Back to the Cutting Board

Swirled Caramel and Pumpkin Cheesecake Supreme

from Back to the Cutting Board

Dessert | Servings: 1 9″ cheesecake pie (10 servings)
Prep time: 45 min | Cook time: 3 hour 15 min | Total time: 5 hours

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 cups crushed gingersnaps
• 6 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Caramel

• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp. heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cheesecake

• 5 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 5 eggs, room temperature
• 2 egg yolks, room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/8 cup flour
• 1/4 cup heavy cream, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. allspice

Process

1. Get out cream cheese, eggs and cream ahead of time and let come to room temperature. If your cream cheese is really cold this can take 6+ hours. When you’re ready to start baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).
2. Mix gingersnaps, sugar, salt and butter in a bowl until combined and press into the bottom and about an inch or two up the sides of a 9″ or 10″ springform pan.
3. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Take out and cool completely. Turn off the oven.
4. While the crust is baking, make the caramel: Cook sugar, corn syrup, water and a pinch of salt in a heavy bottomed, 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir only until sugar is dissolved, then let the mixture come to a boil.
5. Boil mixture until it turns a deep golden caramel, about 10 minutes. DO NOT STIR. EVER.
6. Remove from heat and carefully pour the cream and vanilla down the side of the pan. Be careful, the mixture will bubble and steam.
7. Turn burner to low and place pot back on. Stir carefully until the caramel is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool.
8. In a mixer bowl with the whisk attachment, whisk together cream cheese, eggs, egg yolks and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 3-5 minutes. (It’s okay if you still have some very small lumps.)
9. Add in the sugar, flour and heavy cream and mix on low speed until fully incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Do not over-mix as this will create more air bubbles which can contribute to your cake cracking.
10. Pour 1/3 of the batter into a separate bowl. Add 1/2 cup caramel (if it has hardened too much, heat it up until it’s easier to pour). Mix until combined.
11. Add the pumpkin and spices into the remaining 2/3 of the batter.
12. Pour 1/3 of the pumpkin batter into the prepared crust. Drop in spoonfuls of the caramel batter on top. Pour in another 1/3 of the pumpkin batter and repeat the spoonfuls of the caramel batter. Pour in the rest of the pumpkin batter, it should be over 3/4 full, but not completely to the top (you may have some batter left over, it’s great for making mini-cheesecakes in mini muffin tins). Then drop in spoonfuls of the remaining caramel batter (cover the top, but don’t overfill). Finally, drizzle the caramel (again you may need to heat up a little) over the top and swirl it all around with a knife, but don’t overmix. Gently tap the pan against your counter a few times to help get any possible air bubbles out of the batter.
13. Place in the oven and turn it on to 400 degrees (F). It should NOT be preheated. Bake for 15 minutes and then turn it down to 200 degrees (F). Bake for 3 hours. Turn the oven off, prop open the door slightly and let cool for 1 hour. Finally, cover the top with plastic wrap, place in your refrigerator and chill for a full 24 hours before removing the springform pan’s side and serving.