Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake

When my mother was undergoing chemotherapy for the cancer that eventually took her life, I came up with the basic recipe for the cheesecake. It was one of the few foods that she really enjoyed and would stay down. Now my granddaughter has a gluten allergy, so I’ve adapted the recipe for her by using the gluten-free crust instead of the original graham crumb crust. I think I like this version better!

Original recipe makes 1 10-inch cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup crushed slivered almonds
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons melted butter
Filling:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups sour cream
1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt

PREP

15 mins
COOK

1 hr 10 mins
READY IN

3 hrs 55 mins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Whisk almond meal, slivered almonds, 1/4 cup sugar, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon together in a bowl; stir in butter until almond mixture is evenly moistened. Pour almond mixture into a 10-inch springform pan and press firmly into the bottom.
Bake in the preheated oven until crust is set, about 10 minutes. Remove crust from oven and reduce temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place a pan of hot water onto the bottom rack of the oven to help reduce cracking in the cheesecake.
Beat cream cheese, sour cream, pumpkin puree, 1 cup sugar, eggs, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, vanilla extract, and salt together in a large bowl using an electric mixer, scraping bottom and sides of bowl frequently, until filling is smooth. Pour filling over hot crust.
Place pan on the center rack in oven and bake until cheesecake peaks in the center, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature before removing sides of pan. Transfer cheesecake to a serving plate and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator before serving, at least 2 hours.