Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Sauce
Save RecipeHi Bold Bakers!
It’s finally pumpkin season and that means plenty of amazing pumpkin recipes on Bigger Bolder Baking. First up, is a soft and creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake topped with my gorgeous Pecan Praline Sauce.
I feel like baked cheesecakes are a definite cold weather dessert. And of course pumpkin is a fall flavor, pair that with pecan sauce and you have a killer combo.
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Crust - 1 ¾ Cups (7.5oz/ 200g) graham crackers smashed into crumbs
-
1/2
Cup
(4oz/120g). butter, melted
Filling - 1 ½ lbs cream cheese (3x 8 oz packs), at room temperature
- 2 Cups (15oz/430g ) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 Cups (10 ½ oz/ 300g))sugar
- 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (recipe below)
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Pecan Praline Sauce
- 1 Cup (8oz/ 225g) Unsalted Butter
- 1 Cup (8oz/ 225g)Heavy Cream
- 1 Cup (8oz/ 225g)Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup (100g/ 3 ½ oz) Chopped Toasted Pecans
- 1 pinch of salt
- Whipped cream to serve
- Pumpkin Pie Spice:
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Ground Ginger
- ¼ tsp Ground Cloves
- ½ tsp Ground Allspice
- mix all together to make pumpkin pie spice
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For crust: Preheat oven to 425-degrees. In medium bowl, combine crumbs with the melted butter and mix until all crumbs become moist with butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set Aside in the fridge.
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For filling: Beat cream cheese until smooth. on Medium speed slowly add the eggs and sugar until combined. Add the pumpkin puree, pie spice and vanilla. Beat together on High speed until well combined and thickened.
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Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place in oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350-degrees and bake for 55-60 minutes. It should have a slight giggle to it when it’s baked.
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Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours minimum. Preferrably overnight
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For topping:
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In a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the butter, heavy cream, brown sugar and pecans; bring to a boil.
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Reduce heat to low, Simmer until the sauce thickens, for about 5 minutes.
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Take off the heat and set aside to cool.
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Spoon over cheesecake and serve with whipped cream.
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Enjoy this Big and Bold cheesecake!
Regarding the Pecan sauce : just gently bring to a simmer and take care not to cook for too long as the butter can separated. If you find you sauce to be 'watery' and not combined then this is why. You can bring it back to normal if you whizz it up with an immersion blender.
Meet Gemma
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One of my top- favourite cakes to cook, give and to eat, such a delight! Thank you Gemma. I have a feeling this has now become a yearly affair with many more repeats to come 🙂
I’m delighted to hear that, Georgina. This is one of Kevin’s favorites 🙂
Gemma.
Awesome recipe Gemma, thank you! Very esay to make! This one is a keeper.
I made it for our dinner guests on thanksgiving and they all liked it.
Thrilled to hear that, Raymond. It’s one of Kevin’s favorites also.
Best,
Gemma.
Hi Gemma!
I made this today for our family Thanksgiving get together and it was a huge hit! Everyone raved about how amazing this cheesecake was. Thank you for yet another delicious recipe! Also, I LOVE watching your videos. I have learned so much. Keep up your inspiring work!
Hi Dawn,
I think I found this in an earlier comment, thank you so much, I am happy to have this lovely review,
Gemma 🙂
This cheesecake was wonderful! Made it for Thanksgiving. I was very surprised that is wasn’t overly sweet. I will definitely be making this again…… Thanks for the great recipes Gemma I love learning from you!
Hi there,
Good! I am really happy to hear this, well done you. It is about sharing too, and there are a good number of slices in this cake, which spreads the sweetness around!
Onward and upwards now, Christmas is on the way!
Gemma 🙂
Should the sauce be made right before serving? Or should the sauce be on the cheesecake while it sits overnight?
Hi Shannon,
I think I would get the ingredients together in a pot, and prepare it on the day. I would not pour it over then leave it overnight, but an hour or so will be good.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, and I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving,
Gemma 🙂
I have been making this recipe at Christmas time for the past 4 years at least and it is a big hit with everyone every time! Although I’ve never made the praline sauce to go with it, it’s amazing as is! (or with a little whip cream of course lol)
Ps: Gemma’s pumpkin pie spice recipe is what really makes it!!! 😉
Hi Cytnthia,
Thank you for this lovely review of this recipe. It is timely too with Thanksgiving just around the corner!
good to have you baking with us,
Gemma 🙂
If I use pumpkin spice how much would I use instead of all those other ingredients
Great question, i would use 1 teaspoon!
Is there any eggless substitute for baked cheesecake?
You can use cornstarch. The general ratio for this cornstarch + water vegan egg substitute is 1 tablespoon of cornstarch (potato starch works too), whisked together with 3 tablespoons of warm water.
The add as you would eggs.
Thankyou so much for the help… you are the best cook on YouTube…
That’s very kind, thank you 🙂
Gemma.
The cornstarch and water slurry 1:3, is that for all the egg that goes in the Cheesecake?
Yes that should work well 🙂
Keep me posted!
Gemma.
Hi Gemma… loved the recipe… is there any substitute for eggs in a baked cheesecake??? Please upload a video of eggless baked cheesecake…
Hi,
I’m delighted to hear that. I’ll look into an egg free cheesecake because as of right now I don’t know what to sub the eggs with :).
Best,
Gemma.
I’m trying this recipe this weekend for my mother-in-law’s birthday. Will try to remember to post a picture. Really excited to try it. I’ve never made cheesecake before so hoping it turns out pretty! Thanks for sharing the fabulous recipes!
Hi Emily,
good for you, a Bold Baker indeed! It is a lovely thing, a lot of steps, but worth it.
Follow the recipe, no substitutions. Read it a few times to get the order of things, and then take your time! All will be well.
I wish your Mother in Law a very happy birthday,
Gemma 🙂
Gemma, I made your cheesecake and it turned out just fine, but it made a mess on the botttom of my oven. Tell me, should I have baked the crust before I added the ingredients for baking? Your recipe doesn’t say bake first.
Hi Fran,
No, it is all baked together. I think this is to do with your pan, perhaps not fitting as well as it might. The answer here is to bake on a flat tray, to catch any leaking. You can also line the pan, with foil for instance, wihich will keep the filling in place.
I am sorry you had this difficulty, I hope this is of help,
Gemma 🙂
Thank you Gemma, the praline sauce was lovely. I enjoyed making this cake.
Thank you Georgina, good of you to let us know,
Gemma 🙂
First I will say, this tasted really good! But it was so soft set (yes, I used block cream cheese and chilled it over night), that it did not cut or serve well. The crust had too much butter in it. And the quantity of praline sauce was way too much. I would make this again, but with a lot of adjustments! Less pumpkin in the filling, less butter in the crust, and half the recipe for the topping.
Hi there,
Thank you for letting me know. I am not sure why it was too much for you, but I am happy that you liked the recipe.
The cream for this recipe needs to be fresh dairy heavy/double cream. Could this be the problem with the filling? There are so many variables here that I really cannot figure it out. Any change to a recipe will change the result too, so take a look back at it.
You can reduce the butter in the crust, it may not hang together for you, but it will not be a problem.
The sauce may have been too much for you, it can also be used for other desserts, but it is easy to reduce the quantity.
Thank you for letting me know,
Gemma 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe, I really enjoyed baking it as with lots of your recipes, I did tweek it a little by adding half the sugar to the cheesecake and healthier base and used a mix of 1/2 cup Greek yogurt to 1/2 cup milk and 2tbls cornflour in place of the heavy cream with half the sugar but cooked it as your instructions, It was a spreadable topping instead of pourable but still tasted fantastic and everyone loved it. Thank you 😘
Hi Colette,
really glad you liked it. It is my husbands favorite. Keep an eye out for a pumpkin bread recipe that I’ll be uploads soon, it’s insane 🙂
Best,
Gemma.
Hi Gemma,
I know it says pecan in the recipe but any other nut as an alternative? I have a good bag of hazelnuts and walnuts – would any of it be okay to use? Thank you.
Hi Grace,
I would prefer a soft nut for this so walnuts will be good. Keep these in your fridge, and not for too long, as the oil content is high and they tend to turn rancid. They are a great nut for carrot cake too, and delicious with coffee flavored cakes and desserts. toast them slightly on a dry pan to bring out the flavor, delicious!
Gemma 🙂
Thank you, Gemma. I learn a lot from you. God bless.
Hi Gemma,
Thanks for your yummy recipes including this one. I’ve baked this cheesecake twice so far and they were just so good. I think there is a typo in crust preparation. There is no coconut nor sugar in ingredients for making the crust but you named them for making it. Also, I followed all the steps for making the pecan praline sauce exactly the way you did but it turned out watery and not thick and it congealed even at room temperature. Could you please let me know why?
Thanks a lot again.
Hi Suzan,
So sorry for my late reply. This comment escaped me. Thanks for letting me know about the typo. Thats my bad. I just edited it there now.
Regarding the Pecan sauce : just gently bring to a simmer and take care not to cook for too long as the butter can separated. If you find you sauce to be ‘watery’ and not combined then this is why. You can bring it back to normal if you whizz it up with an immersion blender.
Hope this helps,
Gemma.
Hi, may i use egg substitute (flax seed) for this recipe? Do you have any new york cheesecake recipe???
Hi there, I really do not know if flax seed will work in this recipe! I have not tried this. You may need to do a little research on this one! Gemma 😉
This was absolutely delicious! I made these into little individual “cupcakes” and drizzled the praline sauce on top. Heart eyes for days…so good! Thank you for all your amazing recipes and your equally amazing Irish accent! Love watching your videos!
Thank you, that is great to hear, and kind of you too, can’t help the accent, but is is generally understood, I am happy to say!
Gemma 🙂
Such a great recipe! It turned out great and I will definitely do it again regardless if it’s pumpkin season or not!
But 2 things did happen.
One, my mix was more liquidity than yours, but everything still tasted great. Did I over mix?
Second, once refrigerated in a mason jar, the praline sauce congealed, it’s that normal? If not, I’m still cool with that, because I’ve been eating it with a spoon and it’s amazing :p
Hi Reginald,
I am happy that you like this recipe.The problem with it being so liquid is probably to do with the difference in the cream cheese, the one I get here in the US is a block, which tends to be dry. The spreadable ones tend to be soft, these are usually in a tub. Where do you live?
The pecan sauce is delicious, and can be softened by putting the portion you need into the microwave for a few seconds!
I love this one too!
Gemma 🙂
I’m sorry but I guess I missed parts of the crust recipe because directions have sugar pecans and coconuts but How much of each of those?
The recipe is here on the website. (https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/pumpkin-cheesecake/) 🙂
Why did my cheesecake crack?
Hi Adaya,
Cheesecakes do crack! You may have left it a little too long in the oven. Remember all baked goods continue to bake in their own heat when removed from the oven. Cheesecake mix is a delicate thing, so remove from the oven earlier next time,
Gemma 🙂
What kind of pumpkin is the puree made of?
Hi Janie,
That is a good question. I looked online and actually can’t find an answer other then it actually might be squash in tins rather then pumpkin 🙂
Lijkt me heerlijk, staat al in de oven:-)
Gemma!! these look absolutely gorgeous!! but I want to make my own pumpkin spice! Can you give me the recipe?? Thanks!
Thank you so much, really glad you liked this recipe. I will add your request to my list. Stay tuned 🙂
Sorry Yani,I missy read your comment. The recipe to make your own pumpkin pie spice is in the above recipe. It is at the very end. Good luck Baking 🙂