april's pumpkin cheesecake

i'm getting really sick of the lasagna picture so i'm finally adding a new post. (i recently found out that at least one other person in this family actually uses this blog! so now i'm re-motivated to put stuff on).

i'll start with april's delicious pumpkin cheesecake, and i'm really sorry for those of you who didn't get to try it. i'm not a big fan of pumpkin pie, but this is definitely something to be grateful for.

Crust (if you're not into buying a regular graham cracker crust . . . which, who isn't?)

• 1 c. graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 c. finely ground ginger cookies, homemade or store bought
• 1 T. sugar
• 4 to 5 T unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake:

• 2/3 c. light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 lb. cream cheese, room temp.
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 c. pure pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)

Topping:

• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 c. sugar

Pumpkin cheesecake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees (that's 177 degrees if you measure in C . . . if you're in Tonga, for example) and place oven rack in center of oven. Spray an 8-inch (that's 20 cm) spring form pan.

For crust: combine graham cracker crumbs, finely ground ginger snap cookies, sugar and melted butter. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the prepared spring form pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the cheesecake filling.

For cheesecake: In a separate bowl, stir to combine sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt.

Beat cream cheese with electric mixer on low speed until smooth (about 2 min.). Gradually add sugar mixture and beat until creamy and smooth (1 to 2 min.). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well, after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree.

*** it is at this point that i'm getting too lazy to type anymore, so i'm copying the recipe straight from the website. enjoy. ***

Pour the filling over the chilled ginger crust and place the spring form pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Place a cake pan, filled halfway with hot water, on the bottom shelf of your oven to moisten the air. Bake the cheesecake for 30 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees C (165 degrees C) and continue to bake the cheesecake for another 10 - 20 minutes, or until the edges of the cheesecake are puffed but the center is still wet and jiggles when you gently shake the pan.

Meanwhile whisk together the sour cream, vanilla extract and sugar. Pour the sour cream mixture over the top of the baked cheesecake and rotate the pan slightly to evenly distribute the topping. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake about 8 minutes to set the topping. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Loosen the cake from the pan by running a sharp knife around the inside edge (this will help prevent the cake from cracking). Then place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan so the cheesecake will cool slowly. When completely cooled, cover and refrigerate at least eight hours, preferably overnight, before serving.