Velvety Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients


Crust

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups crushed ginger snap cookies

Filling

  • 1 pound cream cheese (at room temperature)
  • 1 pound ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup cooked, puréed Pumpkin flesh
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions


Preheat oven to 350ºF. Mix crust ingredients together and spread in bottom of a 10", greased springform cake pan.


In large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Add sugar slowly and mix until fluffy. Add ricotta cheese, sour cream and puréed Pumpkin and mix until smooth. Add vanilla, cornstarch and salt and mix to blend.


Pour mixture over crust. Bake at 350ºF for one hour. Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in closed oven for another hour. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate. Remove from springform pan. Lovely with freshly whipped cream sweetened with a bit of brown sugar. Note: You can vary the degree of Pumpkin flavor: the total contribution of the Pumpkin and sour cream should be two cups however you divide it.


Pumpkin