This show-stopping dessert combines two favorites: pumpkin pie and cheesecake! Not to be confused with a pumpkin flavored cheesecake, this is a layer of creamy cheesecake with toffee bits, topped with a smooth and perfectly spiced pumpkin pie. The best of both worlds! This has become a holiday tradition for so many people. Try it once and it might be your new tradition as well!
Ingredients and Equipment Needed
- Springform Pan – If you don’t own a springform pan, now is the time to get one! You can use a 9 or 10 inch. I prefer a 9″ because I like the thickness of the finished dessert, but a 10″ will work as well. Your dessert will be slightly thinner than mine.
- Crust
- Graham cracker crumbs – I use cinnamon-sugar graham crackers in this recipe, but regular grahams work just as well, I just add a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon to the mix.
- Cheesecake
- Cream cheese – Regular or full fat is fine. Avoid fat free.
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Toffee bits – Such as Heath Bits ‘O Brickle or Skor bits. Make sure when you’re at the store you grab regular toffee and not the chocolate covered ones.
- Pumpkin Pie Layer
- Canned pumpkin
- Whipping cream
- Granulated sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Pumpkin pie seasoning
- Salt
- Eggs
- For Serving
- Sweetened Whipped Cream or cool whip.
- Toffee bits
How to Make a Layered Pumpkin Pie Toffee Cheesecake
- Start with the crust, which is your basic butter and graham cracker crumb mixture. Simply press it into the bottom of a springform pan.
- That goes in the oven to bake for a few minutes, and while it does you can mix up your cheesecake layer: cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and a few toffee bits.
- Spread the cheesecake layer over the baked crust and set it aside.
- To save yourself unnecessary dishes, give the bowl you were working in before a quick rinse and then whip up your pumpkin pie layer. In goes pumpkin, eggs, cream, sugar, a pinch of salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Then very carefully, and slowly pour the pumpkin layer over the cheesecake. You want to avoid pouring it all out in one big gush because it will mess up your layers. It actually works best to pour it out of the side of the bowl, or over the back of a spoon.
- Then it goes into the oven for 2 hours. Yes, two. We’re cooking low and slow. When the edges are set, but the center is still a little jiggly, just turn off the oven and crack the door, but leave the pan in the oven for about 30 minutes.
- After it comes out and cools completely, run a knife around the edge of the pan, but leave it in the pan. Cover it with plastic wrap and chill for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.
- When you’re ready to serve it, plop some whipped cream on top. I’m generally a proponent of using fresh sweetened whipped cream for this sort of thing, but you could also use Cool Whip, or the kind in a spray can if you’re serving it right away.
How to Garnish your Layered Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
There are lots of options to garnish this dessert. I love putting my whipped cream in a piping bag and piping dollops of whipped cream around the perimeter with an extra sprinkle of toffee.
- Another fun option is a chunk of toffee (as seen in the above photo and below). In the fall time, I buy pumpkin seed brittle at both Williams-Sonoma and Trader Joes and it’s a fun “extra” touch if you want to make this dessert look over the top!
- A drizzle of caramel sauce is delicious on top as well.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished pumpkin pie cheesecake in the fridge, tightly covered. Consume within 3-4 days for the best results.
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients – One trick when making any kind of cheesecake is to have all of your ingredients at room temperature, or even slightly warm. Try to plan ahead and have things completely thawed out of the fridge.
- This is a great make-ahead dessert, which is especially helpful on busy holidays. Feel free to make it a day ahead and keep well covered in the fridge, or freeze it for up to a month. When doing either of these options, I prefer to add the whipped cream topping fresh right before serving, though if you really needed to, you could also freeze it with the whipped cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! Feel free to make it a day ahead and keep well covered in the fridge, or freeze it for up to a month. When doing either of these options, I prefer to add the whipped cream topping fresh right before serving, though if you really needed to, you could also freeze it with the whipped cream.
How long will fresh whipped cream hold its shape before serving?
If you’re worried about your whipped cream falling flat between decorating and serving, you can always make Stabilized Whipped Cream. It contains a little gelatin to help the whipped cream hold its shape. Heavy whipping cream with a high fat content will also hold up better than regular whipping cream or whipped cream from a can, each of which would need to be served pretty much immediately.
My dessert cracked- what happened??
I’ve never had this dessert crack on me, but others have reported it did! We are not using a water bath, as most traditional cheesecakes do, but I’ve never had a problem with cracking. The good thing is that it doesn’t affect the taste at all! Just top with a little extra whipped cream to cover the cracks 🙂
Layered Pumpkin Pie Toffee Cheesecake
A delightful layered dessert with a classic graham cracker crust, toffee cheesecake on the bottom and pumpkin pie on the top. Sure to please everyone!
Servings slices
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups cinnamon graham cracker crumbs (200g) just short of 2 sleeves
- ½ cup butter, melted
Cheesecake Layer
- 16 oz cream cheese softened, 2 standard blocks.
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 bag toffee bits, divided
Pumpkin Pie Layer
- 15 oz can pumpkin or use homemade, it's 1 ¾ cup
- ¾ cup whipping cream
- ⅔ cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning
- ⅛ teaspoons salt
- 3 large eggs
For Serving
- Sweetened whipped cream
- reserved ½ bag toffee bits
Instructions
Crust
- Heat oven to 300℉. Spray a 9" springform pan with cooking spray. A 10" pan will also work, it will just be a shorter dessert overall. I prefer the 9" if you have one.
- In a small bowl, mix crumbs and butter. Press in bottom of pan and up about ½-1" the sides. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
Cheesecake Layer
- In large bowl, beat room temperature cream cheese, ½ cup sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in 2 of the eggs. Stir in 1 cup of the toffee bits. Spread over crust. Clean out your bowl.
Pumpkin Layer
- Mix pumpkin, ¾ cup whipping cream, ⅔ cup sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt and remaining 3 eggs just until blended and smooth. Slowly and carefully spoon over cheesecake layer.
Cook and Chill
- Bake for 2 hours or until edge of cheesecake is set at least 2 inches from edge of pan but center still jiggles slightly when moved. Turn oven off; open oven door a crack. Leave cheesecake in oven 30 minutes.
- Run a sharp knife around edge of pan. Cool 30-60 minutes at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
- To serve, run knife around edge of pan again; remove side of pan. Pipe sweetened whipped cream* around edges of cheesecake; sprinkle with remaining toffee bits. Slice and Serve!*You most likely bought a pint of whipping cream for this recipe and used part of it in the pumpkin layer, pour the rest in a bowl with a big spoon of powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla and whip it up for the topping.
Notes
-
- Store finished pumpkin pie cheesecake in the fridge, tightly covered. Consume within 3-4 days for the best results.
-
- Use room temperature ingredients – one trick when making any kind of cheesecake is to have all of your ingredients at room temperature, or even slightly warm. Try to plan ahead and have things completely thawed out of the fridge.
- This is a great make-ahead dessert, which is especially helpful on busy holidays. Feel free to make it a day ahead and keep well covered in the fridge, or freeze it for up to a month. When doing either of these options, I prefer to add the whipped cream topping fresh right before serving, though if you really needed to, you could also freeze it with the whipped cream.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 481kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 149mg, Sodium: 309mg, Potassium: 186mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 37g, Vitamin A: 6972IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 74mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 481kcal
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Questions & Reviews
The pumpkin cheesecake looks de-lish! Can’t wait to make it for Thanksgiving. Love your website!!
This looks soooo good. I’m not a huge pumpkin pie fan. It looks delicious layered with cheesecake and toffee!! Yum Yum. May have to volunteer to make this pie for Thanksgiving. 🙂
Wow. Layer after layer of goodies. Much better than old pumpkin pie!
The tasty recipe aside, this post was worth it just for the astute observation(s) that check-out line(s) must be part of Dante’s circles reserved just for moms of small children. lol!
any chance these could be successful in cupcake form?? I think I will make this for a “cocktail hour” type gathering this weekend, and just thinking that a handheld option could be really great…
Ya, you could probably do them in mini form, maybe in foil liners? You’d just have to eyeball the cooking time; I’m not sure how long that would take. Let me know if you decide to try it!
You are a GENIUS!!!! I can’t wait to make.
The best cheesecake. Made it for Thanksgiving and could barely wait for it to chill. Had to make some pushpops because we ate it all the night before.
Oh sweet heavens this looks like perfection baked in a pan. For reallio.
And haven’t checks been outlawed by now?
That looks wonderful I wish we had toffee bits here:(
I was wondering if I did bitesize cheesecakes if I would cook it the same time and temperature ?
This looks fabulous !
Nope, definitely faster- you’ll have to eyeball it!
Gorgeous cheesecake! My husband isn’t a pumpkin fan but he looooves cheesecake. I wonder if he’d be satisfied with a pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving… May have to give this a try! And when I’m at the store, I always place things on the belt in the order that they should be bagged. For 2 years I cashiered at the grocery store and it saves so much time and makes it easier for the cashier if things are organized on the belt. I’m sure the cashiers love you for sorting the groceries 🙂
Are the toffee bits still crunchy in the cheesecake layer after it cooks or does it melt into lusciousness?
Nope, they’re not crunchy at all, they melt right in.
I load my cart in a specific way and I unload it onto the conveyer belt in a specific way. Nothing makes me madder than when the bagger has the audacity to change it up. I found my soul-mate of a checker at the Walmart Market in Layton, UT. I was so sad to move away. She intuitively knew what I needed and she gave it to me in the form of correctly bagged groceries. Oh how I miss her.
Looks fabulous, and thanks for the laugh – checkout lines with kids are horrible, and heavenly for the few minutes without them. 🙂
Oh this looks fantastic. I’ve been trying to find something to make for Thanksgiving and I’m loving this!
This is freaking heaven in a slice!
Ay Dios mio!!!!! I have got to try this! It’s making my mouth water as I type this! Thank you for sharing!
Heavens! I’m not sure it could get any better than this! Will definitely be trying this one. Thanks. BTW- I’m with you on the shopping with kiddos. I’ve been known to let people in line in front of me if I think I can outlast bedtime. 🙂
So I was completely planning on the pumpkin-ginger pizcookies for thanksgiving because they looked like everything yummy rolled into cute single servings!! … And then you post this beauty. I guess this is why the two of you are my BFF ( …as in you hardly know me, but I feel like I know everything about you girls… ) On the hunt now for toffee bits for the chocolate moose cake, for this week … and then this better-than-pie dessert 🙂 Thanks for the ongoing inspiration!!
Haha! Your post made me laugh, Sara. I totally agree with you about the grocery store lines and how someone had the not-so-brilliant idea to put things kids would LOVE right in the checkout lane. LAME. This recipe looks AWESOME! It reminds me of the pumpkin cheesecake (it is also in layers) that a friend of mine gave me the recipe to. It’s really yummy! But it doesn’t have toffee pieces in it! And I can totally tell that the toffee pieces would make it even better! 🙂 I think I’ll make this for Thanksgiving dessert this year! :))
Sara, your shopping trips sound exactly like mine! I’ve gotten in line behind someone who then proceeded to whip out their checkbook and it took me back to grocery shopping with my mom when I was 10. Seriously, who does that anymore!? This cheesecake would be a welcomed escape from the craziness! Just wait until Christmas…talk about crazy!
I have to admit that for a month my wallet (with all of my credit and debit cards) was missing (still is actually…) and I had to pay for everything with checks. But I had them filled out and ready before the total rang up and I tried so hard to be fast! I seriously felt so sheepish getting my checkbook out but I had no other option.
THIS is why I love you guys. I made your pumpkin cheesecake last year and it was a big hit. I’m so making this one this year. Toffee and cheesecake = brilliant.
I love the look of the layers in the final picture of this cake… and the extra toffee bits on top ~ brilliant!!
2 great things.. take that 3 in one dessert = 😀
I have to say at first I was a little turned off because my college serves a wannabe version of this using no bake pie stuff when they have leftovers of both..
but by the end you had me hopeful again.
This sounds amazing! Not to mention, what a beautiful slice. I must admit I do like pumpkin pie, but only my grandmother’s recipe. It’s much different than the standard. This I could definitely go for.
If I can find the toffee chips, this will be a star dessert at an early holiday dinner next Friday. It sounds delicious.
I found the toffee chips at a local Associated Foods grocery store in UT (Kohlers).
No kidding about the arrangement of stuff at the check-out – I used to know a guy who designed store layouts for a living, and yes, they do that on purpose. Likewise the pretty colored boxes of sugary cereal at kid-eye level.
About toffee bits – they don’t sell the non-chocolate covered ones here in the east. 🙁 If I want those (and I do) I have to get my mother-in-law in Missouri to send them to me.
Do you need to adjust the temperature @ all if using a dark nonstick pan?
Ha, ha! I loved this post! I definitely love the sinner, hate the sin with couponing! We aren’t pumpkin pie eaters either, but we LOVE your pumpkin cheesecake with the gingersnap crust! I made it for Thanksgiving last year, and my father-in-law even requested that I make it for his birthday this year…which was in June! It was delicious then too! I look forward to trying this one! Thanks for all the great yumminess!
Looks delicious! How could you not like pumpkin pie?! Sigh. It’s what Thanksgiving is all about! …well, and the family thing too… 😉
hahaha, I love this post. 1. The cheesecake looks awesome, and I’m going to try it, but more importantly, 2. I’m pretty sure I’ve said almost verbatim, what you have said about check out lines. I couldn’t agree more.