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!

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
• Calories: 317 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree
• 1 cup almond meal
• ½ cup crushed slivered almonds

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 2

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.

Step 3

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.

Step 4

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.

Step 5

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.