Fall in love with Ohio State Fair award-winning Chai Pumpkin Cheesecake. It’s a delicious addition to Thanksgiving dessert or a wickedly good Halloween treat. Ground cinnamon, cardamom and cloves add warmth and spice to perfectly balance the sweet graham cracker crust. Pumpkin spice lovers won’t be able to get enough of this rich, creamy cheesecake. Don’t forget a dollop of whipped cream on top!
Chai Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup real butter, melted
Filling:
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2cups packed brown sugar
5 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
real whipped cream
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- Fill a large roasting pan halfway with water and place on the lower rack of the oven. Coat a 9 inch springform pan with vegetable cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and melted butter. Press onto the bottom and one inch up the sides of pan.
- Bake 10 minutes and cool. Wrap a large piece of aluminum foil around the pan.
Filling:
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time.
- Add the canned pumpkin, cornstarch and spices. Pour batter into the crust.
- Bake on the center rack for one hour, or until the center is still moist. Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to sit with the door closed for an additional 20 minutes.
- Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cheesecake.
- Cool on a rack for one hour, then cover and place in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or until well chilled.
- Remove the springform ring. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.
Hello. My cheesecake turned out still runny in the center; the 2” from the perimeter and in were fine. I left the water pan in the oven with the cheesecake since the recipe didn’t call to remove it. Was I supposed to remove it? Any other reason it might be runny?
I don’t think you were supposed to put the cheesecake in the pan of water. Just above it.
Most likely it just needed to be baked a little longer. Cheesecakes should be cooked until the center is set but still just a little jiggly. It may take few tries to get it right, but eventually you learn to judge what it should look like.
And, yes, you should leave the pan of water in the oven. The steam helps the top of the cheesecake not dry out while baking. Most likely the water should be used as a water bath, in which the springform pan is wrapped with several layers of foil and then placed in the water. When you do this it promotes more even cooking as well.
If you’re still interested in making cheesecakes, definitely read up on the method. There are a lot of tips and tricks that can be used to make awesome cheesecakes.
I bake mine for and hour & 15 minutes. Then turn off the oven, crack open the oven door and leave your cheesecake sitting in the warm oven to gradually cook. After and hour, remove it from the oven and sit it on the countertop until completely cool. Refrigerate overnight before slicing.
Made this last night and just had a piece this morning. LOVE it! Took longer to bake than mentioned but it is absolutely delicious! It came out very creamy (just how I love cheesecake) and flavors are all over the place in a great way.
Thanks Alex! We are so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
-Tristen, ADA Mideast Communications Manager
I don’t have a spring form pan,can you make this cheesecake in a regular cake pan?
Although best prepared in a springform pan, you can use the same size regular baking pan. Either line the regular baking pan with parchment strips to allow you to lift it out of the pan once cooled, or skip the parchment strips and serve directly from the pan you baked it in.
-Madelyn, American Dairy Association Mideast