Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourboned Pears and Salted Caramel
I received a cookbook to review and the review will appear next week – but I did take parts of one recipe to make a dessert that turned out really yummy. By the time I finished with it there was very little resemblance to what was in the cookbook. The book is Slow Cooker Desserts by Roxanne Wyss and Kathy Moore (affiliate link) and it was the cheesecake desserts that intrigued me the most but I ran into a little problem; my slow cooker is oval and you need a round one to pull off the cake and cheesecake recipes.
Bummer.
I’ll be trying one of the other types for the review but that doesn’t mean I still can’t use the recipes in the oven, right? I found a pumpkin cheesecake recipe but I didn’t like the base or the topping so I went my own way with them and came up with a whole new cheesecake. My neighbor had let me into her orchard to pick pears so I have been indulging in a number of different uses for my favorite Fall fruit. I knew that a pear topping would be delicious on a pumpkin cheesecake. I also knew that a plain graham cracker crust was not what this dessert needed – it cried out for ginger snaps. So that is what I used. And I topped it all off with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce.
Note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you buy from my link I might make a small commission. This does not affect the price you pay. See the full affiliate disclosure here.
This was one decadent little cheesecake.
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourboned Pears and Salted Caramel
Serves 4 – 6
For the Cheesecake:
1/2 cup ginger snap crumbs
1 TBS unsalted butter, melted
2 TBS granulated sugar
cooking spray
2 8oz packages of cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 TBS all purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 TBS heavy cream
For the Bourboned Pears:
1 cup diced pears – about one large
1 tsp butter
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
1 TBS bourbon
For the Salted Caramel:
1 cup granulated sugar
6 TBS butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
Make the cheesecake:
Preheat the oven to 375°
Mix the gingersnap crumbs with the sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 6″ or 7″ springform pan (I used a 6″ pan)
Bake in the preheated oven for 5 – 7 minutes until the crust is set.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached mix the cream cheese with the sugars until well combined.
Add the eggs, one at a time until well mixed.
Add the flour, cinnamon and heavy cream.
Carefully pour on top of prepared crust. Even out the top with an offset spatula.
Bake in the preheated oven for abour 40 – 60 minutes depending on the size of your springform pan. It will be just slightly wiggly at the center.
Allow to cool on a wire rack and then preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
Make the Bourboned Pears:
Melt the butter in a saute pan.
Add the butter and vanilla.
Add the pears and allow to cook until they are just starting to soften.
Add the bourbon and cook the pears for another minute to cook off the alcohol.
Set aside.
Make the Salted Caramel:
Add the sugar to a heavy bottomed, tall sided pot over medium high heat.
Stir constantly until the sugar melts. As it starts to melt it will form lumps before it liquefies. Just keep stirring.
Add the butter. The mixture will bubble furiously. BE CAREFUL.
If you cannot see the video you can watch it on YouTube HERE
When the butter is fully melted add the heavy cream. THE MIXTURE WILL BUBBLE EVEN MORE FURIOUSLY WHEN THE COLD CREAM HITS THE HOT CARAMEL.
Just keep stirring. Be careful, boiling sugar is hot stuff.
Add the salt and stir for another minute.
Remove from the heat and store in a mason jar or other container that can handle the hot caramel.
Put the cheesecake together:
Remove the cheesecake from the springform.
Add 1/4 cup of salted caramel to the top of the cheesecake. Carefully spread it around the top.
Top with the bourboned pears.
Drizzle with the salted caramel.
This was a really delicious dessert. I will admit to having some concerns that it might be too sweet but it was not. The cheesecake was a perfect base for the ripe pears with the underlying hint of bourbon. The salted caramel added the perfect touch of sweet and salty and pulled the whole thing together. I’m not sure I was happy it was a little cheesecake! Although if I had made a full sized one I would have then eaten a full sized one!
