Last spring my organic seed supplier made a special on pumpkin seeds for cake. Naturally, I decided to grow pie squash for the first year. The five vines I planted produced over 100 pounds of pumpkin pie. This left me with a problem: I can only eat so many pumpkin pies. I can only give my neighbors and friends so many pumpkin pies. I found that pumpkins work well in pumpkin soup (something I’ve been eating a lot lately) but I still needed something different. Found it recently: pumpkin cheesecake. I tried many recipes and finally came up with one that I love.
One word of caution: if you bake the pumpkin cheesecake without a water bath, it will likely crack on top. I’m fine with this; I think it adds to the rustic and homey look. If cracks are a problem, you will need to use a traditional water bath or water bath and extend the bake time by 15 minutes.
Ingredients
Cortex:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
4 ounces butter, melted
Stuffed:
A small to medium tart squash (you will need to make 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of pumpkin puree)
24 ounces cream cheese (cultured cream cheese adds the best flavor, if you can get it)
3 whole chicken eggs plus a yolk
1/4 cup whole sour cream
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Addresses
Heat your toaster oven to 450 degrees F.
Cut the pumpkin pie in half and remove the seeds and stringy material. Lightly rub each half with the oil of your choice. Bake until completely soft, this should take about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly, then scoop the pulp out of the squash and mash it in your food processor. Set aside.
Lower your toaster oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine graham cracker crumbs, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground mace, and 4 ounces melted butter in a medium bowl. Mix well. Press into the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Set aside.
Place the cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with the mixer paddle. Beat until completely smooth. Add the pumpkin puree. Beat until smooth and combined. Add the eggs and yolk one at a time, beating between each addition. Add sour cream, beat again. Add the sugar, beat again. Add the brown sugar, beat again. Add the cinnamon, mace, cloves, sea salt, flour, and pure vanilla extract. Beat again.
For the filling of the prepared crust. Bake for an hour, turning it in half after 30 minutes. Turn off the toaster oven, but do not open it and leave the cheesecake in the toaster oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from toaster oven and cool at room temperature for 2 hours. Wrap with cling film and refrigerate for 5 hours.
Advice and suggestions
Take a look at my other articles to find a recipe for homemade whole grain graham crackers. They make excellent crust crumbs.
Place a small (oven proof, of course) cup of water in the corner of your toaster oven while you bake the cheesecake. This will minimize, but not eliminate, the cracks.
