Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake

I love making homemade cheesecakes! And I love eating homemade cheesecakes.

What I don’t particularly enjoy is all the time and fuss that goes into making “perfect” cheesecakes. The water baths are always finicky and it seems like they always crack.

Which is why I love this simple pumpkin cheesecake – its delicious, its easy, and it always looks good!

This pumpkin cheesecake is the ultimate fuss-free dessert – its almost fool-proof, it doesn’t require a finicky water-bath, and it hardly ever cracks.

And it doesn’t really matter if by some strange happenings it does crack because you are topping it with a gorgeous brown sugar pecan sauce.

The whole thing ends up being dreamy and creamy and so silky smooth.

Add a dollop of slightly sweetened whipped cream and you have a decadent dessert that hardly requires any work at all.

It’s holiday dessert heaven.

Make the crust.

1. In a large bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter.
2. Pat into the bottom of the springform into an even layer, and up the sides about 2 inches.

Make the cheesecake.

1. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
2. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each addition.
3. Add in the pumpkin, vanilla extract and cinnamon and beat until well combined.
4. Pour the batter into the crust and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the center is almost set (it will still jiggle slightly when moved but will feel firm when touched).
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1 hour in the pan.
6. Carefully use a knife to run along the edges of the pan and loosen the cheesecake (but leave it in the pan).
7. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Make the praline sauce

1. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat.
2. Allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon, heavy cream and chopped pecans.
4. Allow to cool to room temperature before pouring over the cheesecake.

Serve the cheesecake with whipped cream.

How to store the cheesecake

Store this cheesecake in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.

If you think you will be storing leftovers, don’t add the whipped cream on top of the whole dessert as it will melt.

Try these other pumpkin recipes:

• Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
• Pumkin Cornbread
• Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
• Pumpkin Cinnamon Bread Pudding