Pumpkin Basque Cheesecake

an easy and delicious cheesecake for Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, I am going rogue. If you are one of the beautiful people I will be celebrating Thanksgiving with this year, please avert your eyes. I am not baking a pumpkin pie this year. Instead, I will be stirring up this pumpkin Basque cheesecake. It is even easier to make to make than pie, incredibly delicious, and you can slice it into the tiny slivers that everyone seems to want after a big Thanksgiving dinner.

Basque cheesecake is baked at a higher temperature than American cheesecake, which gives it its gorgeously caramelized top, and the addition of heavy cream gives it a light, mousse-like texture. Also, you don’t have to make a crust which I know can be the intimidating part of pie making. This version replaces some of the cream cheese with pumpkin puree and a little spice to give it a cozy autumnal vibe.

This recipe isn’t at all fussy, (no waterbath, it's supposed to be burnt on top!) but make sure that your ingredients are at room temperature to ensure the smoothest, creamiest texture. You can make the cheesecake up to 2 days in advance: leave it in the springform pan and cover with plastic wrap. Store the cheesecake in the refrigerator and take it out of the refrigerator about 2 hours before serving.

It doesn’t need any additional adornment, but if you must, a bit of lightly sweetened whipped cream and a spoonful of cranberry sauce would be delicious and beautiful. It goes without saying that the leftovers, if there are any, are delicious with a cup of coffee the morning after.