Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake (Bon Appétit Magazine)

This rich, delicious, and easy recipe is from Bon Appétit Magazine (November 1997). If you want to make it a little healthier, you can use non-fat cream cheese and it still tastes great!

• Ready In: 2 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• Crust

• 1  cup pecans (about 4 ounces)
• 1  cup graham cracker crumbs
• 2  tablespoons sugar
• 5  tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• Filling

• 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1⁄4 cups sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
• 3  large eggs
• 1  tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Make crust: Preheat oven to 350°F Blend first 3 ingredients in processor until nuts are finely chopped. Add butter; process until moist crumbs form. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Bake until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Cool. Wrap outside of pan with double thickness of heavy-duty foil.
2. Make filling: Using electric mixer, beat first 4 ingredients in large bowl until smooth. Add pumpkin; beat until blended. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until smooth. Transfer to crust. Set in roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come 1 inch up sides of springform pan.
3. Bake cake until top is golden and begins to crack and center is set, abut 1 hour 45 minutes. Remove from roasting pan. Cool. Chill overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep chilled).