Pumpkin Cheesecake with Walnut Topping

We are an international group of bloggers and cheesecake means many things to many people. When you think of cheesecake what do you envision?

An American cheesecake generally relies on cream cheese which was invented in 1872 as an alternative to French Neufchâtel. There are many different styles... New York , Chicago, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania-Dutch style cheesecakes. The difference between them being in the height, texture and cheese used.

I even read there was a Canadian-style cheesecake...WHO NEW????...called Vancouver- style. It is a light, airy cheesecake made without a crust, primarily in vanilla and chocolate and often served refrigerated with various local fruit toppings such as British Columbia strawberries, raspberries and cherries.

In Britain, Australia and New Zealand, cheesecake is a rich creamy dessert, neither cooked nor baked, which is served chilled and made with a biscuit crust. Italian-style cheesecakes use ricotta or mascarpone cheese and are typically drier than American styles with small bits of candied fruit often added. French-style cheesecakes are very light and get their light texture and flavor from Neufchâtel cheese. Greek-style cheesecake commonly uses Mizithra cheese or Mascarpone cheese. Swedish-style cheesecake or ostkaka are not layered and traditionally made by adding rennet to milk and letting the casein coagulate...it is then baked in an oven and served warm. German-style cheesecake or Kasekuchen uses quark cheese, adds cream and is not baked either. Dutch/Belgian-style cheesecakes are typically flavored with melted bittersweet chocolate. Brazilian-style cheesecakes usually have a layer of goiabada (guava marmalade).

As you can see the possibilities are endless under the one banner of "What does cheesecake mean to me?" No matter.. I will always love cheesecake of any style, flavour and texture. I have no prejuduces when it comes to cheesecake and give all a good chance to win me over!!!!!!They are all delicious in their own right!!!

A common difficulty with baking cheesecakes is its tendency to crack when it is cooled. This is because the beaten eggs coagulate in the batter. There are various methods to prevent this. One way is to bake the cheesecake in a hot water bath to ensure even heating. Other methods include blending a little cornstarch into the batter to prevent the coagulation of the eggs or baking the cheesecake at a lower temperature and slowly cooling it in the oven that has been turned off and leaving the door ajar. If all else fails cover the top of the cheesecake with toppings such as fruit, whipped cream, cookie crumbs....or in this case nuts. For some reason my cheesecake did not crack this time around.

Another common problem, particularly with baked cheesecakes, is that the biscuit base becomes too soft. For extra crunch, replace around a quarter of the crushed biscuits with Grape Nuts cereal.

Also do not overbake your cheesecake or it will become dry.

In honour of the season I felt like baking a flavourful pumpkin cheesecake. It brings to mind cool nights, long walks to explore the colour of fall or sitting by a cozy fire with a good book, wrapped in a blanket...and a plate of cheesecake...mmmm!!!

This makes a large cheesecake so grab your fork and be prepared to share!! It is the pumpkin cheesecake recipe I always use. Despite the fact that it uses 5 eggs and 3 blocks of cream cheese it is surprisingly light. The walnut topping was an added touch this time around. I omitted the caramel sauce ..it was sweet enough just the way it was.

**Pumpkin Cheesecake with Walnut Topping**

For Crust:

2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (I use Anna's Ginger Thins from Sweden)
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

For Filling:

3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 large eggs
1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin filling)
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
¼ tsp Ground Allspice

Walnut Topping:

6 tablespoons softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F.Place cookie crumbs, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a food processor and pulse 3 - 4 times until combined; add butter and pulse 4 - 5 times, or until crumbly. Wrap the outside of a 10-inch spring form pan with aluminum foil, then press cookie mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides. Bake 8 - 10 minutes. Cool crust completely on a wire rack.

Reduce oven heat to 325F. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer at medium speed 3 minutes, or until creamy. Gradually add brown sugar and the 3/4 cup granulated sugar, beating 4 minutes, or until blended. Add vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until yellow disappears. Remove and set aside 1 cup of batter. Add pumpkin, whipping cream, and cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Beat on low speed of an electric mixer just until blended. Do not over beat. Pour batter over prepared crust. Dollop reserved batter in a circular fashion and draw a knife through to create a marbled effect.Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until almost set (it will jiggle in the centre).

To make walnut topping: Combine ingredients. Sprinkle baked cheesecake with walnut topping. Bake cheesecake an additional 10 minutes.

Remove from oven; run a knife around edge of pan. Cool on a wire rack 1 hour with a large bowl inverted on top of cheesecake in pan to prevent cracking. Chill 8 hours or overnight. Serve with caramel sauce if you wish or whipped cream.

**Caramel Sauce**

1/2 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup whipping cream

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat; add brown sugar and corn syrup, then cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Gradually add cream, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature.