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Hi Reader!

Happy pumpkin cheesecake season to all who celebrate!

I've been perfecting this cheesecake for almost two decades—making it every Thanksgiving, even back when we lived in Beijing!

• It has a firm, flavorful graham cracker crust.
• A creamy, dreamy pumpkin cheesecake filling.
• My favorite dark brown sugar caramel sauce drizzled over the top.
• Bonus: It can be made completely ahead of time (LOVE), making it the perfect stress-free holiday dessert!

Why I Ditched the Water Bath
(And Made It Foolproof)

This cheesecake has gone through several iterations over the years. It used to have a water bath that I nixed it for several reason. The most important being that I had several really nice cheesecake pans that weren't completely airtight and ended up with a soggy crust. The fury.

The second reason the recipe has been updated is because some of you had a hard time with the cheesecake setting. So, I reworked the cheesecake addressing these two pain points and I'm happy to report, she's fabulous. All of the same flavors and it's basically foolproof.

Last year someone reached out that they preferred the previous version so I decided that I would test the pervious version to the current one. I gathered some pumpkin cheesecake testers and had them weigh in on both cheesecakes: the new version won hands down!

Don't miss my favorite cheesecake tips on this post, they work for all cheesecake recipes!

For THANKSGIVING PLANNING, also check out my favorite Five-Spice Cranberry Sauce (the recipe that started DH!), Easy Cheesy Dinner Rolls, Cranberry Coffee Cake, my go-to Whipped Cream and you can find all of the Thanksgiving Recipes here!

I've been loving these three holiday candles:

• I bought my mom and I this Williams-Sonoma candle that smells just like my uncle's nursery used to smell around the holidays (any Palos Verdes, CA readers that remember Rolling Hills Garden Nursery!?).
• I bought Quince's Dark Pomegranate Candle and it smells just like Jo Malone's Pomegranate Noir perfume that I used to wear when we were living in Beijing. I love this candle so much I just bought three more (you get a discount if you buy more than one!!).
• Lastly, I succumbed to the fake Christmas tree life during the pandemic and I'm still living it...and not hating it tbh. But I do miss the smell of a fresh-cut tree. As I was replacing the burnt out lights on my fake tree the other night (and enjoying one-too-many martinis ;) ), I was burning this Quince Balsam Fir Candle and decided that it perfectly makes up for the lack of evergreen in the living room.

Ok, that's it for now. Wishing you a fabulous week!

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​ "Following up on her acclaimed debut, The Cookie Book, writer, photographer, and recipe developer Rebecca Firth tackles cake in her new book. You may have trouble picking which recipe to start with: Chocolate Stout Cake with Champagne Buttercream or a tart, sticky Glazed Tangerine Donut Cake?” ― Epicurious, 25 New Baking Books for Cozy Fall Treats THE CAKE BOOK

​ "Writer, photographer and queen of cookies, Rebecca Firth teases my sweet tooth and I am not mad about it. Love following her and her tempting creations and can't wait to see what she comes up with next." ―Tiffani Thiessen, actress and author of Pull Up a Chair ​ ― Food & Wine, Best Baking Cookbooks to Own Right Now THE COOKIE BOOK