. Pumpkin cheesecake by itself is great, right? But why stop there? So first came the cheesecake, then the pumpkin, then the pumpkin led to pecans and then of course all that thinking about pecans led to think about caramel — and that, my friends, is how this marvelous cheesecake to end all cheesecakes was born.
Why This Recipe Works
No water bath – While you’ve probably been taught all along that cheesecakes need tocook in a water bath so as not to dry out, with this recipe it’s not necessary. First of all, this cheesecake is topped with a streusel, so you don’t have to worry about the cheesecake cracking (if it even does) because you won’t be able to tell. Second, if you don’t open the oven door to check on it, the moisture won’t be released out of the oven. And third, take care to not overbake it. If you follow these steps, then you can make your cheesecake baking a much easier, enjoyable experience – no water bath required! Fast – This caramel cheesecake only takes 1.5 hours of hands-on time (plus some time to chill in the fridge while you relax and read a book). As far as cheesecakes go, that’s no time at all! Easily customizable – If you are not a fan of pecans or you have a nut allergy, you can skip the pecans all together or substitute another nut of your choice. Or you could add some fresh fruit to the streusel instead of pecans, like apples or cranberries, or you could add in coconut shavings. If you don’t like caramel, you can skip that, too, in favor of another topping (butterscotch or chocolate maybe?) Or sprinkle butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, or even mini marshmallows on the top of the pecan pie cheesecake after taking the cheesecake out of the oven. Pantry ingredients – Nothing fancy to see here. In fact, you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry, fridge, or spice rack right now to make this pumpkin cheesecake recipe. And, if you are missing an ingredient or two, they are all commonly found at all grocery stores – no specialty stores to run around to looking for any hard-to-find items.
Here’s How You Make It
Before you start the process, go ahead, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan and set aside.
Prepare the crust
Prepare the filling
- Now, in another large mixing bowl, cream together the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly add in flour, mixing it in. Then, pour this pumpkin mixture on top of the crust and spread it out in an even layer.
Make the streusel
- Now take out another bowl and whisk together the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Cut the butter into this mixture with a fork or use your fingertips to smoosh it all together until it’s crumbly. Spoon this over the pumpkin cheesecake layer.
- Bake for 60 minutes, allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before covering and transferring to the fridge to chill for 4 hours.
Make the topping
- Topping time! Stir the pecans in a skillet over medium heat, for about 1-2 minutes to toast. Add the butter and stir till melted and pecans are coated in melted butter.
- Using a slotted spoon, pull the pecans out of the skillet and put them on a paper towel. Stir the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle this over the buttery pecans.
- Add the pecans to the top of the cooked pecan pie cheesecake, drizzle with caramel sauce, and dig in!
Expert Tips
No springform pan? No problem! You can still make this dessert; you just have to have a little ingenuity. You can use a round or square cake pan, and line it with parchment paper or foil to make it easier to lift out of the pan when it’s done and you’re ready to serve it. Make sure to leave some overhang of the paper or foil so that you can easily grab it and lift the cake out. You can also skip removing the cake from the pan all together and just serve it right out of the pan. It’ll be harder to serve (at least that first piece) and it won’t look as pretty, but it will taste just as delicious.
