Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake!!

taken from Tea with Bea by Bea Vo

Pre-heat the oven to 125*C/240*F/gas 1

for the base:
600g gingernut biscuits/cookies
75g-100g unsalted butter, melted

Turn the cookies into fine crumbs. There are numerous ways to do this: putting in a bag and smashing with a rolling pin (very therapeutic) or the way I did in a food processor!
Add the melted butter slowly. The amount will vary. Test by squeezing a bit in your hand making a ball, then releasing your hand. The mixture should hold it’s shape, but fall apart when slightly touched. Add more butter or crumb depending on your results. Too buttery and it’ll be too hard, not enough it will disappear into the cheesecake!
Press down into your prepared cake tin (25cm/10in cake pan greased and base lined)

for the cheesecake
100g/ ½ cup caster/superfine sugar
110g/ ½ cup dark brown soft sugar
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground all spice
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
700g/1lb. 9oz cream cheese
3 eggs
3 tbsp whipping cream
2 tbsp Bourbon
425g/15oz can of pumpkin puree

Put the sugar, all the spices and the vanilla extract into a large mixing bowl and stir until combined. Beat in the cream cheese until sugar is dissolved.
Add the eggs one at a time beating slowly but thoroughly until adding the next.
Stir in the whipping cream and Bourbon. Fold in the pumpkin puree until well combined.
Pour into prepared tin with gingernut crust and bake for 1 hour until the middle is slightly jiggly and the top doesn’t look shiny or wet any more.
When done remove from oven and cool at room temperature for 1 hour before putting in the fridge over night.
Remove cheesecake from cake tin and prepare to top!! 

for the topping
300ml/1 1/3 cups whipping cream
60g/2/3 cup icing/confectioner’s sugar
75g/3oz. crystallized ginger, chopped
3 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted

Put the cream and icing sugar in a bowl and whisk to soft peaks, easier done with an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, but an electric whisk would do the job!
Spread the whipped cream casually over the cheesecake and top with ginger and pumpkin seeds!!

As you can see I didn’t have any crystallized ginger so I just used pumpkin seeds, un-toasted pumpkin seeds. Oops. I didn’t check with the book after baking. It would have been way better toasted! I used some caramel (canned) to top it off as well!

As you’ll also notice, by the pictures, I don’t own an 10in cake pan so I made 2x8inch ones. I think it would have been better as one thick cheesecake, but this was good too!! I need to expand my tins and pans and baking sheets.

It’s the first recipe I’ve made from Bea’s and I’m not disappointed. There are so many gorgeous looking cakes in this book that I don’t know where to start. With the holiday season upon us I’m going to try and get some Christmas themed treats out before hand! A few ideas: peppermint brownies, eggnog cupcakes and gingerbread cookies! I also have at least 3 birthday cakes to make in the next 3 weeks! I’m going to be busy! It is that time of year!!