Christmas Party Pumpkin Cheesecake

I have been looking all over for this recipe and finally found it again today. I made this several tines to rave reviews, and then I moved and I could not remember which pumpkin cheesecake I had made..there must be hundreds of them out there. And then today, while sorting through my old cookbooks, there it was. Originally from "More Family Favorites" by Mary Beth Roe. Easy and so good.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• Crust

• 1⁄3 cup margarine
• 1⁄3 cup granulated sugar
• 1  large egg
• 1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour

• Filling

• 16  ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1⁄16 teaspoon salt (a dash)
• 2  large eggs

Directions

1. Cream margarine and sugar together until fluffy, then blend in the egg.
2. Add flour and mix well.
3. Press dough onto the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
4. Bake crust in a preheated 400°F oven for just 5 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and lower oven temp to 350°F.
6. Mix cream cheese and sugar until well blended.
7. Add pumpkin, spices, and a dash of salt.
8. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
9. Pour into the partially baked crust, smoothing the surface with a spatula.
10. Bake at 350°F for about 50 minutes.
11. Loosen cake from rim of pan and let cool before removing the rim.
12. Chill.
13. Garnish with whipped cream before serving.