Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Combine the crust ingredients and press into bottom and sides of pan.
Bake for 10 minutes and then allow pan to cool at room temperature.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Line the outside of springform pan with aluminum foil and tie crock pot liner around pan.
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar and flour together until combined.
Add pumpkin, sour cream, vanilla extract and spices and mix until combined.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until after each addition.
Pour mixture into crust. Place springform inside a larger pan. Fill the larger pan with warm water to go about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Do not fill past the aluminum foil or water will get into the cheesecake.
Bake for 1 hour 40 minutes.
Turn off heat and leave cheesecake in oven with door closed for 30 minutes.
Open oven door slightly and leave cheesecake in oven for 20 minutes.
Remove cheesecake from the oven and chill in refrigerator overnight.
Whipped Cream
Whip heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks; chill until ready to use.
To Assemble
Remove cheesecake from the refrigerator. Remove cheesecake from springform pan and place on serving tray.
Decorate with whipped cream. I used an Ateco 827 tip.
Chill cheesecake until ready to serve. Leftovers will keep for 5 days, refrigerated.
Notes
When lining the springform pan with parchment paper, make the parchment paper a bit bigger than the base of the springform pan. Push the lid down and clasp it shut. The overhang of parchment paper will make it easy to lift the cheesecake out.
Make sure you use brick style cream cheese, not the spreadable version.
Bring all your ingredients to room temperature before beginning. Room temperature ingredients will mix together quicker so you don't risk over mixing. Also mixing cold ingredients together would result in a chunky cheesecake batter. We want a smooth cheesecake.