So, I’m deep in my Friendsgiving planning for this weekend and I think I finally understand — and really, it’s about time, Deb — why Thanksgiving is so daunting, even for people who like to cook: it’s the volume.
I mean, maybe you come from a small family and your Thanksgiving dinner is for 4 or 6 people. That sounds lovely. It’s still a lot of cooking but I bet your one year-old at least weighs less than your bird. (Not to self: photo op!) 20 people or more is completely the norm at our family gatherings and we’re having 16 friends this weekend in our I-won’t-even-tell-you-the-square-footage apartment because you’ll either start clucking your tongue in a completely undeserved pity party (woe is us, we live in Manhattan, said nobody you should be friends with, ever) or start sending us house listings in Montclair (coughgrandma). I’m looking at the yield on my usual recipes and then trying to multiply them by three and write a grocery list and it’s basically like: All The Butter Ever Made + A Gallon or Two Of Stock + then I burst into tears, text my husband the list and he schleps everything, in case you were ever wondering who the actual beauty/brains behind this operation actually is.
Last week I established myself as Team Casserole when it comes to the planning of Thanksgiving sides. This week, let me also reiterate my longstanding membership in the Slab Pie Charter. Slab pies — basically, any pie you love, just about doubled and stretched into a jellyroll pan — are pie for dozen (er, a dozen and a half) and there’s nothing not to love about that. Because the filling is thinner and less weighty, I find par-baking of the bottom crusts unnecessary (praise-hands emoji) and also they bake in half to 2/3 of the time. They also are easier to store; I have this one in the freezer as we speak.
This year’s centerpiece pie is 80% pumpkin and 20% cheesecake. (Would you like the reverse, I think this cake is just for you.) It’s as easy as… cake (gotcha) (okay, I’m sorry, that was inexcusable) but it really is very simple. We’re using more or less my go-to filling these days and marbling in some sweetened cream cheese batter. If you’d like a higher proportion of cheesecake to pumpkin, you can double it. The slices you see in photos are 1/15 but my pan was slightly smaller this time and given that there’s probably more than one dessert at your table, you’re going to be much happier with 1/18. You’re also more likely to have one to two squares left the next morning, which means you’ll get to celebrate my next favorite holiday: National Pie For Breakfast Day. Wait, this isn’t a thing yet? Let’s fix it.
Previously
One year ago: Date, Feta and Red Cabbage Salad and Pecan Pie
Two years ago: Pickled Cabbage Salad and Pretzel Parker House Rolls
Three years ago: Cranberry Orange Breakfast Buns
Four years ago: Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Five years ago: Baked Pumpkin and Sour Cream Puddings
Six years ago: Sweet Potatoes with Pecans and Goat Cheese
Seven years ago: Raisin-Studded Apple Bread Pudding and Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Gratin
Eight years ago: Cottage Cheese Pancakes, Cauliflower Salad with Green Olives and Capers and Onion Tart with Mustard and Fennel
Nine years ago: Roasted Stuffed Onions, Simplest Apple Tart and Black Bean Pumpkin Soup
Ten! years ago: Indian-Spiced Vegetable Fritters, Dreamy Cream Scones and Chocolate Stout Cake
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Confetti Cookies
1.5 Years Ago: Mushrooms with Greens and Toast and Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake
2.5 Years Ago: Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Bars and Five Egg Sandwiches
3.5 Years Ago: Japanese Vegetable Pancakes
4.5 Years Ago: Chocolate Buckwheat Cake
Cheesecake-Marbled Pumpkin Slab Pie
My pan was slightly smaller this year (my correctly-sized 10×15 was being held hostage by another slab pie), about an inch shy all around. I baked the extra filling as noted above and made the extra dough into pie dough cookies. It means that my 1 /15-sized slices are smaller than your will be; I think most of us would prefer 1/18 of the regular-sized slab pie, especially with other desserts to try.
Finally, in a classic Do As Deb Says But Not As She Does, I forgot to mix the cream into my cream cheese batter, leaving it a bit thick. It still marbles, but requires more toothpick work to divide and swirl the islands and leaves them a little raised. (I’m sure everyone will object and refuse to eat it now.) Your cream cheese batter should give you less guff.
- 2 1/2 cups (315 grams) flour
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) table salt
- 2 sticks (8 ounces, 225 grams tablespoons or 1 cup) unsalted butter, very cold
- 3 1/2 cups pumpkin puree, from 2 15-ounce (425 gram) cans or homemade
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) fine sea or table salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- A few gratings of fresh nutmeg (or a pinch of ground nutmeg)
- 2 1/2 cups cold heavy cream, light cream or a combination of cream and milk
- 6 large eggs
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons heavy or light cream
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crust
Pumpkin Filling
Cheesecake
Make the pie dough:
- By hand, with my one-bowl method: In the bottom of a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Work the butter into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles a coarse meal and the largest bits of butter are the size of tiny peas. (Some people like to do this by freezing the stick of butter and coarsely grating it into the flour, but I haven’t found the results as flaky.) Add 1/2 cup cold water and stir with a spoon or flexible silicone spatula until large clumps form. Use your hands to knead the dough together, right in the bottom of the bowl. If necessary to bring the dough together, you can add the last tablespoon of water.
- With a food processor: In the work bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add butter and pulse machine until mixture resembles a coarse meal and the largest bits of butter are the size of tiny peas. Turn mixture out into mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup cold water and stir with a spoon or flexible silicone spatula until large clumps form. Use your hands to knead the dough together, right in the bottom of the bowl. If necessary to bring the dough together, you can add the last tablespoon of water.
- Both methods: Wrap dough in a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to 48 hours, or you can quick-firm this in the freezer for 15 minutes. Longer than 2 days, it’s best to freeze it until needed.
Get ready to bake the pie: Heat oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a 10×15-inch jellyroll pan with a fitted rectangle of parchment paper.
Form the crust: On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 13-by-18-inch rectangle (i.e. 3 inches bigger than your pan). Do your best to work quickly, keeping the dough as cold as possible (and tossing it in the freezer for a couple minutes if it softens too quickly) and using enough flour that it doesn’t stick to the counter.
Fold dough gently in half without creasing and transfer to prepared pan. Unfold dough and trim overhang to about 1/2-inch. Fold overhang under edge of pie crust and crimp decoratively. Return pan to fridge until ready to fill.
Make pumpkin filling: Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt and spices in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a sputtering simmer and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Scoop cooked pumpkin filling into bowl, and whisk in cold cream until smooth. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Pour filling into prepared pie crust.
Marble cheesecake: Whisk cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, cream and vanilla in a bowl until smooth. Dollop all over pumpkin batter and use a toothpick or chopstick to swirl decoratively in figure-8s, being very very careful not to drag the point of the toothpick/chopstick into the bottom crust, forming holes.
Bake pie: For 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F (175°C) and bake for another 15 minutes, until only the center barely jiggles and a toothpick inserted into it comes out pumpkin-free. (Damp is fine, but the toothpick shouldn’t have loose pumpkin batter on it.)
Let cool then chill in fridge until serving.
That pie looks incredible. I have to admit that I’m firmly on team…buy a frozen crust. Eeeek! I think I have a mental block or something. Crusts intimidate me.
I used to be team frozen crust, and I wouldn’t eat the crust part of my pies. Last year I took the plunge with Deb’s pie dough recipe and her pie dough 101 tutorial for guidance, and it turned out so amazingly well that I will never look back! I actually love the flavor and texture of my homemade pie crusts now! Be brave!
When I use a frozen crust I use Trader Joe’s. They are made with real butter and are big enough for a 10 inch pie. They are the only ones I’ve found that taste homemade.
I have never found a Trader Joe’s pie crust that didn’t crack when rolled out. Rather than deal with that, I have returned to the terror of making my own pie crust (actually making more than one so when I inevitably ruin the first, I have one 1 in reserve).
I have found that frozen or refrigerated crusts can be unrolled without cracking if they are first warmed in the microwave, maybe 10 or 20 seconds. Still not as good as a real homemade crust, but so much less work, sometimes its worth the tradeoff. Many thanks, Deb, and love to your little ones.
Ha! I’m on team crumb crust or bust…because really was a pie ever ruined by a crumb crust? Proves it’s homemade pumpkin pie, you won’t find one like that at the store!
The frozen pie crusts that come with a pie pan are the only other way to go, pie dough hates me.
i’m sure this will offend someone somewhere, but…i use either or. last year, i used a frozen pillsbury crust (the kind you unroll) because i happened to have one in the freezer. this year, i made deb’s recipe because i had flour, butter, and water. honestly, neither was really any more difficult than the other (and i am not a dough person!) and (here’s where someone will get upset i’m sure) i really don’t notice much of a difference in taste. yes, homemade is flakier, and it’s super satisfying making something from scratch (for me, anyway), and it’s usually easier (always have the ingredients, and takes no time in a food processor vs. going anywhere near a grocery store around t-day)…but, under all that delicious filling, i just don’t notice any crust that much. it tastes like pie crust. /shrug
I 7th this notion! I’m an avid baker and was always so scared of crust. I caved And tried deb’s butter crust and I haven‘t looked back. I domt have A working food processor and do it easily by hand every time.
I know this is titled Slab Pie, but could this be adapted to a different kind of pan—maybe a 13 x 9, or an 8” square?
You can do it in a 9×13 and it will be deeper and take longer to cook but it will work. For an 8×8, I’d halve it.
looks LOVELY! And that red hair… I’m making your apple pie cookies for T-giving
This looks and sounds great. Love your spice jars…where did you find them?
Right here. They’re a little fiddly but I like that you can get them really clean in the dishwasher, removing the plastic ring that seals them under the lid.
Oops, it says to fold the dough in half and put in a 9 inch pie plate! May want to fix that. Apparently my proofreading skills still come in handy!
Oops, now fixed. Thank you.
We had Friendsgiving in the first weekend of November, and I because I made two pumpkin pies forgetting that I was hardly the only one bringing dessert, I celebrated Pie for Breakfast WEEK. And it was glorious.
My 10×15 is currently being held hostage as a catfood tray (don’t ask), but I think I’ll just take the opportunity to buy another one or two. That’s Midwest-living storage privilege, though, I grant.
I think you mean transfer dough to jelly roll pan, not a 9″ pie pan.
Anyway, it looks delish!
Can we start a petition to make “Pie for Breakfast Day” a national holiday? I’ve never made a slab pie, but now I have to. This looks so tasty and easy- and my husband will be hella mad at me if he ever hears I came across a recipe that combines two of his favorites and didn’t make it.
Pie for Breakfast Day is *totally* a thing. We also have Ice Cream for Breakfast Week after Easter — because after Lent the kids have to catch up on sweets or they might not grow up properly.
Yes, I’m sorry, but I’d like the correct dimension of the pan please! if not 10×12 the what? Thanks!!
oh, never mind. 10×15. I clearly can’t read.
Yum! So, you can freeze this after you. Are it and then thaw to serve? Because that would be a thanksgiving game changer.
That’s my plan. I’ll defrost it in the fridge for a day before.
Please let us know how it goes. I love anything I can make ahead and freeze. Your Mile High Apple Pie is on our list for this year for sure, although I’m just making it a day ahead. If this is anything as good as the pumpkin cream cheese tart in your cookbook, I’m in. Thanks for being a source of inspiration and deliciousness! I’m looking forward to your new book coming out!
Pie for Breakfast Day is absolutely a thing! And so much better than the whole black Friday silliness.
Deb, My children adore you for many reasons, not the least of which is because you introduced us to National Pie For Breakfast Day a few years ago. This has become an annual tradition in our home and they look forward to it with much delight. And this slab pie — well, you just made all my husband’s Thanksgiving dreams come true. :)
How deep is a jelly roll pan? Trying to figure out if my 1/2 sheet pan would work or if it would be too shallow?
Half sheets are too big. They’re usually 13×18. You could scale this by 1 1/2 to fill it.
Alternately, how would you recommend scaling for a 1/4 sheet pan? We have one of those quaint 6 person Thanksgivings, and I already have my heart set on a caramel apple pie, but this looks too good to pass up. Either way more pie for me!
Quaint 6 here too :) I am going to just make half the cheesecake mixture and marble the regular pumpkin pie that Deb has on the site. The one with the praline sauce. But minus the sauce. I see no reason to make it rectangular unless you need the huge amount. This will be one of two desserts for us…
Do you think you could double the cheesecake mixture, keep the pumpkin the same, and have it fill a half sheet?
I used a half sheet pan and very roughly 1.5x the recipe as suggested- came out PERFECT. Even had a smidge extra dough and filling for my kiddo to make her own 6″ “kids pie” (sprinkles added).
This is the most excellent filling-to-crust ratio that was always missing for me in a standard round pumpkin pie <3.
I also roasted my own giant pumpkin from the garden (NOT a pie pumpkin) and worried it wouldn't be sweet enough- TOTALLY fine. I did however let the puréed fresh pumpkin sit overnight in cheesecloth in the fridge to let some liquid out (yielded a PINT!).
Great recipe! :)
This looks gorgeous. A colleague once brought in a pumpkin cheesecake that was divine and when I badgered him for the recipe he admitted he had made it up. Or else he was lying and just didn’t want to give it to me. Anyway you REALLY got me on the rectangular pie concept. So much easier with a crowd than trying to cut wedges of a circle(s).
I’m pretty much obsessed with (a) Thanksgiving and (b) menu planning and grocery list making, so this making my day!
Unsolicited advice isn’t great, I know, but a few things that worked for me when planning Thanksgiving is to make a list of ingredients and then have a tally mark every time they are used. Or else it says “chicken stock x 2” but the 2 is crossed out a bunch, ha. Also, now I use my lists from previous years as a guide. The first year is the hardest, I think.
I love pumpkin pie and cheesecake, but I’m always disappointed by pumpkin cheesecake recipes that I’ve tried. This marbled version of the two looks perfect, but I admit I’m a sucker for a traditional round pie. Do you think this recipe could be halved for a pie pan, or split between two pie pans?
I love the way this looks! I think it’s really pretty, and I love that you made the dough yourself. That must’ve been so tasty!
Deb
Your pumpkin pie recipe is the only one I use anymore. I tell everyone it’s the best I have eaten. This looks great! Happy Thanksgiving.
Do you think I could successfully use baked sweet potatoes in your regular round pie version? I love sweet potato pie even more.
Thanks!
Absolutely. They can be a little thicker, so don’t cook the puree.
Consider using a Kabocha pumpkin (squash) – it is so dense and sweet without being too dry (quarter, seed, steam w/peel on, then scoop out flesh with spoon). So heavenly over canned or even yams, imo!
I am curious – why do you cook the canned pumpkin before adding the cream and eggs?
I’ve seen that in Cook’s Illustrated. I believe it’s to improve the flavor (I think it tastes less tinny that way, don’t recall why). I think another SK recipe does this, maybe based on that article — might want to check out the archives.
It was to reduce liquid and slightly caramelize the pumpkin – at least that was the explanation on America’s Test Kitchen.
As others said, it helps remove the watery-ness, yielding a thicker, creamier pie. You can skip it but it’s so quick and I then use the pot as a mixing bowl, it’s little extra trouble.
This looks great. I’ve been making a similar recipe in a 9 inch pie pan and would love to make it ahead and freeze it. From what I’ve researched on the internet, pumpkin pies don’t freeze well because it’s a custard and can be runny/soupy after defrosting. Please let us know how the freezing turns out for you.
No idea where I went wrong here… the pumpkin mixture came out extremely liquid and wouldn’t set… I couldn’t marble anything because it was just watery. It looks so different on the pictures too, I feel like I could’ve done with half the cream?
Yep, the volume. Also, why do we have a big meal holiday on a *Thursday*? How about a Monday or Tuesday, with lots of time over the weekend to prepare / cook?
Last year I discovered a melted butter tart crust to pat into the pan. It might not be flaky, but it’s sure easy and tasty.
I actually cook and prep on Thursday, and we eat a relaxed dinner on Saturday.
Deb, what do you think about adding pecans and/or marshmallows/marshmallow fluff? Perhaps substituting a creamy marshmallow situation for the cheese cake? It sounds good in my head (I think?), but I’m not sure how it would work…
I haven’t baked with fluff before so I’m not positive if it would work here. Pecans, absolutely, or you could scatter the top with toasted ones at the end.
Sounds good. I’ll give the pecans a try. Thank you!!
Ok, I love the concept of this recipe, but I have never, ever made a pie crust and kind of refuse to try, due to the very smallness of my countertop. So, with that cat out of the bag, is there even any other type of “crust” I can use to make this that doesn’t require rolling out dough, and could possibly fit into a pan like a 9×13? You see, my kitchen is less than half the size of Deb’s (yes, another Manhattanite and my fridge doesn’t even fit in it!) and my oven is already packed with other pans, etc. If I should just move onto a different recipe, be honest!
I make a ginger snap crust for my pumpkin pie. I’m sure it would be good for this too. Melted butter, crushed gingersnap cookies some chopped toasted pecans. I’d give you the amounts, but it’s for a regular round pie. Just mix it in the dish and add enough melted butter so it sticks together but doesn’t pool and bake for 5 min at 350.
I bake pumpkin pie filling often in a buttered or nonstick-sprayed baking dish. You can scoop it cold into dishes, or even serve it warm with vanilla ice cream. I feel that a side of gingersnaps is not optional.
Last night I made Ina Garten’s pecan bars for a work potluck today. They are of this ilk (though the dough just presses in without rolling, hallelujah). They were out of this world and can likewise be made ahead.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/pecan-squares-recipe.html
Funny, that’s one of the first recipes I made here. They’re fantastic.
Hi Deb! Do you think the pumpkin/cheesecake recipe would halve proportionately well? There’s only two of us with not much room for a sheet pan.
Just make a standard pie (this is my go-to, the recipe is very close to this) and marble the cheesecake part in. You can halve the cheesecake portion here (but the whole yolk is fine).
Excellent call, thank you!
Okay, so I think this is exactly what I am looking for EXCEPT I really don’t need a slab as I am in the 6 guest camp. So would you say that half the recipe would make a regular sized pie? The filling is easy enough to size down and I would just make the whole pastry recipe and freeze some.
We are not huge dessert eaters and there will be a second dessert. I made your pumpkin cheesecake recipe and it was delicious but had 3/4 leftover!
That’s my plan. I will half it and make it as a regular pie.
Just make a standard pie (this is my go-to, the recipe is very close to this) and marble the cheesecake part in. You can halve the cheesecake portion here (but the whole yolk is fine).
National Pie for Breakfast Day is otherwise known as March 14. It’s Pi Day, and whenever possible, we have pie for all 3 meals that day!
Looks good. I am hoping the weather will get cold soon, so I have my extra “fridge” outside!
Does the onus fall on you to host the holidays because you’re the food authority in the family?
LOL. I should clarify: We always have Thanksgiving with cousins. We actually usually split the day between both of our families, and each feast is upwards of 20 people. I’m almost always in charge of desserts, or a few of them, I can’t imagine why. For this weekend, we just thought it would be fun to have a pre-Thanksgiving for friends, thus I’m now making everything I haven’t outsourced to friends. I thought it would be good practice; it’s about time I learned how to make a turkey! Plus, my friends are all terribly behaved and I think it will be fun.
Your humor is on point today ;)
Pie looks amazing.
Here’s a funny question:
We are not pumpkin people. I know that’s is a un-American thing to say in November, but we just aren’t. Do you think this would work with apple sauce instead? Maybe partially strained, for thicker texture?
Are you opposed to butternut squash and sweet potato too? They make good swaps. For apples… funny, I was just thinking yesterday about pears. I feel like it could work but might not taste very apple-y. For apples, go for a thick puree, thicker than most sauces.
This is so pretty and festive! What’s the best way to freeze it? Also, is it possible to freeze your apple slab pie? I was planning on making that for Thanksgiving, too, and would love to have 2 pies done in advance! Thanks Deb! Happy Friendsgiving!
I have frozen both. Like most frozen things, I try to defrost them for a day in the fridge before leaving them out at room temperature. (Although prefer pumpkin pie cold.)
It looks so delicious.
I’m hosting Thanksgiving for my American friends here in Spain and I think a slab pie will be perfect. Anything marbled wins my heart because I’m super shallow, I guess?
I can’t with your daughter’s hair, Deb, I can’t. I think I’d stare at it all day and not get anything done.
Can you make this the day before and not freeze? Just leave out wrapped on counter? I need to serve a bunch of people, but my tiny freezer won’t hold this size sheet.
You can make this a few days before and keep it in the fridge but I don’t think it will keep well at room temperature because it’s basically a custard.
I have a recipe for a pumpkin cheesecake from my Aunt Fran that was a huge favorite years ago–the top was a sour cream layer. For several years we have been traveling to other parts of the country for T-Day, so that is out, but I am definitely on Team Pie for Breakfast. My sister and niece are Team Leftover Stuffing for Breakfast. It takes all kinds, right?
I think your pie/cake/cheesecake looks amazing. I can’t imagine that many people in one little apartment. Do you all sit and eat at one time? Where do you find a table big enough? I am fretting getting 11 around our small table. Do you think eating in shifts would be terrible? Just give second shift plenty to drink? By the way, in case I want to escape, what did you say your address is?
Hehe. We’ve had big groups before but our old apartment, though slightly smaller, was better suited to adding on a folding bridge table or two (do people still call them bridge tables?). Our current table seats for but stretches to 10, although 12 can often work, however, we found when having birthday parties for each kid at home in the last few months it works best to push the table to the side and go buffet-style, arranging chairs around the room, which is then a lot more roomy-feeling. We have those folding wooden Ikea chairs and shove them under and behind the sofa the rest of the time.
they’ll always be called card tables in our family =)
When I first moved to NY I had a 600 sq ft apt which in the greater scheme of things seemed huge. I made Canadian Thanksgiving and had 17 to dinner. It was easily 80 degrees that weekend and 20 more in my apt. No air, no cross breeze. And we had the best time ever. The space doesn’t matter just dear friends and great food.
I just wanted to say that, in spite of being English and not only not doing Thanksgiving but also baulking at pumpkin pie, I *still* love to read your posts and recipes as they make me feel happier. Which is not easily done these days, but you manage it. Thank you Deb!
And a very happy and hugely enjoyable Thanksgiving (+ variations) to all you North Americans!
I can’t even tell you how much I love you….
How would you recommend cutting the recipe for a 9″ round? I really want to make this, but can’t invest in anymore pans right now!
I second this question please!
Hi Deb,
I’m planning on making this for my family’s Thanksgiving next week, but thought I’d change it up and do a graham cracker crust instead – kind of make it more of a pumpkin pie cheesecake than a cheesecake pumpkin pie. Do you think that would work? If so, would the cooking time/temp need to be significantly adjusted?
Looking forward to another hit with the family. Your pie crust recipe is a staple for me, and the magic plum-apple cobbler was a hit over Rosh Hashanah!
This looks so delicious! My mouth is just watering as I’m reading it!
I think pumpkin pie is delicious for breakfast! Its a veggie!
Not a pumpkin pie fan but anything cheesecake-marbled is addictive and worth a try. (I always keep a stash of those brownies in the freezer, they were a hit in the hospital and frankly with 6 month old twins they are simply life / sanity savers). Nicole xxx
We TOTALLY celebrate “Pie for Breakfast Day” at our house. It’s basically a quiche (eggs, milk, vegetable…..yep – totally quiche!!) This one EVEN has cheese in it (could it BE more like quiche?!). And if you happen to have some extra ramekins of pumpkin pie filling that you baked to avoid overflow -well, they’re just vegetable egg bake then, aren’t they?!
We also celebrate “Strawberry Shortcake” for breakfast (biscuits, fruit = just add a side of bacon – ha!) and “Fruit Crisp for Breakfast” (fruit, oatmeal). So yeah….. we’re onboard, as you can see.
Yes, you are correct, it IS the volume. I have a 40+ person thanksgiving and it’s never exactly lovely. Your site has been buoying me through it since I graduated college almost a decade ago and was suddenly obligated to contribute. I often make a massive quantity of your pumpkin pudding with sour cream topping in one of those giant disposable aluminum pans but somehow I always end up eating half of it.
Thank you for saying something the other day, after election. A lot of people didn’t and even though I get why, if it’s your livelihood, it felt weird and wrong.
Also sorry I never commented on your cute post a while back asking who we are. I’m a writer, I live in brooklyn and was raised in NYC and I come here as much for the accompanying articles as I do for the recipes themselves. You really can write as well as you cook. Much love through the internet to you and your cute family.
(I’m sorry, recent events have rendered me mad, maudlin and unguarded and I’m just going with it)
Deb, completely unrelated to this post…I was searching your site for a chicken enchilada recipe and it came up lacking! How can this be?!?! Please fill this void in my life
Hey Deb! I am from a pretty significant dough-centric fam, and so my first reaction was, “but the center squares won’t have enough crust!” I know your other slab pies were two-crusted (and AMAZING), but just wondering if I can do a something like a lattice (or is pumpkin too wet?), or double-up (& maybe parbake
0the dough underneath to appease the masses? (In the end, I realize can just horf away the center pieces myself, but just thought I’d ask) (With a lot of parentheticals)
Happy Friendsgiving! We LOVE YOU!
I was thinking the same thing! I’m wondering if you could use the dough scraps to make little leaves or something and place them towards the center of the pie, so those middle pieces get a little extra sumpin’ sumpin’. Think they would sink in the batter while baking? Or maybe put them on after the first 15 minutes of baking after the filling has set a little?
Deb, in one of your photos, it appears that you have lined the pan with parchment paper. Am I seeing correctly? I have made pies for years, and it never occured to me to use parchment paper. Also, it would be helpful if you include the ice-water in the ingredients portion of the crust recipe. Before I read all of the instructions, I thought this was going to be a shortbread (ala lemon bars) type of crust. Please confirm the parchment paper, and good luck with your high volume party. I hope you will have National I Need a Rest Day soon.
I’m not hosting Thanksgiving, but I think I have to make this pie! Also, your writing is such a delight and helps me get through the afternoon at work. :)
This looks amazing! Unfortunately, they don’t sell canned pumpkin puree here but I won’t let that stop me. :)
My mother is cooking an Indian-inspired Thanksgiving for almost 50 people this year. My sister & I are in charge of desserts. Wish us all luck!
Can I make this with the graham crust?
I need to make pumpkin cheesecake for 50… And I don’t need to make pie crust for that.
Any chance (gasp!) I could use pre made crust?
My mom has never refrigerated apple or pumpkin pie. It easily keeps for a couple of days on the counter – and doesn’t actually NEED to last more than a couple of days, in my house! No one’s ever gotten sick from eating a pumpkin pie that sat out.
I have this in the oven now – it came together really easily, although I used my own pie crust recipe, which has never failed me. Quick question, though. The cream cheese mixture was really thick (yes, I remembered the cream!) so instead of marbling it sort of….lumped. Should I add more cream next time to make it smoother? Today is a practice run for Thanksgiving. I’m sure my friends in the office will kill me tomorrow!
Please don’t leave the pumpkin pie out.
My dear, late mother-in-law left the pie out overnight one Christmas resulting in a pretty nasty Boxing Day food poisoning experience for my 5 year old daughter and me.
Repeat: Refrigerate the pumpkin pie.
I love the idea of slab pie — in concept — one large dessert to feed a crowd. However, my refrigerator is a side by side variety and there’s no way I could possibly fit a jelly roll pan in there without tilting to a 45° angle — are you picturing this balancing act??? Good luck with your friendsgiving – I’m sure it’ll be wonderful
Hi Deb!
Do you have a gravy and a cranberry sauce recipe? I was trying to search for one on the site and couldn’t find them.
Thanks,
Gabriella
Cranberry sauces here. Gravy, not yet!
This looks just perfect for Thanksgiving!
saw this recipe when i was on my bus ride home, i hopped off and grabbed the ingredients, made the dough yesterday and made the pie today!
rolling out that very cold dough wasn’t fun lol but the rest was fun and easy.
i may have overfilled my pan lol and my decorative crust edge needs work lol
but otherwise it came out fine and tastes awesome!
Your apple slab pie is my go-to when I have to make large quantities for a crowd. It ALWAYS wows.
Joining the proofreading party. I think you meant undeserved pity party not underserved. Lol
But it’s kind of funny, right? (Thanks, fixed.)
Hello! I was wondering if I could make this without the cheesecake addition- or would it be lacking? I was going to make two round pumpkin pies but figured the slab pie would make my life so much easier. Thanks in advance!
Absolutely. Without it, it’s just my go-to pumpkin pie.
If cooking this without the cheesecake addition, how much more pumpkin filling would you make?
Ok, this is sad but there will only be the 4 of us this year. :( Could I cut this recipe in half and just use a regular pie plate or would it still be too much ingredients for the pie plate?
PS. That is the most adorable photo of your little girl’s hair I have ever seen! How lucky you are to have a little curly redheaded angel in your life! :)
Absolultely. I would just make a standard sized pie (here’s my go-to, very similar to this) and half the cream cheese swirl.
Hi Deb! We’re totally obsessed with you, and we’re currently cooking Friendsgiving for FIFTY TWO PEOPLE!!! We relate to your struggs, especially par baking (disaster). We’re also making your dijon brussels sprouts which frankly, we had to multiply by EIGHT. Thanks for much for all the great recipes and blog posts!!!!! Happy Friendsgiving!!!
We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia- and it’s the wrong season (Spring) but having emigrated from the US a very long time ago my friends have pressed me to do a Thanksgiving for them this year. There will be 15 people and I started out initially to buy the extra chairs. Now I am contemplating the menu. Pumpkin is not in season and not available canned, but I have put some homemade puree away in the freezer so I think I’ll be able to manage this large pie. Of all the parts of the menu, it is the pie I am most unconfident about- but if I make it and it looks okay, I can freeze it and spare myself the agro on the day. Thank you Deb for this recipe and the extra details for freezing it.
Pie for breakfast is any day in my family. My mom used to say that farmers would always have leftover pie for breakfast, it’s an all American tradition!
Seems a relatively short bake time with a wet filling for the bottom crust to be well baked and not doughy. How did the bottom crust turn out?
Our was crisp for three days, then it went into the freezer. Defrosted, less crisp but nobody minded.
My spouse does not eat the spices traditionally in pumpkin pie. I will be making this, but I would also like to make a mini-pie for her without the spices. What flavorings do you think would work instead? Almond extract is a go-to for me. What else would you consider?
Maple syrup and brown sugar instead of white? You can also get maple extract. Or else leave out the spices and try some lemon zest instead? I might also use sweet potato puree – it’s a little sweeter than pumpkin and you might not miss the spices so much.
Does she like vanilla bean?
I am also a big believer in Pie for Breakfast Day. Preferably several Pie for Breakfast Days in a row. :)
Thank you for another spectacular recipe! I made this for my office as a test run for Thanksgiving. The entire huge thing disappeared by lunch. One guy who hates pumpkin had 3 slices. Another guy had six pieces…and two people wrote haikus about it (yes, my office is weird).
We have a winner – I’m definitely making it for Thanksgiving.
Thank you, Deb!
This was delicious. I used a quarter sheet pan, so I didn’t need all the pumpkin filling. I did however use all of the cheesecake mixture :)
Yesterday, I made this recipe in my house. Every member of my family had appreciated me and said that it was yummy. My kids were so excited about to eat that.
Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe. Also waiting for more like that.
Perfect for a potluck! I made the recipe as written in a 10×15 pan, and mine took an extra 20 min. baking time (15 min at 400 deg. plus 35 min. at 350) but it’s beautiful.
YAS! This will 100% be made on Thanksgiving Thursday! I love love love a good cheesecake! The richer the better, and love the pumpkin twist.
I’m certain that I’ll struggle with making the crust, I always have hard time with crusts for some reason, and typically leave it up to fiancee to do.
Excited to try this! Happy Holidays! Cheers!
I need this in my life! We don:t celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia but I have so much to be thankful for that maybe we should introduce the concept here. Pumpkin pie FTW!
Gonna make this beauty for Thanksgiving but I will be traveling. Do you think this will travel alright in a cooler? If I make it tomorrow will it be alright on Thursday? Thanks!
Shouldn’t be an issue.
I love this idea and it looks so good. Do you think I could replace the canned pumpkin with pumpkin butter? I make a pumpkin pecan cheesecake with pumpkin butter that my family ADORES but would like to try a slab pie. Thanks & Happy Thanksgiving!
They don’t work the same in recipes. Pumpkin butter is more concentrated and quite sweet. Canned pumpkin is just unsweetened roasted pumpkin puree. That said, you might just be able to bake your cheesecake slab pie-style by reducing the volume a little.
Ahhh! Even after adding a third tablespoon of cream, my cream cheese mixture just wouldn’t swirl so much as simply dunk right into the batter. I ended up trying to gently whisk it into the filling, but it doesn’t look so good. I wish I had maybe nuked it for about five seconds just to get it runnier. Ah well, hopefully no one at tomorrow’s pot luck minds too much…
Did you use Philly brand? Shouldn’t matter, but just want to keep track of where/if there are problems. Fortunately, should all taste the same in the end — delicious, I hope!
Shoot, did you recommend Philly brand? I used Organic Valley. After being in the oven for a few minutes, I quickly tried one more swirl and it improved the look of it somewhat.
At any rate, the baby pie I always make with crust scraps and bowl scrapings tasted fantastic. Maybe I’ll just throw some whipped cream on top before serving tomorrow—who’s gonna say no to that?
Actually, I bounce back and forth between them. Organic Valley doesn’t have stabilizers and a lot of people prefer the clear flavor. But, I do find it doesn’t always soften to the same almost-collapsed texture that Philly can, so I wonder if that was it. But thanks for letting me know. I’ll try this next time with OV and see what adjustments work better.
Same outcome for me with Organic Valley cream cheese. It clumped rather than swirled.
I used Philadelphia brand but I think I didn’t let it get soft enough or needed more cream. It definitely did not swirl. I also halved the pumpkin and crust and put in a fluted tart pan. Everyone loved it even though I was disappointed that it didn’t look like the top for a fancy latte.
I used trader joe brand cream cheese and it clumped and wouldn’t swirl. I also had trouble getting there crust into a smooth rectangle as depicted. Still turned out great and will make again
Oh, I had this same problem. I used Whole Foods store brand.
fwiw, i softened my cream cheese fully and used my electric mixer to make a lovely super smooth mixture…that still just blobbed. it never occurred to me to nuke it, that’s a great idea! next time. mine still came out great though. (i posted a photo below, too.)
for posterity, i used generic store brand cream cheese. (market basket.) the regular brick, not a tub or anything whipped, low fat, etc.
Mine totally didn’t swirl! And it was softened. Just too firm compared to the custard, which was very loose (but cooked up beautifully). Glad I’m not alone.
I’m so sorry about this. It didn’t happen to me when I was testing the recipe but it DID on Thanksgiving Eve (of. course.) and I felt terrible, worried sick I’d ruined everyones pies when I’m supposed to be here to do the opposite! I worked on the swirling some more and have an update coming shortly. (I should make it another time.) In short: The cream cheese needs to be very, very, very soft. I found I could skip the cream if I used a full egg and beat it with an electric mixer so it was very soft and easier to swirl in. I’m sorry I didn’t run into this sooner and that anyone had an ugly pie because of it.
I beat it like crazy in the electric mixer with a bit more that 2T cream and it was very hard to get any swirl. I did some post oven mixing and that at least mixed a little better although it doesn’t look nearly as pretty as yours. I wonder if it would be easier if the pumpkin custard was thicker and with a whole egg in the cream cheese mixture…
If I make this on Tuesday should I freeze it for Thursday TDay or will it be ok in the fridge or on the counter?
Thanks!
I think so. I froze mine last week and forgot to leave it in the fridge the day before. Instead, I had it out on most of Saturday afternoon and it was defrosted but still chilled at dinnertime.
Tuesday to Thursday, I’d just keep it in the fridge. Definitely not the counter unless you’re just getting the chill off of it for a couple hours before serving. It’s basically a baked custard.
I have only just found Smitten Kitchen and I love the tone – it is so encouraging. I always feel inadequate around pastry but this recipe makes me want to give it another go! I shall return when I have made it.
i made this yesterday, but as a pie since it’s only two of us. (and a whole pie is already “too much” but let’s be honest we’ll probably eat the whole thing real soon because it’s omg so good. SO GOOD. and easy!)
i used deb’s “classic pumpkin pie” recipe for the pumpkin filling, the crust, and the bake times. then, i used the cream cheese mix from this recipe. i did not alter the measurements of either and the whole thing fit perfectly into my pie dish, which according to the internet is apparently 10″ at the top, 7″ at the bottom inside, and 2″ deep. (it’s a stoneware thing from sur la table.)
i will say that the cream cheese mixture…i couldn’t get it to marble nicely. i ended up putting my cake tester aside (used in lieu of a toothpick) and grabbing a knife and running it all through the filling instead. the picture is right after i took it out of the oven – it actually looked nicer when it had cooled and been refrigerated for awhile as it settled but it was dark by then so i didn’t take a second photo. if i was really pressed about the look of it (which i’m totally not), next year i might pipe the cream cheese either all over the top and do it as a layered pie, or in stripes and then drag a knife through them perpendicularly.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BNFtbUrDlKz/
Hi – really liked this recipe, and the extra filling made a nice treat baked on its own. I used a sheet pan a little smaller than that called for and just had an slightly thick crust, baked pie for longer but I didn’t track the time carefully, just went by filling readiness. The middle crust was fully baked, but I probably would have preferred it a bit more cooked. I had same issue with cheesecake swirls – will try warming filling next time before swirling – and there will be a next time. I liked the flavor and ease of making such a nice large quantity.
i wanted to post this here for posterity – i’ve made this pie again for the second year (and it is and will continue to be a yearly thanksgiving tradition for us) using the combined recipes as outlined in my post above this one from last year. but you will notice this one marbled perfectly and looks quite a bit different as a result. i made two changes:
1. i used philadelphia brand cream cheese and
2. left the cream cheese out for an entire day and entire night, and made the cheesecake filling & left it to sit on the counter while making the pumpkin filling and rolling out the crust.
while it made for a prettier pie, it also changed the arrangement of the interior. the first year’s pie that didn’t marble resulted in bites of cheesecake throughout the pie (top to bottom). this year’s pie that did marble resulted in the cheesecake layer on top, and the pumpkin on the bottom. both were excellent.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb2EexNgl1J/
I followed Spark’s route and used Deb’s classic pumpkin pie recipe in conjunction with the cheescake marbling recipe here. Unlike Spark, I encountered the common issue of having WAY too much filling for the store-bought pie shells that I had.
The filling was enough for TWO pre-made frozen Tenderflake 9″ pie shells. The strange thing about the pie shells was that, although they claimed to be 9″, they were quite a bit smaller than the actual 9″ Anchor glass pie dish that I had on hand.
Re: cheesecake filling – I used Philadelphia brand cream cheese, and if you’re baking this pie in sweltering 40C heat with no air conditioning like I did yesterday, you need only leave it out for a few hours.
yes, i used a deep dish pie plate sort of thing (see measurements in my original comment) 🙂 i make this pie every year now!
Help! I halved the cream cheese filling except for the egg and it has curdled!
Tell me more. Was it fully softened? Does it look curdled in the pie or just in the bowl? What brand did you use?
I stayed up late last night making this for a coworker’s retirement party that I thought was today, but turns out is a week from today! Would this be okay in the freezer for a week (assuming I can make space) or should I just bring it as a bonus to my family’s Thanksgiving festivities and make a fresh one next week? I have a high standard to meet after baking the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake that gathered rave reviews at the last party.
I also had issues with the cheesecake filling being clumpy (regular Philadelphia cream cheese brick) despite 2 tbsp of cream. Next time I make this I will try the trick mentioned in a previous comment of piping the cream cheese into swirls rather than dropping by spoon, also warming it as another commenter suggested. Perhaps because of the thickness of the slab, mine took an extra 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees (checked every 5 min). Aside from that, it came together great, and made the house smell wonderful! I cooked up the extra filling (with dollops of cheesecake) in a couple custard ramekins so I was able to confirm it passed quality inspection.
I could see this being delicious with a bit of bourbon added to the pumpkin filling for some extra holiday cheer. Thanks for a great recipe!
Update – the first pie (blobby cream cheese and all) was enjoyed by everyone at Thanksgiving. Love that this recipe can be cut in anything from 1-inch squares for those who just want a taste or for a platter of bite-size desserts, all the way to a half-pan strip for pie-for-breakfast day. They keep their shape well enough that you don’t notice the lack of crust on the inner pieces.
With the second iteration for the (actual) party tomorrow, I beat the cream cheese for a bit longer, with 3 tablespoons of cream, then put it in a ziploc bag and cut off the tip of a corner to make 1/8-1/4 inch decoration. Between the heat of my hands and massaging it in the bag, it came out smoothly, and the thinner lines were easier to swirl with a toothpick. I pushed some of them down into the pumpkin mixture so there would be more marbling in the depths. With this one, I ended up adding an extra 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees (checking at 5-min intervals).
You forgot to include the cold water in the pie dough recipe section. :)
I feel it’s an age old question when a Holiday is looming and there are too many dishes to fit in the Fridge but …. How far ahead can I bake this pie (and have it keeps its integrity)? I’m trying to split my holiday baking up over 2 1/2 days with an Apple Custard Pie, a Pumpkin and a Pecan but would hate to serve a dry or rubbery mess to the family.
I think a week is fine but I’d then freeze it until the day before. We froze ours and the texture was uncompromised when defrosted.
I just wanted to chime in that I also could not get this to marble. My clumps of cream cheese floated like blobs in pumpkin liquid. I wondered if I haven’t cooked the pumpkin enough, since mine was pretty darn liquid-y after I added all the cream and eggs (I did cook it for 8-ish minutes). I ended up just trying my best to get the cream cheese to not just be blobs… it worked, but wasn’t pretty. Also, the cream cheese was all on top, so it was like a layered pie — crust, pumpkin, then pumpkin/cream cheese. That said: it was DELICIOUS and got rave reviews at today’s friends-giving gathering. But let us know if you have thoughts on how to help the marbling process — I’d love to get it to look as lovely as yours!
When you say “Bake pie: For 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F (175°C) and bake for another 15 minutes” — that second 15 minutes can’t be right if your other recipe calls for 30-40 additional?
It is correct because slab pie is much thinner and bakes faster.
Pie for Breakfast is my second favorite holiday after Thanksgiving. I’ve been celebrating it for years not even knowing it was a holiday. Thanks for the positive affirmation of what my soul has been telling me for years.
This looks delicious. I’m a big fan of your recipes, although not a v experienced cook. Could I make this using store bought pie dough?
Yes, you’ll want enough for a double-crust pie.
Oh no! I added ages to pumpkin filling without simmering the pumpkin … do you think it will still cook properly?
I added ‘eggs’
Just made this tonight and while it’s delicious I’m afraid that the bottom part of the crust is undercooked/gummy. I see from the picture of the cut piece in the post that you had this issue too. Any fixes?
Me too! The side crust was oh so delicious and flaky, but definitely a soggy bottom in the middle.
I made the 1/2 sheet pan size, which you said to make 1 & 1/2 times the recipe. I couldn’t figure out why it was so soupy & saw where you wrote, “3 1/2 cups pumpkin puree, from 2 15-ounce cans (425 grams)”. I added 3 15-ounce cans, not realizing it should’ve really been only 1 & 1/2 cans (one can is 425 grams). Had to throw it all out, the night before Thanksgiving. :(
hi! making this as we speak, just finished the crust and it looks a bit wet to me. please tell me this is okay!! I did exactly what the recipe says! hoping the time in the fridge will work some magic on this baby. any suggestions anyone?
Hi everyone! I made the pie this morning, doubled the cream cheese filling and microwaved the cream cheese before I mixed in the other ingredients. It was very easy to marble, even my 4 year old helped without issue. I found that I couldn’t use of the pumpkin filling without overflow. I would say a touch more than a cup of filling was left over. Smells great!
Thanks for this! The pie-crust was really doable. I used a 9×13 pan cause that’s what I had. It has really shifted the cooking times (volume vs surface area) — I didn’t do any math to figure out how to scale it for the right volumes. When you share more of these, would love to have a quick guide for how to scale it. :)
I had the same issue. Tasted delicious but lots of trial and error “extra ten minutes” and “well, maybe I’ll check after 15 more?” Ended up serving it with still-gummy crust!
My cream cheese did give me guff, though I added the cream. Any suggestions for next time? I bet it will taste great but it looks like blobs. :)
that pie looks incredibly delicious! wanna try it some times
I attempted this in a regular pie dish and am sorry to say it did not marble at all. The cheesecake floated to the top, resulting in a layered sort of pie (which, I think, was the reason the custard didn’t set up quite as well as it normally does for me). Perfectly edible, but not attractive. I’m thinking the depth of a traditional pie dish versus the relatively shallow jellyroll pan might be the culprit.
And if you’re keeping track, I used Philly and made no modifications to your cheesecake recipe. I did use my usual pumpkin pie recipe (which is not dramatically different from yours).
Hey there! I’ve been following your recipes for years and love them! Thank you for sharing them.
I just made this and had trouble at the end with the cheese. It was too stiff and ended up being chunky and created lumps and did not swirl. Is there a way you can modify your recipe to give advice about that? I even added more heavy cream. :/
My pie overflowed the pan badly in the oven. Like many other posters, I also did not end up with swirls, but blobs.
I made this on the morning of my family’s feast, using defrosted home-roasted pumpkin. It was a hit for everyone who loves pumpkin pie and my favorite of about a dozen recipes I’ve tried over the past 20 years. Next time, I will prep the pumpkin through the sugar/spice/stovetop cooking step before freezing to reduce last-minute dish duties and skip the crust altogether. Based on a ramekin-sized tester, it’s even better baked as a custard or pudding.
I made this for our Thanksgiving dessert, and it was delicious! I followed the directions to a “T.” I found it difficult to drag the cheesecake mixture with the toothpick to make the marbling. However, with a little patience and determination, I made it happen. It was a crowd pleaser! Thanks!
Amazing! You’re combining my two favourite desserts: pumpkin pie and cheesecake! I think I’m going to try your variation of doubling the cheesecake batter and adding a whole egg to make it more cheesecake-like!
Ummm….I think it has to bake for a lot longer than the 30 minutes your recipe states. Mine was ready in about 1 hour. And it was AMAZING! A huge hit at Thanksgiving dinner!
Would this recipe make great pumpkin cheesecake bars? I’m flirting with the idea of going crustless and wanted to check first. Would it stand alone sans crust?
I baked this one for Thanksgiving – yum! I used a fresh pumpkin and had a few issues… side crust was crisp and best ever. Bottom not so much. Maybe I’ll strain longer next time. Short bake time definitely meant I didn’t have usual pumpkin pie burnt crust. However, using a metal pan made the crust taste metallic. Any thoughts to combat this? I used the recommended size jelly roll pan but I had LOADS of filling left over. I completely filled a shallow pyrex pie dish with it and enjoyed pumpkin pie custard for days after :)
Did you line it with parchment? Were you using a reactive pan (i.e. uncoated aluminum, which is pretty uncommon these days)? Stainless steel (the standard) or nonstick coated shouldn’t impart a metallic flavor, but I do trust your tastebuds and all…
If you halve this recipe, can you bake it in a standard pie dish? How would you adjust the cooking time?
To halve it in a standard dish, make my regular pumpkin pie and marble in about 1/2 the cream cheese (a touch less looks prettier, though).
I made two of these for my company’s Thanksgiving potluck and they were a huge hit!! Great reciepe!
Yum! Love me some pumpkin pie. :)
Deb, I’m planning to make this for a Christmas party. I’ve read through the “I made this” section and it seems some people are having problems with the interior of the crust not being baked enough. Would you recommend pre-baking for a few minutes before adding the filling?
No harm in doing so. You could follow the par-baking instructions right here.
Thank you! Happy holidays!
This was pretty good, but my bottom crust was definitely not crisp. I think next time I’d cook it on the bottom rack, and on top of a preheated half sheet pan. Blind baking a slab pie seems like a nightmare, so hopefully that would do it.
Would cutting the filling ingredients in half yield the proper amount for a 9″ tart? I’d probably use another go-to tart crust recipe. As a single person– a slab pie in the house is dangerous, and a good way to stay single. ;D
Ugh. Nevermind– re-searched the comments and got the answer. Either cutting the filling by half, or using your standard pumpkin pie recipe should fill my requirements. Thanks!
Any tips on making your own pumpkin puree? It’s been a while since I’ve done it. I believe last time I just halved, cleaned and roasted on a baking sheet until soft– I forget the temp/time. I will google in the mean time.
Making this now. Tip, soften the cream cheese 45sec at 50% power in the microwave. It make the perfect consistency for marbling. I’m confused though because the filling portion is definitely about twice as much as actually fits in a 10×15 in jelly roll. Mines overfilled and I have a ton leftover. Fingers crossed it bakes up ok. The fillings taste great.
Can you make the pumpkin batter a day or two ahead? Or will it start to separate?
Echoing what many others have said. 1 – so much filling! Like could have made another pie if I had more crust! 2. I microwaved the cream cheese and got the mixture to a pretty smooth consistency but it’s just so much denser than the pumpkin that it really doesn’t want to marble – a friend looked at my funny stripes and noted that I should have just written initials or drawn a pumpkin or something with the cheesecake part! 3. I added 15 minutes in the oven to get a solid center and am still a bit concerned the crust will be gummy. Hopefully it all tastes good! The custard I baked off was top notch!
My crust caves in when I bake it. It looks perfect before baking, then it looks like a toddler messed with it when it’s baked. How do I avoid that and get the lovely crust you have?
I usually don’t care for pie crusts but wow, this one is fantastic. Flaky and crisp! The filling is awesome too.
Made this for Thanksgiving…. so delicious!!! Love the whole slab pie/pumpkin pie/throw-in-some-cheesecake situation. Yes. Yes. Yes. A hit.
I joined the “make your own pie crusts” a few years ago and have never looked back. The recipe was simple & straight forward like Deb’s but used cold milk instead of water. I had tried some ridiculously complex methods over years with frustrating results. The key is butter and you learn to handle the dough less each time you practice. Deb’s instructions are great. Dive in! And, a little liquid “courage” will help you thru the initial attempts. Btw, thanks for recipe quantity ingredients for a 10×15 jelly roll pan!
Wonderful pie! My first time to make slab pie and came out beautifully. The custard is wonderful and I plan to use it with my other circular pumpkin pies. Even the crust was not too hard to manage. Thank you, Deb!
Hi Deb, I looked for Pecan Slab Pie to post a question related to that but couldn’t find it. I would like to know if leaving out the chocolate chips would result in a problem with the setting up, consistency of the filling.
Thanks so much!
It’s in the book, not the site, so there isn’t a place online to comment but it won’t be a problem for setting up or consistency but you might find that the pie is a tiny bit more shallow.
I have made this multiple times and it is always perfect as is. I tried a GF version during the holidays with AP GF King Arthur’s, and found the crust to be like shortbread, which was a wonderful surprise. This pie is pretty easy, and always a show-stopper.
If I were to make a normal 9-inch pie, what adjustments would I make?
LOVE! Sounds sooo delicious. I will have to get my husband to make this for me one day as I would be sure to screw it up somehow… LOL! Thanks for sharing Deb. -Teniesha C.
Can this be made as a double or 1 1/2 recipe for larger crowds?
I made this to rave reviews! I did have some issues- clumping of cream cheese and a most definite soggy bottom! It stopped no one from devouring the whole thing! I’ll likely pat bake the crust next time and use others tips of warming the cream cheese/beating until really creamy with a mixer.
Ideas for how to make this eggless? In-laws don’t eat eggs! Help!
I LOVE this and it was a huge hit when I made it last Thanksgiving – this year’s is in the oven now! In my experience it takes substantially longer to bake – at least twice as long as the recipe calls for. Check the middle carefully!
I have made this for the past few years, and always gotten rave reviews. I too, have had issues with the (obviously double amount) of cheesecake swirling appropriately. This year I was struck with a brilliant idea to add about 2 tablespoons of bourbon to the cheesecake mixture. Not only will it swirl beautifully, but it adds a depth of flavor you won’t regret. You’ll just want to add a hefty splash (or glugg…) of bourbon to the whipping cream for absolute perfection.
Making use of all the comments that came before me re: the cheesecake-swirl, I recommend the following: put the cream cheese out on the counter the night before, use one whole egg AND the cream, whisk like mad, dollop clumps onto the pumpkin filling (they feel heavy and ominous but fear not), and FORGET the toothpick (fraught with danger). INSTEAD, use the small knobby end of a wooden honey drizzler (as I did) or a wooden chopstick — anything that has a rounded end with no sharpness to cause crust puncturing and unhappiness. The topping swirled like a dream and the effect was stunning.
I had about 50% more pumpkin filling than I needed for the correct size jellyroll pan. Also, I make a lot of pumpkin pies because my daughter loves it and the pumpkin texture can really vary by brand and by can. I found this batch to be very soupy and wish I had added less milk/cream.
What a wonderful dish to bring to a potluck dinner! It would feed many and is so delicious looking that no one could resist. Thanks for this easy and appealing dessert!
Whoops posted as a reply…. Made this for a huge Thanksgiving group. Took lots of the suggestions and doubled the cheesecake filling, microwaves it, then piped it into the pumpkin filling. Marbled exquisitely!!! Delish. Only drawback was my pan was trashed when the pie was sliced up :( Poor choice to use the nice nonstick, next year the industrial aluminum and a plastic knife! Keeper.
So I made this last year and took a little from all the comments. And it was amazing! And I didn’t record what I did. Grr. I do think that I warmed the cream cheese, added extra liquid, and then took the great advice to pipe it into the pumpkin. Then used a tooth pick to make amazing lines. I would say that when people cut it to serve it trashed my pan, so this time I will try to make the parchment overhang so I can move it? Always experimenting…. not sure how to attach a photo!
This recipe was not the usual SK slam dunk. The pumpkin filling was almost twice as much as I needed and extremely liquid-y; the cheesecake made too much as well (I have no idea how others fix 2x the cheesecake into the pan). The crust bottom was soggy. I had the same problem marbling as others, so it wasn’t as pretty as it looks in the pictures. Tasted fine but I definitely wouldn’t recommend this one, nor will I make it again.
Can you make this into a pie for fewer guests? Half the pumpkin part? I like more cheesecake so would keep the same or double.
Thank you! This was a delicious pie. I made it last weekend with Philadelphia cream cheese (used up all my eggs, so it was without the yoke), didn’t know the Philadelphia had to be soft, so mine was right out of the fridge, I used an electric mixer to blend in the sugar, vanilla extract and cream and had no issues with swirling, it looked great. The pie crust was amazing, easy to work with, not used to it getting so crisp without prebaking.
I kept it in the fridge and even after 3 days the small leftover amount is still very good.
Forgot to mention that I ended up baking it for 38 minutes. 18 min at 205 C and 20min at 175 C.
I didn’t have a 10×15 pan, so I used a 9×13 instead. The ingredients all fit volume-wise, but the bake time was quite different because of the increased depth. The filling was still cold when I stuck a toothpick in after I dropped the temp. I would recommend 15-20 min at 400 and 20-30 at 350 (to keep the crust from burning too much), maybe longer depending on how your oven runs (mine is on the cold side). The cheesecake ended up being more of a top layer than a swirl, but it was still mighty tasty!
I made a big mistake and cooked the cream cheese mixture instead of the pumpkin mixture. Now, I didn’t combine anything yet and the pumpkin mixture is ready to be cooked per the instructions, and my husband is running to the store for more cream cheese. So, my question is this:
What can I do with this cream cheese mixture I have? It tastes pretty great and is borderline cheese cake, now that I think about it (but a bit lumpy). But does anyone have any ideas?
UPDATE!!!!! <3 <3 <3
Ditched the wonky cream cheese mixture I made and redid it, kept the pumpkin filling (WHICH I TOTALLY COMBINED WRONG!), made the extra-flaky dough but can't find my roller (just moved! used a heavy thermos!), and what do ya know, it's great. A little shallow on the filling because I used a sheet pan, but it will pass and I no longer care!
Thanks Deb!!
Did not work as suggested, to bake in half-sheet size pan. Bottom crust did not bake, even after adding much additional bake time. Need to par-bake crust, or use graham cracker type crust. Even a smaller pan needs more bake time, and crust needs to be par-baked. Filling was excellent though.
Hello! Just made it and it’s cooling now! Overall, each piece tasted amazing, so I bet it tastes awesome, but when I baked it, it actually ended up cracking (like, a cheesecake type crack).
I did have a slightly higher percentage of the cheesecake filling to pumpkin filling (probably closer to 70/30 compared to your original 80/20) – could that have done it? Haven’t seen this issue in any of the other comments, though, so could have been just a random event!
Made this exactly & the filling was delicious but the dough is slightly uncooked.
Have you ever just made a regular graham cracker crust that lines just the bottom of the pan instead of a pie crust???
Made this in 2 pie plates instead and the amounts were perfect for 2 round pies!!
I’ve made it twice, baking is a bit longer. 15 mins at 400 then 30 mins at 350, maybe a few mins less.
Thank you <3 My all-time favorite pie
Would this work with a 12×17 inch Pan? I was thinking I should make 2 12×17 as I have 30 coming for dinner
Sounds like it would work out well and it will be perfect for leftovers to eat when you are in isolation after getting Covid from your guests! Just pray you don’t loose your sense of smell. That would be a bummer.
🤣 good one Christa! 🖐
I just sent Cuomo after you
😂 😂 😂 To be fair, she could be a time traveler and forgot what year she was in. Also didn’t think that Deb would take a day off for once. 🙄
For some who choose to ignore, this will be their last Thanksgiving. Make two, make it really count.
Made this for Thanksgiving and while the filling was delicious, the crust ended up pretty undercooked. We ended up leaving it in the oven an extra 10 minutes, but not sure why it was so under done. Pretty disappointed but if anyone has a suggestion for what to do differently, let me know!
My crust was also really underdone, BUT I had poured some extra crust and filling into a tiny springform pan and the crust baked much better on that. The springform went on the bottom oven rack for the same time as the large pan which I had set up top. I did some looking after the fact and found out that baking at the bottom of the oven is one tactic to avoid an undercooked crust.
I plan to try this again with a larger sheet pan (since there was so much extra filling and I want to double the cheesecake), baking on the bottom rack, and possibly putting some gingersnap crumbs between the crust and the filling (another tactic I saw mentioned to help counteract excess moisture in the crust).
I had the same experience yesterday; the crust was essentially raw, to the point that my guests ate only the filling and discarded the crust. I baked the excess filling & cheesecake mixture in a small baking dish, with no crust, and that was terrific. Next time I’ll either pre-bake the crust or do a graham crust or something. The filling is great though, and I had no problems with the swirling (used a store brand cream cheese).
I made it for Thanksgiving. Didn’t have the right size metal baking pan, used 9 by 13 glass pan. It worked out even better I think since it had made the pie taller, and I was able to see the color of the crust as it was cooking. Cooking time was longer by about 20 minutes as a result. I agree with the commenters who have microwaved the cheesecake part, that made it smooth and free-flowing. I poured in about 2/3 of the filling, added cheesecake, and then the rest of the filling. I was able to swirl it easily. By far my favorite pumpkin pie!
I love all of your recipes, Deb,recommend you and your blog and your cookbooks to all I know BUT this cheescake-marbled pumpkin slab pie is NOT a keeper.
THe crust definitely needed par baking. There was way too much filling for a 10×15 pan and not enough of the cheesecake filling/dabs to really count.
I will continue to revere you, your snappy writing style and look forward to your weekly blog and recipes, BUT I will never make this recipe again.
Count me in for parbaking, definitely.
All in all I’d say it’s a lot of work for a strictly pedestrian pie.
I mean, a pumpkin sponge or tea-loaf you just mix, throw in a bread tin and bake away, hey presto you’re done. That’s ok. But for this effort I want more than just pumpkin, say a Chocolate ginger cheesecake.
The pecan praline sauce would also be amazing with this pie!
Well this just came out of my oven and I am so excited to eat it! Looks perfect.
If I was crossing the desert and dying and I was offered a slice of this or a glass of water, I would take the pie!
Not too sweet, mother the pumpkin or cheesecake overwhelms but complements each other perfectly. The crust is perfect, flaky, and worth the effort of making by hand. This will be my go-to for holidays that ask for pumpkin anything!
This was a real winner, along with the slab apple pie. One question, would it be worthwhile to blind bake the crust for the pumpkin? The crust on the Apple was perfect!
I’ve made this multiple ways times, recently as requested for my 12 year old’s birthday!
I follow everything as listed, but this time I did soften cream cheese in the microwave (Organic Valley). It was super smooth and easy to marble….but ended up with a layer of cream cheese on top rather than little bites of cheesecake.
I prefer the blobs!
I did have enough filling for another pie, so I will try to remember to make more crust.
I didn’t have a soggy bottom on the pastry but it wasn’t cooked all they way through, likely due to placing the 10×15 on another sheet pan to avoid spills. Will try to roll it thinner and keep trying!
Have you made this again Deb? Any insights?
European here with no pureed pumpkin from a can available. I made this using 425 g Hokkaido pumpkin, which I cooked, drained and pureed. Continued as in the recipe, but rather than transfer to a bowl, I let the cooked sugar-spice-pumpkin-mixture cool a bit and then added the cream and eggs directly into the pot, where I’d cooked the pumpkin. Less dishes, yeah! The filling did turn out more liquidy than in the photos, maybe due to some leftover water from the cooking process… perhaps next time I’ll try roasting the pumpkin in the oven.
The dough worked like a charm – no problems at all getting it into the baking dish. I tranferred the pumpkin filling and then made the cheesecake part in the same, well-scraped-out pot, even less dishes to clean. ;) My cheesecake batter was again more liquid, even without the addition of cream, so I left that out.
The whole thing was a bit scary to get into the oven due to the liquid filling, but it worked out without spills. After the First 15 minutes I covered the top, since it started to get dark.
The result was definitely not as pretty as the SK pictures (marbling with two liquids went meh, and then the oven introduced dark burn spots), but very delicious and I especially love that you can eat it with your hands!
HOW did I not find you/tune in to your site sooner? That is the question of the day! My daughter in law gave me your blog post with the slab pie recipe and I just literally died laughing….I did not even read the entire blog post because I have to just tell you …… I HOPE WE LIVE in the SAME NEIGHBORHOOD in heave. You are just hysterical and I love the way you express yourself in writing. OK, now that we are besties…..I am going back to read the rest of your post and check out the recipe I am making for Thanksgiving this coming week. I’ll be thinking about you while I make and and thanking GOD for you! YAY! Mary
Hi Deb! Do you think I could halve this and bake it into a deep dish pie?
Yes
I am not a novice baker. This pie just didn’t come together as I had hoped. I should have read the comments about the clumping cream cheese mixture. I wasn’t able to incorporate it enough and so it cooked at a different time than the pumpkin mixture creating cracks and a mess. We’ll see how it tastes after it cools.
My wife found this recipe a couple of years ago and asked me to make it. It’s been a Thanksgiving staple since. Because she is a cheesecake lover, I’ve doubled the amount of cheesecake, which has yielded no complaints from anyone who has tried it :)
This pie was delicious though many little catastrophes promised it would turn out disastrous. But somehow it pulled through! Made it for TG this year and want to make it again for Christmas. So hoping I can fix some of the issues.
1. There was way too much pumpkin filling (purchased the correct size pan especially for this). This isn’t a terrible problem as the filling is amazingly good and can be baked separately. But I didn’t notice until I had poured in too much and had to quickly scoop out a lot before putting in the cheesecake part. There was almost enough for another standard size pie.
2. As so many others said, the cheesecake part does not swirl. Mine were just blobs that I dragged around a pool of pumpkin back and forth until I gave up. The difference in consistency of the two fillings is too great. I used Organic Valley cream cheese and left it out for 6 hours before, used all the cream (also organic valley – maybe it was too thick!), and mixed very well. Should I just use whole milk next time? Or extra cream? I may try microwaving as others have suggested.
3. Part-way through baking I peeked in and saw a giant volcano of crust rising out of the middle of the pie, displacing and spilling a ton of filling. I had no choice but to puncture it. Thankfully that deflated most of it and baked pie ended up with just a mini crust volcano sticking out. Why would this happen?
4. The sides of the crust were good, even where some filling spilled over. But the bottom was really underdone. I may try to pre-bake next time, or use a biscoff cookie crust. I ended up just eating the filling and discarding the bottom crust.
In the end, it was my favorite pie of Thanksgiving, though I noticed a lot of people didn’t try it. I guess because it looked strange. But I was very happy to have it in the fridge where I could hardly resist eating a scoop of filling every time I reached in for something. Definitely will be my go to pumpkin pie filling. But I’d love to solve the other issues.