Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Cheesecake

This dulce de leche pumpkin cheesecake is the perfect dessert to add to your Thanksgiving table. 

This dulce de leche pumpkin cheesecake is a fabulous make-ahead dessert. In fact, it's better when it's prepared about 12 hours in advance and allowed to chill. Plus, you can make the dulce de leche topping in advance, refrigerate it, and bring it back to room temperature before pouring it over the cheesecake right before serving. 

I loved learning how to make homemade "from scratch" dulce de leche too! 

You actually pour this entire jar of dulce de leche over the cheesecake. It's sooooo good. 

It's also great for taking to a potluck or to dinner with friends. We took a few pieces of this cheesecake with us on a trip to meet some friends up the coast, and it was a big hit. Plus, it survived a five hour drive in a cooler with some ice. 

This cheesecake recipe also includes several techniques that you can use to prevent your cheesecake from cracking while skipping the usual water bath. 

Ingredients:

For the Cheesecake:

Pumpkin puree: You'll need one standard can

From the fridge: Cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream. 

Spices: Cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, and nutmeg. If you have some pumpkin spice, you can always use that instead. 

From the pantry: Brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. 

For the Crust:

Graham crackers, light brown sugar, and butter. 

For the Dulce de Leche:

Milk, whipping cream, sugar, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. 

Tips for Success: 

For making the cheesecake:

First, drain the excess water from the pumpkin puree by spreading it over several layers of paper towels. It's amazing how much water will be absorbed. 

Also, make sure that every ingredient in the cheesecake is room temperature. 

Instead of using a water bath to bake the cheesecake, place an oven-safe pan on the bottom rack for filling with hot water to create steam in the oven. 

You begin baking the cheesecake in a 400 degree F oven on the middle rack and add the hot water to the steam pan. Bake the cheesecake at 400 dgrees for 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 250 degrees F. 

When the cheesecake is done, turn the oven off and open the door while leaving the cheesecake in the oven for 30 minutes. 

Finally, let the cheesecake sit at room temperature for about an hour before refrigerating overnight. 

For the Dulce de Leche: 

You will need some patience for preparing the dulce de leche, but it is worth it. It will take about 90 minutes to two hours of cooking in a heavy-bottomed pan. 

Be sure to use a large enough pan (about 4 quarts) to prevent the mixture from boiling over. You'll need to watch over it a bit to know when it is the right thickness and color.

Even if you never make this cheescake, you need to make "from scratch" dulce de leche at least once! 

To cut the cheesecake into slices, run your knife under hot water for clean slices. 

This cheesecake is totally delicious and just the right texture you want. And it didn't crack!

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is The Cake Book: Beautiful Sweet Treats for Every Craving by Rebecca Firth. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook and Instagram, pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the links below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

Our book for 2024 is - The Cake Book: Beautiful Sweet Treats for Every Craving - and our choices for October 2024 were ~

Muscovado Gingerbread Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream

• All That's Left Are The Crumbs

Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Cheesecake

• Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Amandie Bakes

Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Cheesecake

Yield: 12 servings

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 3 HourCook time: 1 HourInactive time: 12 HourTotal time: 16 Hour

This dulce de leche pumpkin cheesecake is the perfect dessert to add to your Thanksgiving table.

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 12 whole Graham crackers (180 grams)
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Cheesecake

• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
• 14 ounces (398 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
• 330 grams (1 1/2 cups packed) light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teapoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon (6 grams) sea salt
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 8 ounces sour cream, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Dulce de Leche

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• Scant 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

To Make the Crust

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare a 9 inch springform pan with baking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
3. Grind the Graham crackers and brown sugar in a food processor until crumbly.
4. Add the butter to the food processor and pulse until combines.
5. Press the mixture into the bottom of the parchment-lined pan.
6. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Cool completely

To Prepare the Cheesecake

1. Line a sheet pan with several layers of paper towels. Spread the pumpkin puree over the paper towels with an offset spatula and let the paper towels absorb the liquid for at least an hour to dry the pumpkin. When the pumpkin is ready, scrape it into a bowl and set aside.
2. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. On the bottom rack of your oven, place a broiler pan or oven safe skillet. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and set aside.
3. In a stand mixer, mix the cream cheese, sugar, spices, and salt on low for 2 minutes until smooth.
4. In a small mixing cup, whisk the eggs. Slowly pour the eggs into the mixer as it is running on low. Mix for 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin puree, sour cream, orange juice, and vanilla, one at a time, until each ingredient is fully incorporated. Mix on low for two more minutes.
5. Press the mixture through a strainer into the baked and cooled crust. Smooth the top.
6. Add the hot water to the pan on the lower rack of the oven and place the cheesecake on the middle rack.
7. Bake the cheese cake in the 400 degree oven for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F. Bake the cheesecake for an additional 40 to 45 minutes, until the sides are set and the center is still slightly jiggly.
8. Turn the oven off, open the door, and let the cake sit in the oven for 30 minutes.
9. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool completely on a rack. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

To Make the Dulce de Leche

1. In a 4 quart saucepan, over high heat, whisk the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and whisk in the baking soda.
2. Stir the mixture about every 5 minutes and watch closely to prevent boiling. You want it to be barely simmering.
3. As the mixture's color begins to brown, be sure to stay closer and pay more attention to adjust the temperature to prevent boiling.
4. The dulce de leche should be done after about 90 to 120 minutes, when it's thick and bronze.
5. Strain it into a heat safe container to save for topping the cheesecake.
6. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is ready and then bring to room temperature. Remove the cheesecake from the pan and place it on a cake plate. Pour the dulce de leche over the cheesecake, cut, and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

540

Fat (grams)

31 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

17 g

Carbs (grams)

61 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

60 g

Sugar (grams)

51 g

Protein (grams)

7 g

Cholesterol (grams)

144 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2024/10/dulce-de-leche-pumpkin-cheesecake.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

cheesecake, pumpkin, dulce de leche

dessert