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Joanna Gaines' Brandied Pumpkin Basque-Style Cheesecake

Brandied Pumpkin Basque-Style Cheesecake

byKatie Button
Total 8 hours and 25 minutes (includes cooling and chilling times)
Active 30 mins
Makes one 9-inch cheesecake
Special Equipment
a 9-inch springform pan
Special Equipment
a 9-inch springform pan
Ingredients
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 12 ounces fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 2/3 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; use only 1 teaspoon if using another salt)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 6 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree, at room temperature
  • 1 2/3 cups heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup brandy
    Directions
    1. Preheat the oven to 425°F .
    2. Position an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and remove any other racks above it. Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Press a 19- to 20-inch piece of parchment paper down into the pan, creasing it to tightly line the bottom and up the sides. Spray the parchment with cooking spray and overlap a second 20-inch piece of parchment at an angle to cover the rest of the pan, creasing it tightly along the bottom and sides. (The cheesecake will puff up out of the pan during baking, so this extra parchment keeps it from overflowing.)
    3. Combine the cream cheese and goat cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until very smooth. Add the sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Beat well on medium-high speed until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is slightly aerated. Next, add the eggs a couple at a time, beating well after each addition, until the mixture is homogenous, taking care not to overbeat. Stop and scrape down the bowl often during the whole mixing process.
    4. Sift the flour into the batter a little at a time and mix after each addition just until incorporated to ensure it does not clump. Lastly, with the mixer on low speed, mix in the pumpkin puree and heavy cream, then the brandy until smooth and silky with no lumps.
    5. Wait to pour the batter into the prepared pan until the oven is preheated and you are ready to bake. Make sure the batter does not come over the top of the parchment anywhere.
    6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place it in the oven, directly onto the rack. Bake for 40 minutes. The cheesecake should rise significantly and be deep brown on top, like the color of a well-toasted marshmallow. It will be slightly jiggly in the center. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
    7. Transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator to chill in the springform pan for 6 to 8 hours (preferably overnight) before slicing.