Pumpkin White Chocolate Cheesecake

This recipe isn’t healthy. Thank you for indulging me. I find myself missing my mother a lot this Christmas, and she instilled a love of cheesecake in me. I have a lot of fond memories of eating little wedges of half frozen Sarah Lee cheesecake with her while watching a cheesy chick flick.

I haven’t even attempted to make this more healthy than the original. Cheesecake is one of those foods I don’t mess with. The good news is that this is pretty rich, so it is slightly easier to eat in moderation.

Happy Holidays!

Pumpkin White Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust:
1 ¾ cup gingersnap crumbs (about 30 small cookies)
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons brown sugar
¾ cup pecans or walnuts

Filling:
3 (8 ounce) blocks cream cheese
¾ cup pumpkin puree
6 ounces melted white chocolate (1 cup chips)
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon ginger

Mousse:
1 cup whipping cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces white chocolate, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350. Using 2 large pieces of foil, securely wrap the bottom and outside of your cheesecake pan.

2. Use a food processor to crush gingersnaps. Then crush pecans. Combine gingersnaps, pecans, brown sugar, and butter and stir well to combine. Press into a 9″ spring form pan. Evenly spread across the bottom of pan and up the sides about 1 inch.

3. To melt chocolate, place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. Set aside.

4. With an electric mixer beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Add pumpkin, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. With the mixer running, slowly add in white chocolate in a steady stream (or steady blobs). Pour mixture on top of the crust.

5. Place cheesecake pan in pre-heated oven. With a kettle or pitcher filled with hot water, pour water into cake pan on the lower shelf until you have about 1-2 inches of water. Shut oven door.

6. Bake for 60-75 minutes or until set. The center should be just a tad bit jiggly still. Let cool for approximately 30 minutes in oven with oven off. Remove from oven and place on a rack until completely cool. Place in the fridge for at least 12 hours. This is a soft cheesecake, so don’t be alarmed.

7. Once cheesecake is cooled, in a medium bowl, beat the cream and vanilla with an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer) until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix until combined and the peaks are slightly stiffer. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the white chocolate and mix until smooth and creamy. Fold in the whipped cream, taking care not to deflate the whipped cream, and mix gently with a rubber spatula, lifting and turning the cream, until the mousse is combined and creamy.

8. Spread the white chocolate topping on top of the cooled cheesecake. Cool with topping for at least an additional 1-2 hours.

Recipe Notes: None of us want to know the nutrition on this bad boy. It’s Christmas.

Source: Our Best Bites for cheesecake and Mel’s Kitchen Cafe for mousse, no adaptation