Wednesday, Oct. 21, marks National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day, giving us the perfect reason to indulge in quintessential autumnal flavors regardless of the forecast.

To celebrate, we’ve put a rich, flavor-packed twist on the standard fall dessert by infusing a velvety pumpkin filling with aromatic chai spices and layering it over a crisp gingersnap crust, all topped off with a warm salted maple drizzle.

Chai-spiced pumpkin cheesecake with salted maple drizzle

Prep time: 25 mins | Bake time: 1 hr 15 mins | Chill time: 4 hrs | Yield: 8–10 servings

Ingredients

For the gingersnap crust:

• 1 ½ cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• Pinch of sea salt

For the chai pumpkin cheesecake:

• 24 oz (3 blocks) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper (the secret twist for extra warmth!)

For the salted maple drizzle:

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• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• ½ tsp flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Prep the oven and pan: Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
2. Make the crust: Combine gingersnap crumbs, brown sugar, melted butter and salt in a bowl. Press firmly into the bottom of the springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
3. Make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and sugar together until completely smooth and creamy. Mix in the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and all the chai spices (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves and black pepper) until combined.
4. Add eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time on low speed, mixing just until blended. Pour the filling over the prepared crust.
5. Bake: Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until the edges are set but the center still slightly jiggles. Turn off the oven, crack the door slightly, and let the cheesecake sit inside for 1 hour to prevent cracking.
6. Chill: Remove from the oven and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (or overnight).
7. Make the maple drizzle & serve: Right before serving, heat the maple syrup and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in the flaky sea salt. Drizzle the warm maple glaze over chilled slices of cheesecake and enjoy!