Creme Brulee Pumpkin Cheesecake

What is the BEST thing about Crème Brulee?

Every time I think about Crème Brulee, I imagine that the beautiful crunch that you get when the spoon goes through the top layer of caramelized sugar. That “crunch” you hear, that is just perfection. It only gets better from there, when you take a bite of a smooth, creamy dessert along with some crunchy caramelized sugar bits. It’s just heaven.

As a recipe developer and food blogger, I have made hundreds of cheesecakes throughout my career. I know they can seem intimidating, but I am here to tell you that the biggest secret to a great cheesecake is patience. My recipe breaks down the process into simple, manageable steps. Trust the process, and you will be rewarded with a flawless, crack-free cheesecake that will impress everyone.

Key Ingredients: Tips, Substitutions and Must Haves

Cream cheese – use full fat cream cheese to get the best rich and creamy cheesecake texture. Reduced fat cream cheeses is not as dense and contain more liquid so it could lead to a thinner cheesecake or one that doesn’t set, depending on a recipe. Be careful substituting and if you have to, use 1/3 less fat at the most.

Ginger snaps – make sure to use hard and crunchy ginger snaps not gingerbread cookies as those are softer.

Pumpkin puree – make sure to use pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie mix. You can also always use homemade pumpkin puree but make sure it’s not too thin.

Pumpkin pie spice – usually consists of spices like ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground allspice, and ground nutmeg.

Superfine sugar – SUPER important! (See what I did there?)

What is superfine sugar?

Superfine sugar is a granulated sugar that has been ground into much smaller (finer) crystals, so it dissolves faster than regular sugar. This sugar is also sometimes called “caster sugar,” “baker’s sugar,” or “bar sugar.”

Using superfine sugar is important because it melts much faster when torched and leads to an evenly caramelized sugar crust. If you try to use regular granulated sugar, some crystals will melt first while others (below) will not and as you try to melt those, the top layer will start to over-caramelize and burn.

Springform That Does Not Leak!

For years I’ve wrapped my springform with foil and tried all different tricks to keep the water from leaking into the pan. Most of it worked okay but a little would still leak in. Now, I’ve found a pan that has been working awesome to keep the water out! This is not an advertisement at all, I just want to share the pan that made my life easier!

This is the leakproof springform pan that I use and it works great. I’ve tested it with and without foil wrap on the outside. (Williams Sonoma also makes a leakproof springform but it’s more expensive.) Expert tip: the pan may loosen with more wear and prolonged use but at that point, it will still work with foil wrap.

How To Make This Pumpkin Cheesecake: Step by Step and Tips

The Crust: Mix the pulsed cookies with melted butter and pumpkin pie spice together and spread the mixture in the prepared springform. Pat it evenly along the bottom and a little up the sides. I like to use the bottom part of a measuring cup to evenly pad down the crust. Spread the chopped cookies over the crust.

Make the cheesecake filling. Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Don’t try to rush it because this will help with the light and luxurious (aka fluffy) texture of the cheesecake.

Add your ingredients one at a time to help each one incorporate best into the cheesecake and remember to stop and scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl. This will ensure that there are no unwhipped pieces are left behind.

Lower speed and add in spices and cornstarch. Make sure that all ingredients are well combined. Then, pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared crust.

Expert tip: This is a biggie! Bake the cheesecake in the water bath for the best texture (soft and light) and to ensure it will not sink after baking. 

Place the large roasting pan in the oven first, then place the cheesecake filled springform pan inside of it. Add hot water to the larger roasting pan until it’s about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Be careful not to get water inside the cheesecake batter, pour in water off to the side.

Baking the cheesecake

Bake for about 85 minutes. Turn off the oven, open the oven doors half way to let the cheesecake come down in temperature slower! Let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Finishing the cheesecake this way will help prevent cracks that are caused by overbaking.

Take it out of the water bath and rest it on the counter until cooled to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake air-tight and refrigerate to finish cooling for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Recipe FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

What is brulee topping?

“Brûlée” is a French term that means “burned” and it is a culinary technique of torching (burning) the sugar until it’s melted and caramelized on top of a dessert. Most common use of this technique is in a crème brûlée dessert.

Can I make this cheesecake ahead of time?

Absolutely! I always refer to the cheesecake as a “make ahead” dessert because it wants it’s chill time and you can’t rush it. Whether you want to or not, it will end up being a make ahead dessert. So while it’s possible to make it one day, if you start in the morning, just take it easy on yourself and make it the day before to let it chill overnight.

Can I make a cheesecake in 1 day?

Yes, you can! Just start in the morning so you have plenty of bake time, rest time, and chill time. Don’t try to rush it, give it 4 hours in the refrigerator, and it can be finished by dinner time.

Can I brulee the cheesecake ahead of time?

Sadly, no! If bruleed topping sits for longer than about 20 minutes, it absorbs the moisture from the dessert and softens. The longer it sits, the more liquid it will become. So make sure to brulee sugar right before serving.

More Cheesecake Recipes To Try

Cheesecakes are my specialty but so as the pumpkin recipes, so naturally I combine those two quite often. If you want to see more pumpkin cheesecake options, check out my chocolate pumpkin cheesecake, pecan caramel pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin cheesecake pie! Of course, you can’t forget the pumpkin pie and I have a great easy recipe.

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Creme Brulee Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

This pumpkin cheesecake is a wonderful fall dessert where I blended two beloved desserts in one. This recipe features a smooth, silky pumpkin cheesecake filling atop a spiced ginger snap cookie crust. The cheesecake is finished with the signature crunchy, caramelized sugar topping of a classic crème brûlée, which is torched just before serving.

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Video Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 6 hours hours

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 7 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 10

Calories: 698kcal

Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

Ginger Snap Crust:

• ▢ 14 oz ginger snap cookies pulsed to crumbles
• ▢ 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ 5 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
• ▢ 1-2 oz ginger snap cookies chopped

Pumpkin Cheesecake:

• ▢ 32 oz cream cheese softened
• ▢ ½ cup sour cream
• ▢ 2 eggs room temperature
• ▢ 1 ¼ cup pumpkin puree
• ▢ ¾ cup white granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• ▢ 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Topping:

• ▢ 1/3 cup superfine sugar
• ▢ You will need a culinary blow torch

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325℉ degrees and grease a 9 inch springform pan. You will need a large roasting pan that’s bigger and longer than the springform pan. (It's easy to use the aluminum foil disposable ones if you don't have regular).

  If you are not sure about your springform holding up in water, you can wrap the outside of the springform pan in heavy duty aluminum foil from bottom up to the sides. (I recommend wrapping the outside of the springform in foil before adding the crust and cheesecake batter.)

Crust:

• Pulse ginger snap cookies in a food processor until all cookies turn into fine crumbles.
• In a small mixing bowl, mix ginger snap crumbles, melted butter, and pumpkin pie spice until evenly incorporated.
• Spread the crust mixture all over the bottom of the spring form and press it down.
• Break up or chop the remaining 1-2 oz of cookies into small chunks and spread them even over the crust.

Pumpkin Cheesecake:

• In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy (a couple of minutes). Scrape sides and bottom on the bowl, add sugar and beat for another couple of minutes.
• Add eggs, one at the time, beating after each addition.
• Add pumpkin puree and sour cream, beat until incorporated. Scrape sides and bottom on the bowl.
• Lower speed and add cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and cornstarch. Make sure that all ingredients are well combined. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and beat for a few more seconds, until all smooth.
• Pour the cheesecake batter into the pan with crust, over the crushed cookies.
• Place roasting pan into the oven and place cheesecake springform pan inside the roasting pan. Carefully add water to the roasting pan, about half way up the side of the springform. Be careful not to splash water inside the cheesecake.
• Bake for 80-85 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door half way. Let cheesecake rest for about 10-15 minutes before taking it out. Take it out of the oven (out of the roasting pan and carefully take off the foil).
• Let it rest for 20 minutes on the counter and then gently run a greased butter knife between sides of the cheesecakes and the springform to carefully separate it. (You don’t actually have to take the cheesecake out of the pan until ready to serve.)
• Cool cheesecake for an hour, cover air-tight, and then place in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Brulee Topping:

• Take the cheesecake out of the refrigerator, take off the cover, and give it about 30 minutes to warm up. If you see any condensation forming on top, just gently blot it with a paper towel.
• Take the side of the springform off the cheesecake.
• Spread super fine sugar evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Using a culinary torch, melt the sugar to golden brown and then let it sit and rest as it forms a crispy top. Let it stand for about 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 698kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 599mg | Potassium: 368mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 6290IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 153mg | Iron: 4mg

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