Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake #recipe by @DonnaFaz

Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

Autumn has arrived! When the air turns a little chilly, I can’t help but turn on my oven and bake up something delicious. Last week I made a wonderful sunflower seed yeast bread. It was so good! Here’s a great fall recipe. I hope you’ll try it.

Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake

Gingersnap crust –

2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 32 cookies)

1/4 cup ground walnuts

5 Tablespoons butter, melted

Cheesecake –

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1.      Pre-heat oven to 300º F. Grease a 9-inch spring form pan with cooking spray. Wrap foil around the outside of the pan to catch any leaks.

2.    Prepare crust: Mix together cookie crumbs, walnuts, and butter. Press mixture into the bottom of the pan, going up the side 1 inch. Bake 8 – 10 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes.

3.    In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, and then add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until well incorporated. Measure out 3 cups of the cheese mixture and spread evenly over the crust.

4.    Add pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the remaining cream cheese mixture in the mixing bowl. Mix with a wire whisk until blended. Carefully spoon pumpkin mixture over the cream cheese mixture in the pan.

5.     Bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until sides look set and the center jiggles just a little when moved.

6.    Turn off the oven, open the oven door about 4 inches, and leave cheesecake in the over for 30 more minutes. Remove from oven, set on cooling rack. While cheesecake is still warm, run a knife around the outside edge of the crust. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Cover loosely with plastic and refrigerate overnight.

7.     When ready to serve, run a knife around the outside edge again. Carefully remove the spring form. Store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator.