Pumpkin cheesecake with marshmallow-sour cream topping and gingersnap crust

I find it an interesting culinary exercise to explore pumpkin pie and its variants because you're really dealing with the same set of flavours (pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice) but in a variety of different formats. It is a fun way of comparing how a given flavour set fares when presented in different textures and with different accoutrement. Fun!

Recipe

from Bon Appétit DessertsCrust2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs1 cup pecans¼ cup packed golden brown sugar2 tbsp chopped crystallized ginger¼ cup unsalted butter, meltedFilling4 8-oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature2 cups sugar1 15-oz can pure pumpkin5 large eggs3 tbsp unbleached all purpose flour1 tsp ground cinnamon½ tsp ground ginger¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg¼ tsp ground allspice¼ tsp salt2 tbsp vanilla extractTopping2 cups mini marshmallows¼ cup whole milk1 tsp vanilla extract⅛ tsp salt1 cup sour creamTo make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease or spray with nonstick spray a 9" diameter springform pan with 2-¾" high sides. Blend cookie crumbs, pecans, brown sugar and ginger in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add melted butter, using on/off turns, process until crumbs stick together. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and 2" up sides of prepared pan. Bake crust until set and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.For the filling, preheat oven to 350 F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in pumpkin. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on low speed to blend after each addition and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Add flour, spices, and salt; beat just to blend. Beat in vanilla. Transfer filling to cooled crust. Bake cake until edges begin to crack and filling is just set in center (filling will move only slightly in center when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool 1 hour. Cut around pan sides to loosen cake; chill uncovered in cake pan overnight.To make the topping, stir marshmallows and milk in large saucepan over low heat until marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and salt.  Cool marshmallow mixture to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Fold sour cream into mixture. Pour topping over cheesecake and spread evenly, leaving ½" plain border around edges. Chill to set topping, at least 1 hour.

Musings

A few notes on preparation: We didn't have whole milk, so we used mostly heavy cream cut with a bit of skim milk. During baking, the cheesecake cracked quite a bit and raised somewhat, but as it cooled, it largely deflated and fit together again (plus the topping covers all manner of sins).At first bite, it really does taste like a classic pumpkin pie in cheesecake format--it has that same beloved suite of flavours but was also, not surprisingly, incredibly rich and creamy. The marshmallow topping added a nice sweetness to the earthy fall flavours of the filling, though D noted that the sweetness could come down a notch (perhaps 1-½ cups of marhsmallows instead of 2 cups next time). I'm not sure if I'm entirely sold on the flavour of gingersnap cookies generally, and I could see trying this with a graham cracker crust as well. All in all, an interesting addition to the pumping pie repertoire!