Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake brings together the best fall flavors in one rich, creamy dessert. Smooth pumpkin puree and sweet maple pair perfectly with the buttery crunch of pecans. It's the kind of treat that makes any fall get together feel warm and special.
There's nothing that says fall dessert quite like pumpkin. Apple might be a close second, but apple tends to shine throughout the year. Pecans step in next with that buttery, nutty crunch that everyone loves. So bringing pumpkin and pecans together in a cheesecake and finishing it with a maple drizzle feels like the ultimate best type of fall treat. The maple drizzle is made with melted butter, maple syrup and powdered sugar, so it has a sweet caramel-y, nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with our pumpkin pecan cheesecake. The whole dessert lands soft, rich and completely irresistible.
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Ingredients
- Graham crackers
- Pecans
- Salted butter
- White sugar
- Pumpkin puree
- Cream cheese
- Eggs
- Maple syrup
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Powdered sugar
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions
- Gluten free - to make this recipe gluten free, substitute a gluten free graham cracker. Gluten free Simply Mills Sweet Thins in honey and cinnamon flavor work great too.
- Maple syrup - if you don't like maple syrup, you could substitute store bought or homemade salted caramel sauce for the cheesecake filling and then replace the maple drizzle with additional salted caramel sauce. See my caramel pecan cheesecake for additional instructions if needed.
- Pumpkin pie spice - if you don't have store bought or want to make a batch of pumpkin pie spice, you can use ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ginger, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg and ⅛ teaspoon allspice to substitute for the pumpkin pie spice.
Equipment
A stand mixer or a hand mixer is needed to make pumpkin pecan cheesecake.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 to 7 days.
Next Level Tips
- If you want even more pecans, you can add ¼ cup of chopped pecans into the cheesecake filling. For a pecan crusted pumpkin cheesecake, you can also smoosh ¼ cup of pecans onto the sides of the cheesecake like we did for the salted caramel pecan cheesecake, and even add more on top too.
- For more of a pumpkin spice or pumpkin pie flavor, you can double the pumpkin pie spice called for in the recipe.
- Pumpkin and pumpkin spice will continue to develop flavor over time. You can even make the cheesecake two days ahead of time and then decorate the cheesecake the day you are serving it!
- If you want to toast the pecans for this recipe, you certainly can. I don't think it's absolutely necessary though, so that step was not included.
- Always use room temperature cream cheese and room temperature eggs for cheesecakes.
- The very best way to avoid cheesecake cracks is to bake the cheesecake at 325 degrees and use the moat method, as described below and in the FAQs. In short, this is where you place your springform pan inside of a cake pan and then put the cake pan in a roasting pan with water. This avoids leaky aluminum foil yet still doesn't allow direct heat on the springform pan.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven without touching it for two hours. Then move the springform pan to a cooling rack and allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator.
- Cheesecakes needs time to set in the refrigerator after baking. Refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours; however, overnight is best!
HOW TO BAKE A CHEESECAKE WITHOUT CRACKS
Okay, let's get to one of the biggest issues with cheesecakes: unsightly cracks. Cracks don't make the cheesecake taste any differently. And, of course, they could be covered up. But, there are two main things to know to avoid cracks: baking temperature and water baths.
BAKE AT A LOWER TEMPERATURE
For temperature, cheesecakes turn out best when baked at a lower temperature. For that reason, I bake almost all of my cheesecakes, including this one, at 325 degrees.
USE THE MOAT METHOD FOR THE WATER BATH
The most basic way to do a water bath is to wrap the springform pan with aluminum foil and place it in a roasting pan with water and then hope it doesn't leak. But, have you ever wrapped it super carefully with the extra wide aluminum foil only to discover that it still leaked? Yes, me too. Instead, I use the moat method. To use the moat method, place your 8 or 9 inch springform pan inside a 10 inch cake pan. Then place the 10 inch cake pan into a larger roasting pan with water. With this moat method, there is no possible way that water gets in to your springform pan. I've never had a cheesecake crack when I've combined a lower baking temperature with the moat method.
STEAM BATHS
Ok, say you don't have a roasting pan big enough to fit your springform pan and cake pan. You can do the steam bath method, which usually works. I say usually because it's not quite as fool proof as the moat method. But, you can fill a 9x13 pan with one inch of water and place it on the oven rack directly beneath the springform pan. (If you have a cake pan, you can still put the springform pan in a cake pan according to the above moat method.) The water in the pan creates steam and a humid environment in the oven which helps to prevent cracks.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MOAT METHOD
Fill the roasting pan with one inch of water. Place the springform pan inside of a cake pan and then place the cake pan in the roasting pan. Then you place the roasting pan in the preheated oven.
FAQ
Yes! However, you can carefully speed up this process if you forgot to set out the cream cheese and eggs. Most microwaves now have a soften option. You can carefully soften the cream cheese in the microwave to room temperature but not melted. For the eggs, you can place cold eggs into a bowl of warm, but not hot, water to quicken up the process for the eggs. However, I do recommend letting the cream cheese and eggs come to room temperature naturally on the counter. Unless you have a time crunch, of course.
Par-baking the crust is optional but highly recommended. Par-baking the crust doesn't take very long and it helps maintain a crisp crust for your cheesecake.
The moat method creates a barrier between the springform pan and the direct heat of the oven. Kind of like in the olden days when castles used moats to protect the castles from invaders! So, in the moat method, we place the springform pan into a larger cake pan before putting the cake pan into a larger roasting pan with the water bath. There ends up to be a moat (of air) that separates the springform pan from the cake pan and the water bath. I highly recommend doing it this way as it works great.
The reason we pack the crust tightly, but not too tightly, into the springform pan is so that we can easily remove the bottom of the springform pan without the crust crumbling. After the rim of the springform pan is off, take a cake lifter (or metal pizza peel or a very large spatula) and gently slide it in between cheesecake crust and bottom of springform pan. Don't lift the cheesecake up in the air. Instead, use the cake lifter to slide the cheesecake sideways off of the springform bottom onto a serving plate or a round cardboard cake board. You can buy a cheap cake lifter on Amazon or at a Hobby Lobby type store in the baking section. If you're using a large metal spatula, run it under the entire outer edge first before using it to gently slide the cheesecake.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake
Equipment
- 1 Stand or hand mixer
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 sleeve graham crackers (about 9 full crackers)
- ½ cup pecans chopped
- 5 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
Cheesecake Filling
- 4 blocks cream cheese (8 ounces each) room temperature
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cheesecake toppings
- 1 tablespoon salted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ¼ cup pecans chopped
Instructions
Make the crust
- Preheat oven to 325°. Spray an 8 or 9 inch springform pan, including the sides, with cooking spray and set aside.
- Chop the pecans with a knife or a food processor. (I chop the pecans for the crust and topping all at once.)
- Put the graham crackers in a food processor and grind the crackers into small crumbs. [It's ok to have some bigger pieces of cookies as the grind doesn't need to be super fine.]
- Mix the graham crackers, chopped pecans, melted butter and 2 tablespoons of white sugar together in a medium bowl until well combined.
- Add the crust mixture to the springform pan. Pat it down flat with your hands or a flat-bottom measuring cup with medium pressure. It should be packed firmly but not too hard.
- Bake the crust for 6 minutes and set aside to cool. [This step is optional but highly recommended for a crisp crust.]
Make the filling
- Place the room temperature cream cheese into a mixing bowl and mix on low speed until creamy and all the lumps are gone. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Add the white sugar and maple syrup to the cream cheese mixture in the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Next, add the pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, vanilla and salt to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.
- Next, add the eggs one at a time. Mix on low speed just until each egg is combined before adding the next egg. Between eggs, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
Baking and cooling the cheesecake
- Pour the filling on top of the crust in the springform pan. Place the springform pan in a larger cake pan (or cover the sides of the springform pan with aluminum foil). Fill the roasting pan with one inch of water to create the water bath. Carefully add the cake pan (or the wrapped springform pan) into the water. [See FAQ or post description on why the moat method is preferred.]
- Bake at 325° for about 60 minutes until the center is mostly set. Then, turn off the oven and open the oven door to start cooling. Leave the oven door open for 2 hours as the cheesecake cools. After 2 hours, remove the cake pan from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack until room temperature.
- Before placing the cheesecake in the refrigerator, run a knife around the edges to loosen the cheesecake from the sides. Cover lightly and refrigerate a minimum of 6 hours but preferably overnight or longer.
- After cooling, remove the rim of the spring form pan. Also, remove the cheesecake from the bottom of the springform pan if so desired (see FAQ for help) and decorate the cheesecake.
Decorating the cheesecake
- Melt 1 tablespoon of salted butter in a small bowl in the microwave for 15-20 seconds or until almost melted. Stir vigorously when almost melted. Butter will continue to melt as you stir it.
- Add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup to melted butter and stir will.
- Add 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar to the maple butter mixture and stir until all lumps of powdered sugar are melted.
- Drizzle the maple glaze the across cheesecake in any design. Sprinkle ¼ cup of chopped pecans on top of the maple drizzle.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate.
Notes
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This recipe is informative, basically a Cheesecake 101 manual! The obsession with room temperature ingredients and the *very* detailed, almost militant, explanation of the moat method are amusing. Who knew cheesecake baking had so many commandments? But seriously, the crack-avoidance advice is gold, and the how to remove the bottom trick is pure genius. And lets be real, pumpkin spice doubling is a bakers dream. Great, thorough guide for the Cheesecake Church of America!
Tracy @ Next Level Baker says
Thank you for the very detailed (and thoroughly entertaining!) review. You made my day! 🙂