Ingredients

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 22 sheets, finely crushed)
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree

Directions

Crust: Put the graham-cracker crumbs in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process to a uniformly fine texture. Add sugar and pulse to combine. With the machine running, pour the melted butter through the feed tube and continue processing just until the mixture forms a soft mass. Remove from the processor and firmly press the mixture into the base of a 9-inch spring-form pan, spreading it evenly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until soft, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the brown sugar and continue beating until thoroughly incorporated and creamy. In a separate small bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Add the flour mixture to the cream cheese mixture and beat together, stopping occasionally to scrape down the bowl. Beat in the sour cream and then, one at a time, the eggs, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and pumpkin and beat until thoroughly combined. Pour the filling into the prepared spring-form pan and place on the center rack of the oven. Bake 1 hour. Test for doneness by gently moving the pan to see if the center of the cheesecake has firmed up. If still slightly fluid, the cheesecake may require up to 20 minutes more baking time. Or, check the cheesecake's internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer, which should register 180 degrees. When it is done, let it cool to room temperature and then refrigerate it overnight before removing the sides of the pan. Cut the cheesecake into wedges with a sharp knife.