Name: Pumpkin Cheesecake (No Bake)
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 285 min
Ingredients: 300 g Digestive biscuits; 135 g Butter or baking spread (melted); 1/2 tsp Cinnamon; 1/2 tsp Ground ginger; 1/4 tsp Nutmeg; 600 g Full fat cream cheese (I use Philadelphia); 300 g Pumpkin puree; 125 g Icing sugar; 2 tsp Cinnamon; 1/2 tsp Mixed spice; 1/4 tsp Ground ginger; 1/4 tsp Nutmeg; 1 tsp Vanilla extract; 300 ml Double cream; 150 ml Double cream; 1/2 tbsp Icing sugar; 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract; 1 tbsp Demerara sugar; 1/4 tsp Cinnamon; Fondant pumpkins (optional)

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Pumpkin spice is slowly gaining popularity in the UK, but there's still definitely people that aren't aware of how delicious pumpkin and pumpkin spice is in baked goods. Or no-bake in the case of this Pumpkin Cheesecake! Most people in the UK think of pumpkin as a savoury ingredient, but it's wonderfully versatile and works so well in sweet recipes too. If you like pumpkin pie you will love this beautifully light and creamy cheesecake. There is pumpkin puree mixed into the cheesecake filling and it's flavoured with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. This Pumpkin Cheesecake absolutely screams autumn, it's easy to make and tastes absolutely delicious!

Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

It is really important to stick to the ingredients and use full fat cream cheese and double cream (a cream with a 48% fat content), both of these ingredients are essential to ensure the no bake cheesecake sets. If you want to make a low fat version, I suggest doing this in small dessert glasses or ramekins as they will not set well enough to be sliced.
I am based in the UK and I find that Philadelphia cream cheese is the thickest and best quality cream cheese to use for no bake cheesecakes. I have made many cheesecakes with supermarket own brand cream cheeses too, and they have worked great. If you can though, I think it is worth spending a little more for Philadelphia (and no they haven't paid me to say this!)
For the biscuit base I used digestive biscuits and added some spices, you could also use gingernut biscuits.
You can use either butter or baking spread for the biscuit base, I find that baking spread makes the cheesecake easier to remove from the tin as it doesn't make the base set as solidly.
If you live in a place where pumpkin pie spice mix is easily available, then you can use 3 tsp of that instead of the mix of spices I've listed in the recipe. I live in the UK so pumpkin spice mix is not something that's sold here.
You can find lots of answers to common no bake cheesecake questions on my How To Make A No Bake Cheesecake guide. If you've never made a no bake cheesecake before, I highly recommend reading through my guide first!
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make a Pumpkin Cheesecake

To make the base, crush the biscuits into crumbs, then stir in the spices. Add the melted butter and mix it in.

Press the mixture into the bottom of the tin and put it in the fridge to chill while you make the filling. To make the filling, use an electric whisk to mix together the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, icing sugar, vanilla and spices until it is smooth with no lumps.

Then add the double cream and whisk more until the mixture thickens considerably. Put the filling into the tin on top of the base and smooth it over. Then put it into the fridge to set overnight. Decorate with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and fondant pumpkins.

Where can you buy pumpkin puree in the UK?

I've found tins of pumpkin puree in the American food section of large supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsburys (the two brands I know of are Libbys and Baking Buddy). I have also heard that Waitrose stock it. It's sometimes available all year round, or sometimes only from mid-August until December. It really does depend on the supermarket with this. Keep asking your local store, you may just bug them enough to get them to stock it! You can also buy it online, I have purchased it from Amazon before, and Sous Chef also sell it. It will be a little bit more pricey, but I've found good deals by buying several cans at once (and the best before dates are usually at least one year long).

Can you make pumpkin puree from scratch?

Yes! If you can’t get hold of the canned version, then you can make pumpkin puree from scratch. A 2kg pumpkin will give you roughly 675g pumpkin puree. The good news is, if you have too much you can freeze pumpkin puree. What you need to do is carefully slice up the pumpkin, deseed it and scoop out the stringy bits. Then you can either roast or steam chunks of the pumpkin until soft – it will take 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the pieces, use a knife to check tenderness. Allow the pumpkin to cool fully. Remove the flesh from the skin using a spoon, and then use a blender to puree the flesh. You now have pumpkin puree! It’s also great stirred into risottos or curries if you have leftovers. If it's not the time of year for pumpkins but you really want to make pumpkin cake, then you can use butternut squash too!

Can this recipe be made in a different sized tin?

This recipe is for a 23cm (9") springform tin, if you would like to convert this recipe for a much smaller tin, please check out my Conversion Guide.

How do you make sure the cheesecake sets?

When you’re mixing the filling, you want it to get to a stage where you can scoop some up with your spatula or spoon and you have to give it a tap on the side of the bowl or slight flick of the wrist to get the mixture off the spoon. If it’s sloppy and slides right off the spoon without any encouragement needed, then you need to mix it more. Always use an electric mixer for best results. It’s also very important to use full fat cream cheese and double cream (heavy cream), as any low fat versions will affect the setting of the cheesecake. I always set my cheesecake overnight in the fridge, I’d suggest a minimum of 4 hours.

How do you remove a no bake cheesecake from the tin?

To see step by step photos and a video showing you how to remove a no bake cheesecake from the tin, as well as the answers to lots of other common no bake cheesecake questions, check out my How to make a No Bake Cheesecake guide!

Can this cheesecake be made gluten free?

Yes! To make this recipe gluten free, swap the biscuits for the biscuit base for gluten free biscuits.

How long does the cheesecake last and can it be frozen?

The cheesecake should be stored in the fridge and will last for up to 5 days in the fridge, however I like to eat it within 2-3 days as I find any whipped cream decoration is not as enjoyable after this time. You can freeze the cheesecake without any decoration, however you do need to let it set in the fridge first. Setting it in the freezer will affect the texture and it won't be as nice. Once it's set in the fridge, you can remove it from the tin and put the cheesecake in a box or tupperware. You could also slice it up, and freeze in portions. Then you can easily defrost a few slices at a time depending on when you'd like some cheesecake!

More tips for making the Pumpkin Cheesecake:

I used an Ateco 829 piping tip to pipe the whipped cream onto the cheesecake.
To decorate the cheesecake, I made the little pumpkins from fondant. Depending on your location you could get some Brach's Pumpkin Candy decorations.

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

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