Pumpkin Cheesecake

Here it is! The recipe I’ve been working on these days, I couldn’t wait any longer to share it with all of you. Remember in my previous post that I told you I had another Halloween recipe? Well, I wanted to put it up this week too just in case you guys want to try them out, so you have plenty of days before Halloween to prepare them and be the best party host ever.

I missed cooking with pumpkin, it gives you such an endless amount of possibilities: muffins, rolls, cookies, loaf cakes, cheesecakes, smoothies, soups, etc.

This Pumpkin Cheesecake has the right amount of sweetness, a fresh citric touch that combines perfectly with all the spices I added and the hearty pumpkin addition. Most people like to use canned pumpkin for dessert recipes because it’s an easier, quicker way to satisfy your pumpkin cravings all year round. I prefer, though, to cook with fresh pumpkins because that way I am making a healthier choice…plus nothings beats the flavor of 100% natural pumpkin baked at home. That means that you’ll probably need to plan ahead and make the topping and the pumpkin puree a day before baking this cheesecake. I promise you the hours you’ll spend in the kitchen will pay off once you taste the first forkful, a heavenly pleasure! (or should I say ‘devilish’ because it’s Halloween? Hee hee).

Btw, how cool do these witches potions look?! My sister helped me out with the craft work and we felt like 21^st century witches printing all those labels, creating the colors for the potions and buying all kind of fake bugs and spiders. After shooting the pictures for this recipe a lot of new ideas popped into my head (and I have so many unused Halloween stuff!)…this usually happens when I’m done with a new blog post but I will have to wait until next year!

Receta en español aquí!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

(makes one 8-inch/20cm cheesecake)

Ingredients

- For the base:

1 recipe cookie crust, click here.

- For the topping:

3/4 cup walnuts, chopped.

1/3 cup brown sugar.

1 tbsp vegan margarine.

- For the cake:

½ cup whole unroasted cashews, soaked overnight and drained.

¼ cup mashed banana, ripe.

14 ounces (enough with 380g) soft tofu, drained.

½ cup unrefined sugar.

1/3 cup brown sugar.

3 tbsp coconut oil, room temperature.

6 tsp cornstarch.

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice.

1 tsp grated tangerine zest.

¼ tsp fine sea salt.

1 ¼ cups baked pumpkin, pureed and drained.

¾ tsp ground cinnamon.

½ tsp ground nutmeg.

½ tsp ground ginger.

Directions

- Pumpkin puree:

First of all you need to bake the pumpkin. You’ll get plenty puree with a small 2-pound butternut pumpkin. Preheat oven to 425ºF (around 220ºC) and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the pumpkin in half, scooping out the seeds and cut it into medium size pieces. Bake for 45 minutes approximately until the flesh is very soft and you can easily insert a wooden stick through the pumpkin. Let cool and scoop out the flesh, mash it with a fork until it’s pureed and drain the excess liquid before measuring.

- Cookie crust:

Make the cookie crust as directed in my Blueberry Lime Cheesecake. Remember to let the crust cool completely before pouring in the filling.

- Topping:

In a mixing bowl mash together brown sugar and margarine with a silicone spatula until well combined. Stir in the chopped walnuts and mix well. Set aside.

- Filling:

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).

Blend together drained cashews, banana, tofu, sugar, brown sugar, coconut oil, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, tangerine zest and sea salt. Process until completely smooth and the batter looks homogeneous.

Set aside around 1/3 cup of the batter.

To the remaining batter, add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg and blend until smooth. Pour this mixture onto the crust. Add random spoonfuls of the reserved batter onto the cheesecake. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, swirl the batter to create a marbled effect.

Sprinkle with the topping and bake for around 1 hour (do not overbake!).

Remove cake from the oven, keep it in its pan (a springform pan) and cool on a rack for 20 minutes. Remove it from the pan and transfer to the fridge to complete cooling, preferably overnight.

Store cake in the fridge.