Carrot [pumpkin like] Cheesecake

So I was so so curious about this new recipe. I love cheesecake and carrot cake, so why not combine them? I wondered if it would taste like the last piece of cheesecake I ate at the Cheesecake Factory a few months ago that was a bit of heaven combining these two flavors. I felt like this recipe was really good / New York cheesy style, but has all the spices included that give it a hint of pumpkin flavoring. It reminded my sister Mary Beth of Nielson's frozen custard pumpkin yogurt in cheesecake form. [which is delicious]

I thought it was a good alternative to plain cheesecake - but Tyson's raspberry swirled cheesecake top is still my #1. I think this would be best in the Fall due to the spices involved. If you have another carrot/cheesecake combined cheesecake recipe I'd love to compare so send my way. Perhaps Lizzy, living in CHeeSecake lAnd will come across some more winners!

Carrot Cheesecake with Marzipan Carrots (Martha Stewart Living, April ’09 pg. 174) [did not add the marzipan carrots]

CRUST:

2 ounces (1/2 cup) toasted pecans
8 graham crackers, finely ground (1 cup)
2 ounces (4 Tb.) unsalted butter, melted
3 Tablespoons Sugar
¼ teaspoon salt

For the Cheesecake:
½ ounce (1 Tb.) unsalted butter

2 medium carrots, peeled, finely grated

1.5 cups sugar
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese,
Softened
4 large eggs, room temperature
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
¼ teaspoon salt

1.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Make the crust: preheat oven to 350. Pulse pecans in a food processor until finely ground. Place in a medium bowl with graham crackers, and stir in butter, sugar, and salt.

2. Wrap outside and bottom of a 9 inch springform pan in 2 layers of foil. Press crumb mixture firmly into bottom of pan. Bake until golden brown around edges and firm, about 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325.

3. Make the cheesecake: Melt butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add carrots and ½ cup sugar, and cook, stirring often, until carrots are soft, 3-4 minutes. Transfer with pan juices to a bowl, and let cool.

4. Beat cream cheese and remaining cup sugar with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add carrots and pan juices, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and vanilla, and beat until incorporated. Pour into crust.

5. Set springform pan in a large roasting pan. Fill roasting pan with enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake cheesecake until set but slightly wobbly in center, 80-90 min.

6). Transfer pan to rack, remove foil, let cool, refrigerate overnight uncovered at least 6 hours. Run knife around edges to loosen, remove sides of the pan, decorate with marzipan carrots before serving.