Candied Pumpkin-Topped Cheesecake

Name: Candied Pumpkin-Topped Cheesecake
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 395 min
Yield: 16
Ingredients: 40 NILLA Wafers, finely crushed (about 1-1/3 cups); ¼ cup butter, melted; 4 pkg. brick cream cheese, softened; ¾ cup sugar; 1 cup sour cream; 1 tsp. Mexican cinnamon (canela); ½ tsp. ground cloves; 4 eggs; 1 tsp. whole cloves (about 15); 1 tsp. anise seed; 2 cups water; 8 small piloncillo (Mexican brown loaf sugar), coarsely chopped; 2 cinnamon sticks; 3 cups pumpkin (about 1/2-inch pieces)

Celebrate big this holiday season with one of our favorite cheesecakes. This New York style cinnamon spiced cheesecake is topped with candied fresh pumpkin.

Prep time:

0 min

Total time:

0 h 0 min

Servings:

Makes 16 servings.

Ingredient list

40 NILLA Wafers, finely crushed (about 1-1/3 cups)
¼ cup butter, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) brick cream cheese, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. ground Mexican cinnamon (canela)
½ tsp. ground cloves
4 eggs
1 tsp. whole cloves (about 15)
1 tsp. anise seed
2 cups water
8 small cones (1 oz. each) piloncillo (Mexican brown loaf sugar), coarsely chopped
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cups chopped fresh pumpkin (about 1/2-inch pieces)

Directions

Heat oven to 325ºF.

Mix wafer crumbs and butter until well blended; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream, ground cinnamon and ground cloves; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 1 hour 10 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Meanwhile, place whole cloves and anise seed in 5-inch-square piece of cheesecloth; tie closed with kitchen string. Place in medium saucepan. Add water, piloncillo and cinnamon sticks; bring to boil. Simmer on medium-low heat 40 min., stirring occasionally. Remove and discard cheesecloth pouch. Add pumpkin to water remaining in saucepan; simmer 20 min. or until pumpkin is tender and coated with syrup, stirring occasionally. Cool completely.

Remove cinnamon sticks from pumpkin mixture just before serving; spoon pumpkin mixture over cheesecake. Garnish with cinnamon sticks.

Recipe Tips

How to Prepare in 13x9-inch Pan
To bake cheesecake in a 13x9-inch pan instead, prepare as directed except reduce the baking time to 40 min. or until center is almost set.
Substitute
Prepare using Neufchatel cheese.
If You Don't Have Cheesecloth
If you don't have cheesecloth, you can use a small paper coffee filter to make the pouch instead.