Gina's Pumpkin Cheesecake

The following recipe is from Gina Neely of the Food Network's Cooking with the Neely's. We stumbled across this fabulous creation last Thanksgiving as we were searching for new twists to old favorites. I am a huge fan of pumpkin pie, and Bob is a huge fan of cheesecake - so what better way to meld our tastes than to create a pumpkin cheesecake. All the credit here, however, belongs to the Neelys. This recipe was easy to make and tasted incredible! It was quite the hit at Thanksgiving dinner.

Ingredients

Crust

30 squares gingersnap cookies
6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling

4 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin
5 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp table salt
1 T vanilla extract
2 T all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Whipped Cream, for serving, recipe follows

Instructions

Crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Add the gingersnaps to the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until crumbly.
3. Transfer to a large bowl and add the melted butter. Stir until evenly mixed.
4. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with 3-inch sides.
5. Bake the crust until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool completely while preparing the filling.

Filling

1. Put a teakettle filled with water on the stovetop, over medium heat, and bring to a boil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and sugar and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the pumpkin and beat until incorporated.
4. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, then add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and vanilla, and beat until blended.
5. Add the flour and beat until incorporated.
6. Wrap the sides and bottom of the springform pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
7. Pour the filling into the pan and put it in a small roasting pan.
8. Pour the hot water from the teakettle into the roasting pan, filling halfway up the sides of the springform pan, about 1 1/2 inches.
9. Bake until the center of the cheesecake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
10. Remove the cake from the water bath and let it cool on a wire rack.
11. Once cooled, use a paring knife to loosen the sides of the cake from the pan.
12. Chill the cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving.
13. Serve with Cinnamon Whipped Cream.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

1 C heavy cream, chilled
1/4 C confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Pour the heavy cream into a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until thick and frothy.
2. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon, and beat until medium peaks form.