Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Marshmallow Topping
This past month or so… between general pandemic stress + the election (PHEW!) + the unexpected passing of a very good friend… it’s just been a lot and I haven’t been in the mood to write. I’m circling back now, though. I wanted to talk Thanksgiving, particularly this Thanksgiving 2020.
Thanksgiving is always one of my favorite holidays - not in the literal historical sense - but what it’s always meant to me and my family, which is getting a lot of people together to celebrate with a lot of good homemade food. We all love to cook and eat and drink. What more can you ask for?
Of course, this year is different. Aren’t we all so tired of hearing that? Every single commercial or marketing eblast: “This year, the holidays are looking a little different…” uh, yeah, WE KNOW. This Thanksgiving I spent an abnormally large amount of time thinking about gratitude, grief, and guilt. These three emotions have been taking up a lot of space lately. Gratitude for everything we do have, and for our health. Grief for everything we’ve lost in the pandemic, more recently compounded by very specific grief over the death of a friend - something I’ve never experienced before and am still struggling to process. Guilt for not being more grateful to be alive and savoring every single second of every single day. Then that brings us back to gratitude. It’s a cycle, and it can be exhausting.
I’m not an emotional eater, if anything I lose my appetite when I’m feeling stressed or sad. But I would say I am sometimes an emotional cooker (is that a thing?) as in certain meals or recipes can be very nostalgic and comforting. The routine, the expected outcome. Knowing I’m making something everyone will enjoy. The tradition. Holly, my late friend, anyone reading this who knew her would agree: she loved nothing more than hosting friends and family and cooking up a big dinner party. We made so many memories together in kitchens (mine, hers, friends’, Airbnbs in our travels…) and once I moved out of Texas we’d text constantly about what we were eating. So I think my cheesecake tradition came at a good time this year.
Usually I don’t like to share recipes I didn’t create myself, but there is no way I could top this cheesecake, so why mess with perfection? I shared it on Endless Simmer years ago (Let’s see, this was posted in… 2013!) and I’m still making it to this day, 7 years later. Wait, so I’ve been recreating this cheesecake recipe for over a decade?! Woof. Washington, California, Texas, my family, in-laws, Friendsgiving - this Thanksgiving treat has followed me everywhere.
Anyway, I’m not someone prone to making the same thing over and over again, and I’m generally not super into desserts, so the fact that I’m so devoted to this pumpkin cheesecake should tell you something. It has kind of a lot of steps, but it’s easy! I promise. I’m not really a baker. If this cheesecake were difficult, I wouldn’t recommend it. Just saying.
Happy (post) Thanksgiving, my friends. Stay tuned for a follow-up recipe post featuring Rob’s big Texas pea salad (seriously…it’s good).
xo
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Topping & Gingersnap Crust
Serves 12
For crust:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 9 ounces)
1 cup pecans (about 3 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
For filling:
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
5 large eggs
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
For topping:
2 cups mini marshmallows or large marshmallows cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Grind cookie crumbs, pecans, brown sugar, and ginger in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add butter; using on/off turns, process to blend. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; press onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan. Bake crust until set and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.
Filling:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in pumpkin. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on low speed to incorporate each addition. Add flour, spices, and salt; beat just to blend. Beat in vanilla. Transfer filling to cooled crust. Bake until filling is just set in center and edges begin to crack (filling will move slightly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool 1 hour. Run knife around sides of pan to release crust. Chill cheesecake uncovered in pan overnight.
Topping:
Stir marshmallows and milk in medium saucepan over low heat until marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. (ET note: If you want to make it extra salted, like me, add another very generous pinch of sea salt Just don’t overdo it. Taste as you go.) Cool marshmallow mixture to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
Add sour cream to marshmallow mixture; fold gently just to blend. Pour topping over cheesecake and spread evenly, leaving 1/2 inch uncovered around edges. Chill to set topping, at least 1 hour.
Cheesecake can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.