I'm a sucker for a good cheesecake. I can blame my Mama for this, as the cheesecake was always one of his favorite desserts of all time and in childhood, he has always been seen as something special and decadent. Although I have done several times over the years with success, I still feel such pride when I pull a nice cheesecake without cracks on the oven. Add a swirl to mix and I'm pretty in Heaven- (what is it about the cheesecake contrasting swirling that looks like a work of art?)
anyway it is a delicious and festive cheese cake recipe that I think would be just perfect dessert on a Thanksgiving spread or any other day holiday get together. Is is oh so smooth and creamy and subtle nutty flavor of Frangelico adds a delicious nutty flavor that sends it on top.
I love this recipe because if you follow the instructions so it does not crack and you will feel like a rockstar absolute cheesecake because of it. The key is to allow the cheese to cool very slowly. When the temperature changes abruptly, grabs the cheesecake and the result are cracks that we all know and fear. Leaving the cake in the oven for 2 full hours after he did the cooking, it gradually cools and the perfectly smooth top layer remains intact. Another tip is to resist the urge to take a look at how it does and does not open the oven at all during cooking. Believe ME- it is hard to resist checking on how it is the upstream cooking, but it's worth it in the end
Note: This post was sponsored by Frangelico, but my thoughts and opinions are always 100% my own.
- breadcrumbs 1 cup graham cracker (from 8 whole graham crackers)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 tablespoon Frangelico hazelnut Liqueur
- 3- 8 oz packages of cheese cream, very soft
- ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ extract teaspoon vanilla coffee
- 1 tablespoon Frangelico hazelnut Liqueur
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- 1½ tablespoons pie spice pumpkin
- Preheat oven to 350F. Mix crumbs graham crackers and sugar in a small bowl. Add the melted butter and liqueur and stir until moistened.
- Press the crust onto bottom of a spring-shaped bowl 7 inches, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add flour and mix until just combined. (Do not over mix.)
- Add the vanilla extract and eggs (one at a time) the mixture until incorporated before adding the next.
- Remove 1 cup of the dough cheesecake, add the tablespoon of Frangelico and set aside.
- fold into pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice in cheese remaining dough.
- Pour the cheese pumpkin mixture into the crust, then pour the batter into Frangelico dots or circles on top. Run a skewer or knife back and forth to agitate the two batters together.
- Place cheesecake on a middle rack and reduce heat to 300F. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the outside looks set while the interior of the cheesecake looks sneer when you shake or press the oven. (It is very important that you peek or open the oven during the time it is cooking.)
- Turn off oven and let cheesecake cool slowly in the oven for 2 hours . (This will prevent cracking.) Cool the rest of the way on the counter, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate before serving.