Slow Cooker Cheesecake...?

slow cooker pumpkin cheesecake

Perfectly cooked, this firm cheesecake never sports any cracks in the top the way oven-baked cheesecakes do. If you don’t have a springform pan you can use a straight-edged casserole lined with greased foil so the cake is easy to lift out. 
Originally published October, 2009 
By LeeAnne Wright 
Photography by Edward Pond

SERVES:8 slices

TIME:Prep time: 20 minutes, In the slow cooker: 4 hours on high

Crust

• 12 gingersnap cookies
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 3 tbsp packed brown sugar

Filing

• 2 packages cream cheese (8 oz. block style)
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup canned pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp allspice

Topping

• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp brown sugar

1. Pulse the gingersnap cookies in food processor until they are fine crumbs. Mix in the melted butter and brown sugar.
2. Press the crumbs onto the bottom of a well-greased, 7-inch springform pan. Chill until ready to fill.
3. In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
4. Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, and continue beating until smooth and creamy. Pour the filling into the pan.
5. Cover bottom of pan with heavy duty foil coming up above the sides of the pan. Cover top of pan with another sheet of foil forming a dome and seal the foil edges shut. You want to make sure you prevent water and steam from leaking in.
6. Place in slow cooker and add boiling water until it reaches one inch up the side of the pan. Set cooker to high and cook for 4 hours. It will be slightly jiggly in the centre but will firm up as it cools. The cheesecake texture improves when refrigerated overnight.
7. Mix sour cream and brown sugar together. Spread over top of cheesecake and serve.