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Disneyland's Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

A rich and creamy pumpkin cheesecake - a popular item during the Halloween season at The Disneyland Resort!
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Course: Dessert
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Crust
  • 1 ½ cups crushed graham crackers
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ⅓ cup butter melted
Cheesecake Filling
  • 3 blocks cream cheese (8 oz.) softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 5 ounces evaporated milk canned
  • Chocolate syrup for drizzling (optional)

Equipment

  • 9-inch springform pan
  • Large roasting pan
  • Aluminum foil
  • Cooking spray

Method
 

For Crust
  1. In a bowl combine the crushed graham cracker, sugar and ginger. 
  2. Melt the butter and stir into mixture.
  3. Spray bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Press crust mixture into bottom of pan using your hands.
  4. Place pan on a large piece of foil and wrap foil tightly up sides and around pan (this will be to keep the water out of the pan, later on).
For Cheesecake Filling
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F
  2. Beat cream cheese, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Scrape down sides of bowl
  3. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl
  4. Whisk together pumpkin purée, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl until well combined
  5. Add pumpkin mixture to cream cheese mixture, beating until well combined. Scrape down sides of bowl
  6. Add evaporated milk, mixing well
  7. Slowly pour cheesecake filling onto crust mixture in prepared pan. If you want, drizzle with chocolate syrup.
  8. Place foil-wrapped pan inside a larger roasting pan. Place on oven rack and carefully add enough hot water to reach halfway up sides of springform pan.
  9. Bake 1 hour, or until center moves only slightly when shaken.
  10. Turn oven off. Crack open oven door, and allow cheesecake to cool inside oven 1 hour (this prevents cracking in the surface of the cheesecake).
  11. Remove pan from water bath and set on a wire rack to cool completely (if you cover too early, moisture will collect on the foil and drip onto your cheesecake).
  12. Cover top of pan with foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight
  13. Remove the side of your springform pan. Slice, and enjoy!

Notes

Cheesecake bath

  • Many of the baking notes I added into the instruction, and bolded them – I found that they were all pretty need-to-know… (in case you’re like me you don’t always read through all of the instructions before beginning the recipe.)
  • I used my food processor to crush up the graham crackers – a full sleeve was just exactly 1 1/2 cups. 
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl a lot – to prevent the cream cheese from forming lumps in your cake.
  • Start baking early in the day – this cheesecake takes a lot of time, at least 8 hours, before it’s ready. {1/2 hour to make, 1 hour to bake, 1 hour to rest, 1.5 hours to cool, 4 hours in the fridge}
  • Really get that foil on the pan tight, even double it up – if any water can get through the foil it will seep up into the cheesecake through the bottom, and ruin it.
  • I omitted the chocolate syrup in favor of going with a more traditional whipped cream topping.
  • I had to keep adding another 5 minutes, and another because the center was still too jiggly – so make sure you test it before you pull it out of the oven.