How to Bake a Three Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin pie and it's cousin, pumpkin cheesecake, are frequent choices for holiday baking. We love the delicate flavors and soft texture of these desserts, and our guests expect to see at least one of them at Thanksgiving dinner. But baking the same dessert can get boring over the years. Sometimes you want to showcase your baking skills with a dessert that's not only delicious, but a visual treat as well. This recipe for Triple Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake stacks three complementary tastes and colors in one delicious dessert.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 2 mixing bowls
• 1 hand mixer
• 1 whisk
• 1 mixing spoon
• 1 spatula
• 1 9” deep-dish graham cracker pie crust
• 2 8oz. packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, divided
• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree, divided
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 3/8 tsp. ground nutmeg, divided
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1. Prepare your ingredients. Set out the cream cheese well in advance. Cream cheese should be at room temperature before use to avoid lumps in your cheesecake.

2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

3. Prepare the plain cheesecake batter. In a medium mixing bowl, combine both packages of room temperature cream cheese, 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract using a hand mixer . Blend until the mixture is smooth. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition. Remove 1 cup of the plain cheesecake batter and spread evenly into the bottom of the graham cracker crust.

4. Prepare the pumpkin cheesecake batter. Add 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. ground cloves, and 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg to the remaining plain cheesecake batter. Stir gently until well blended. Pour pumpkin cheesecake batter over plain batter in pie crust.

5. Prepare the pumpkin pie batter. In a second mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1/2 can (approximately 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp.) sweetened condensed milk, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. ground ginger and 1/4 tsp. salt until smooth. Pour pumpkin pie batter over pumpkin cheesecake batter in pie crust.

6. Bake your triple layer pumpkin cheesecake in the 325 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes. The center should still be soft with the edges firmer. The center will firm up as it cools off. Allow the cheesecake to cool completely, then place it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving.

Tips & Warnings

• This dessert requires a deeper crust than a standard pumpkin pie or cheesecake, so look for a deep-dish crust, or a crust that offers “two extra servings” on the label.
• Make sure to have some whipped cream or whipped topping on hand to complement your cheesecake, but let your guests decide if they would like to add it or not.
• You'll have half of a can of sweetened condensed milk and about 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree left after making this cheesecake. If you're baking more than one dessert, you may be able to choose recipes that use up those remaining ingredients.
• When you've filled the crust completely, you'll notice this dessert is fairly heavy. In order to avoid any accidents while moving it in and out of the oven, place it on a cookie sheet for support.
• Be sure to let the cream cheese reach room temperature before you use it. You can damage your hand mixer if you try to force it through solid blocks of cream cheese, and the cheesecake layers will be lumpy even if your mixer survives. Cutting the cream cheese into smaller pieces will allow it to warm up faster.
• Make sure the cheesecake is cooled completely before placing it in the refrigerator to chill, otherwise condensation may form.

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