Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake
This turtle pumpkin cheesecake mixes fall flavors with turtle candy taste. Creamy pumpkin spice cheesecake on graham cracker crust with chocolate, caramel, and pecans on top. It's perfect to make ahead and gets better overnight. Your family and friends will love it so much!
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1½ cups graham crackers (crushed)
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter (melted)
Cheesecake:
- 24 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream at room temperature
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
Toppings:
- ½ cup pecan halves
- ¼ cup chocolate sauce
- ¼ cup caramel sauce
Instructions
- Make crust: Crush graham crackers into tiny pieces, mix with melted butter, press into greased 9-inch springform pan, and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes until golden.
- Make cheesecake filling: Beat soft cream cheese until smooth, slowly add sugar, then mix in pumpkin, cream, vanilla, and all spices until everything is perfectly mixed together. After, beat in eggs one at a time, mixing just until each egg is mixed in to keep your cheesecake from getting cracks on top.
- Bake it: Pour filling on crust, smooth the top, and bake at 325°F for 55-65 minutes until middle is almost firm but wiggles just a little.
- Cool it right: Turn off oven, open door a bit, cool in oven 1 hour, then put in fridge at least 4 hours or overnight until really cold.
- Add toppings: Right before serving, drizzle chocolate and caramel sauces in pretty designs, then put pecan pieces on top for a real turtle candy look and taste.
Notes
- Soft ingredients are important: Cold cream cheese makes lumps, so take everything out early and let it get soft for the smoothest, creamiest results possible.
- Don't cook too long: Middle should wiggle a little when done because it keeps cooking while it cools down for the perfect creamy texture you want.
- Water bath stops cracks: Put your pan inside a bigger pan with hot water halfway up the sides for even cooking and no cracks.
- Make ahead for best taste: This dessert gets better overnight as all the flavors mix together, making it perfect for parties and holidays when you're busy.
- Keep it covered: Store in fridge up to 5 days or freeze without toppings for up to 2 months if you want to keep it longer.