Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake -- The Sweetness Waiting at the End of a Long November Week

First week of November. The clocks fell back Sunday. Five PM looked like seven PM. The week was dark by the time I drove home from the food bank, and I was reminded again why I have always preferred summer in Hartford even though my body is built for the tropics. The light leaving early is the worst part.

Tuesday food bank: pumpkin sancocho again because Mr. Patterson had asked for it. I made it bigger this time — sixty servings — because Brian said the line had grown. New shelter clients. New unemployed. Hartford in November. I added more pumpkin to the pot and a second leg of pork. The line came through.

Wednesday La Cocina cohort 2 final class. Eight weeks done. Same graduation feast. Hector cooked the pernil. He had practiced four times at home. The pernil was excellent. I told him so. I said, "Hector, this is your pernil now." He hugged me. He had not hugged me before. I let him.

Thursday Mami's 88th birthday is next Wednesday. The pasteles in the freezer are ready. The flan we will make Tuesday. The family is coming Wednesday — the whole family, plus Ana, and Sofía will bring Alex if she wants, which she has not committed to yet. Mami had said yes to Alex meeting her if Sofía wanted. Sofía was thinking about it.

Friday I sat with Mami for two hours. We talked about her birthday. She wanted very little. She wanted pasteles. She wanted flan. She wanted music. I had a small Bluetooth speaker I would bring from home. She wanted me to play the same tape from her wedding — well, she wanted me to play the music that was on the tape, which was actually a series of boleros from the early 1960s I had digitized in 2018. She wanted them. She wanted to hear them.

Saturday I ran errands. Sunday dinner: family. I made a small pernil. Lucas asked for pasteles. I told him pasteles were for Mami's birthday. He said, "Abuela, can I have pasteles too?" I said, "Mijo, of course. There are extra." He said, "Abuela, when?" I said, "Mijo, Wednesday. Mami's birthday." He nodded. He could wait. He is six and a half. Wepa.

Pumpkin had been with me all week — in the big pot at the food bank, sixty servings deep, keeping people warm — and somehow I wasn’t done with it yet. With Mami’s birthday coming and the flan already spoken for, I wanted something layered and a little indulgent to have on the table for the rest of us: something that honored the heaviness of the week and still felt like a celebration. This Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake is exactly that — dark and spiced and rich, with a little bourbon in the whipped cream if you want it, which on a November week like this one, you probably do.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake (with an Optional Bourbon Whipped Cream Topping)

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes (plus chilling) | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• For the crust:
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 10 full sheets)
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• For the chocolate layer:
• 4 oz semisweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the pumpkin layer:
• 16 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• For the optional bourbon whipped cream:
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Prepare the crust. Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine chocolate graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl and stir until evenly moistened. Press firmly into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool slightly.
2. Make the chocolate layer. Beat 8 oz softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup sugar together until smooth. Add the melted chocolate, egg, and vanilla and beat until fully combined. Pour over the prepared crust and spread into an even layer.
3. Make the pumpkin layer. Beat 16 oz softened cream cheese and brown sugar together until light and smooth. Mix in the pumpkin puree, then add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt, and mix until just combined. Gently pour and spread the pumpkin layer over the chocolate layer.
4. Bake the cheesecake. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325°F for 55–65 minutes, until the edges are set and the center jiggles only slightly when gently shaken. Turn off the oven, crack the door, and let the cheesecake cool inside for 1 hour to reduce cracking.
5. Chill completely. Remove from the oven and run a thin knife around the edge of the pan. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
6. Make the bourbon whipped cream (optional). Using a chilled bowl and beaters, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar together on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add the bourbon (if using) and vanilla and whip to medium-stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
7. Serve. Remove the springform ring. Slice the chilled cheesecake with a clean, warm knife, wiping between cuts. Top each slice with a dollop of bourbon whipped cream if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 430 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 30g | Carbs: 35g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 280mg