Preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit/175°Celsius. Spray your cheesecake pan with cooking spray, or grease it with butter, and then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
Whisk together graham cracker crumbs, chopped pecans, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar and salt. Pour in melted butter and mix until all the crumbs are moist and there are no dry spots left.
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs, ½ cup finely chopped pecans, 2 tablespoons sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, pinch salt, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pour the graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of the springform pan. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to evenly press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and slightly up the sides.
Bake for 9-10 minutes, it should be golden brown. Take out of the oven and let it cool. Lower the oven temperature to 325°Fahrenheit/160°Celsius. Make sure there is an oven rack in the middle of the oven, and space at the bottom of the oven free.
Cheesecake Filling
Take out a pan or roasting tin and put the kettle on to boil. This will be for your water bath!
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese with the sugar and light brown sugar on the lowest speed.
½ cup light brown sugar, 32 ounces full fat cream cheese, ½ cup sugar
Add the sour cream, vanilla extract and cinnamon and mix again but on medium speed.
Add the eggs one at a time, stopping and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Make sure to only mix on low speed as we don't want too much air in the batter. Once you have added the final egg, stop the mixer as soon as it is combined.
4 large eggs
Pour the cheesecake batter into the cooled springform pan. Tap on the counter a few times to remove air bubbles.
Take your roasting pan and pour in about 1 inch of boiling water. Carefully place it at the bottom of the oven, then place the cheesecake on the middle rack so it is just above the boiling water! Quickly close the oven door, this will keep trap any steam so your cheesecake can be nice and moist.
Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes-15 minutes. Jiggle the pan and the middle might still be jiggling but the sides should be set.
Turn off the oven and crack it open, I find it useful to place a spoon handle there to keep it open, for 1 hour. After 1 hour, take it out of the oven and let it come to room temperature. Take a small flexible rubber spatula to run it around the edges of the cheesecake to make sure it isn't sticking to the sides. Place the cheesecake in the fridge overnight to chill and set. I do not recommend wrapping the top of the springform pan with plastic wrap as this will cause condensation.
Topping
Preheat your oven to 350°Fahrenheit/175°Celsius. Pour your pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes to roast them, then let them cool.
2 cups pecans
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the heavy cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Stir on medium low until the sugar has melted and it begins to boil. Stop stirring and leave it for 2 minutes (use a timer!). After 2 minutes, turn off the stove. Add the pecans and stir to cover the pecans in the caramel. Let this cool completely.
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup heavy cream, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Take the chilled cheesecake out of the fridge and remove it from the pan. Pour the cooled pecan topping on top and enjoy!
Notes
My recipes have been developed and tested in cups and metric grams. I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way.I make sure that all of my ingredients are at room temperature before I start the recipe, so pull out all of the ingredients before you start baking.Cream Cheese: make sure to use full fat cream cheese in packets. If your cream cheese comes in tubs, pat it down with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.Pecans: Roasting the pecans is optional but it really brings out the flavor! Graham Crackers: feel free to use digestive biscuits instead of graham crackers!Storage: Keep tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 5 days.