Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake

More pumpkin lol Yay for Pumpkin! Cheesecake...heck yes and I know you are looking at this recipe because it said, cheesecake. So you are either a cheesecake lover, looking for a different cheesecake recipe or a pumpkin lover looking for another recipe to use more pumpkin!! I love both, it's a close close call but if I had to choose, I think I would just slightly be more of a pumpkin lover than a cheesecake lover. I am so glad I don't have to choose with this recipe.


Ingredients

Crust

2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 32)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Cheesecake

4 packages (8 oz each) 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


Directions

1 Heat oven to 300°F. Grease 9-inch springform pan with shortening or cooking spray. Wrap foil around pan to catch drips. In small bowl, mix cookie crumbs and butter. Press crumb mixture in bottom and 1 inch up side of pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 5 minutes.

2 Iin large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed just until smooth and creamy; do not overbeat. On low speed, gradually beat in sugar. On low speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, just until blended. Spoon 3 cups of the cream cheese mixture into pan; spread evenly.

3 Stir pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg into remaining cream cheese mixture; mix with wire whisk until smooth. Spoon over mixture in pan.

4 Bake 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until edges are set but center of cheesecake still jiggles slightly when moved.

5 Turn oven off; open oven door at least 4 inches. Leave cheesecake in oven 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven; place on cooling rack. Without releasing side of pan, run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake. Cool in pan on cooling rack 30 minutes. Cover loosely; refrigerate at least 6 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

6 Run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake again; carefully remove side of pan. Place cheesecake on serving plate. Store cheesecake covered in refrigerator.


* The key to a smooth top on a cheesecake is using the correct oven temperature, bake time and beating the cream cheese mixture just until smooth.

* Garnish this luscious dessert with whipping cream.