Baking for Pumpkin Cheesecake Day on October 21st? Wanting an amazing Thanksgiving dessert? Here’s how to make the perfect pumpkin cheesecake without cracks. (And what to do if your cheesecake does crack.)
Tips for a perfect cheesecake:
- For optimal blending, make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature.
- Spray the bottom and sides of your springform pan with nonstick cooking spray before adding the crumb crust. If you want to remove the cheesecake from the base for serving, cut a sheet of parchment paper to fit.
- To get pretty slices, use a large, sharp chef’s knife. Slice by cutting it straight through to the bottom – don’t use a sawing motion. Rinse the knife off in hot water, dry, then cut another slice. Another great cutting idea – use unwaxed dental floss. Hold the ends of a long piece in both hands, then bring the floss straight down through the cheesecake.
How to keep your pumpkin cheesecake from cracking:
If you can keep your pumpkin cheesecake from cracking, it is a thing of beauty all on its own. Use simple decorations for the top like a drizzle of caramel and toasted pumpkin seeds.
Here’s how to keep your pumpkin cheesecake from cracking:
- don’t overmix
- add flavorings in gently at the end of the mixing process
- use a water bath in the oven: wrap cheesecake pan in foil, place in a large roasting pan, put in oven and pour 1″ water in roasting pan, pour batter in cheesecake pan
- don’t knife test your cheesecake
- do the jiggle test – give cheesecake pan a little shake, if just the center jiggles a little and the rest is set, it is ready to come out of the oven (it will continue cooking after it comes out of the oven to cool)
- when you take your cheesecake out of the oven, run a knife or small spatula around the edge of the pan but don’t take the sides of the pan off until it is completely cooled
4 things to do if your cheesecake cracked.
1. Use a caramel glaze.
Rescue a pumpkin cheesecake with cracks by covering the top with a caramel glaze and a ring of toasted pumpkin seeds.
Caramel Glaze
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 c sugar
- 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
- ⅔ c whipping cream, cold
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 c sugar
- 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
- ⅔ c whipping cream, cold
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Measure out all your ingredients and have them ready because once you've started cooking you won't have time to do it before it burns.
- Put water in bottom of pan on stove. Add sugar and light corn syrup.
- Turn burner on to high. Watch sugar melt and begin to bubble, but don't stir. Remove from heat when it begins to turn brown.
- The longer it cooks, the darker it becomes and it also gets less sweet.
- Quickly add whipping cream and butter with a whisk. (The coldness stops the caramel from cooking more.)
When completely melted in, add vanilla and stir until combined. - Cool caramel in pot and then use or transfer to container in fridge until ready to use. Will keep in the fridge until the best before date on the cream that you used to make it. To use it from refrigerator, warm in microwave to make it liquid again.
2. Use a chocolate glaze.
Use a chocolate glaze like in our Mocha Pumpkin Cheesecake, or your favorite chocolate sauce recipe.
3. Use a vanilla topping.
Use a vanilla topping like in our Toffee Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe. Drizzle with either caramel or chocolate sauce.
4. Use decorations.
Decorate the top of the pumpkin cheesecake to go along with your party theme.
Use autumn decorations for Thanksgiving or Halloween decorations as seen here.
(See marbled cheesecake below with seabuckthorn & pistachios.)
Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe Collection
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