French Pumpkin Cheesecake
Sometimes I come across a recipe on the web that is just so incredibly delicious that I just have to share it. This French pumpkin cheesecake is one of those recipes.
French Pumpkin Cheesecake
I’ve probably made this recipe at least 3 times within the last 2 weeks. Even though this isn’t my original recipe, I did dream it up before I knew it existed.
You see, classic New York cheesecakes are fairly dense. They’re usually made with eggs and baked in a bain-marie (water bath), then chilled until they’re completely cool and firm.
While the French do make cheesecake, it tends to be much lighter and mousse-like in consistency. In fact, that’s why I call this pumpkin cheesecake “French pumpkin cheesecake” (even though the French definitely do not bake with pumpkin like Americans do).
That mousse-like texture is trés French to me, and is named in the same spirit as French silk pie.
When I stumbled upon the original recipe for this cheesecake, I was looking for ideas on how to achieve the consistency of a mousse-like cheesecake.
Coming across this no-bake pumpkin cheesecake, I immediately had an “aha” moment. Why of course, a no-bake cheesecake would be much lighter indeed.
So I tried the recipe as directed with plans to taste-test and alter to achieve creamy perfection. But after one bite of what I now call this French pumpkin cheesecake, I just couldn’t fathom changing a thing!
The only aspect of this dessert that I contributed to was the graham cracker crust (the original recipe used a gingersnap crust). But the actual cake batter was everything I had hoped for.
Light and creamy, this French pumpkin cheesecake will melt on your warm tongue within a second. Since the pumpkin and cream cheese have been whipped into a fluffy and airy consistency, it’s no surprise that it’s so light. The sweetened whipped cream that’s folded into the batter also doesn’t hurt the cake’s cloud-like consistency.
With normal cheesecake, I find that I can only eat half a slice before my palate feels heavy and overwhelmed. That is not the case with this French pumpkin cheesecake. I ate up my slice in a jiffy and couldn’t wait to dive back in for another.
I think my sister summed it up best when she described French mousse, which I find comparable to this cake, “It’s basically all air, so no harm done, right?” Yeah, Sis, no harm done whatsoever!
French Pumpkin Cheesecake
A light-as-air, no-bake cheesecake flavored with pumpkin for a fall twist.
Ingredients
for the crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
for the cake
- 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sweetened whipped cream, homemade or store-bought, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grab a tart pan, 9-inch pie dish, or a 6-inch cake pan. (If you use the cake pan, make sure to line it with a large sheet of parchment paper - large enough that it comes up the sides of the pan and over the rim - for easy removal of dessert).
- In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter together until everything is well-combined and all the crumbs are moist. Pour this mixture into your chosen pan. Use a rubber spatula or a flat-bottom glass to pack the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and smooth it out. If using a pie dish, you can pack some of the crumbs along the sides of the pan as well.
- Bake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and let the crust completely cool.
- Create your cheesecake batter by beating the cream cheese with the pumpkin, sugar, spices, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until you’ve achieved a mousse-like consistency and the batter is a light orange color - about 1 minute.
- Fold in the 1/2 cup of sweetened whipped cream using a rubber spatula. Fold until there are no white streaks apparent.
- Pour the batter over the cooled crust, using your spatula to evenly distribute and smooth out the batter. Pipe remaining whipped cream out on top of cheesecake using a pastry bag, or simply smooth all over the top using a spoon or offset spatula.
- Refrigerate the cheesecake for 4 to 6 hours until chilled.
Notes
To create your own sweetened whipped cream, whisk 1 cup of heavy whipping cream with 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form. Then fold in a 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the batter, and use the remaining whipped cream to garnish the top of the cake.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 8 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 342
This might be a dumb question, but why is this French? Whatever it is it looks pretty incredible!
Hi Mimi! Thanks so much! It’s such a yummy dessert. The reason I refer to it as a French pumpkin cheesecake is because it’s reminiscent of French-style cheesecakes, which are much lighter and fluffier than American ones. I’ve had French cheesecakes before that resemble more of a mousse-like consistency than the more firm, dense versions we have here in the States.
P.S. There’s never a dumb question here, so please feel free to reach out anytime you’d like! 🙂
XO
Oh my gosh, this cheesecake sounds amazing! I had no idea about French version of cheesecake, now I’m dying to try it. I still have some pumpkin puree left, and I know what I’m going to use it for!! Thanks for sharing it, Beeta!
Hi Shinee!! Thanks so much! Yeah the French have a lighter cheesecake which I tend to prefer over the American style ones. I think you’d love this! 🙂
This looks absolutely amazing!!!! I love how thick the crust is and that color is absolutely gorgeous! Nicely done Beeta 😉
Thank you so much, Anne! I’m a sucker for a thick crust! 🙂
I love the all air approach! And I can imagine how light and flavorful this cake is, Beeta. The crust alone… you know I have crust envy, so that thick crust is just what I love in a cheese cake. Pumpkin is my favorite squash of Fall, so I’m going to have to make a go of this at some point … Thank you for this my dear! Beautiful work!
Thank you so much, Traci! It’s so very light! And I’m with you on the crust – the more the merrier!! 🙂 Pumpkin is my favorite fall squash too so you can’t blame me for devouring this :p Lots of love XO
So loving your pumpkin cheesecake, Beeta! Just perfect for the up and coming holiday season! xx
It’s such a great dessert to whip up whether you’re hosting a party or going to one – everyone adores this cake! Thanks for the sweet words <3
What a beautiful cheesecake Beeta! Cheesecake is my weakness especially with pumpkin in it! Can’t wait to try this one!
Thank you Kelley! THIS cheesecake has become my weakness, so I give you fair warning because I think you’ll melt for this! XO
Heck yes! This cheesecake is so beautiful!! I love it for Halloween but I think I’m going to make it for Thanksgiving. I’m not overly fond of pumpkin pie, even though I stay with tradition and make one every single year. Not anymore because this year I’m making French cheesecake! #fancy 🙂
Karrie, you will be so happy you made this come Thanksgiving! It’s my new favorite fall dessert. I’m with you – not super huge on pumpkin pie. I’ll eat it, but I’m usually not like yayyy! But this is just something else. I even gave some to my a family friend who usually doesn’t like pumpkin desserts, and she LOVED this! That’s how I knew I wasn’t just going crazy in a pumpkin mousse induced frenzy. :p Thanks girl <3
Oh Beeta, this cheesecake is absolutely beautiful. I love the no bake pumpkin filling. It’s so creamy and light and sounds perfect with the thick graham cracker crust!
Thank you so much, Kelly! It’s such a great contrast with the crisp graham cracker crust…they really balance each other out! 🙂