Holidays are a wonderful time to roll up your sleeves and get into the kitchen to try all of those delicious recipes you have been collecting all year long. I don’t know about you, but I have loved to bake since I was a kid. I always considered it a hobby until I realized that my true passion for the industry kept drawing me in time after time. When fate finally stepped in to re-arrange my destiny, I knew that my life was being guided by a greater force…I had to submit to the flow of the universe and allow it to take me to where I needed to be. After many years of working in other fields, I now run a successful cookie manufacturing company. Needless to say, my schedule during the week is busy with the production of assorted cookies, cakes and brownies to satisfy an ever growing customer base. In addition to our production schedule for our existing products, I also have to find the time to create new ones that will keep our customers interested and coming back for more. The creative process is challenging, but is something that I love most…
First, it’s all about deciding what you want to make and then moving on to the list of ingredients you want to use to yield the flavor and texture you’re after. The tough part is when you have to assign actual quantities for each ingredient to bring that recipe to life. This process is a true labor of love and many times will test the patience of even the most experienced baker. I will say that the joy of achieving my desired result is always a true eureka moment for me…and it was no different with this recipe when I created it many years ago.
Baking for a living doesn’t surprise me…bringing joy to people that I love by making them something that they love to eat makes me happy. So, it wasn’t hard for me to shift gears from cookies to cheesecakes when a very special friend asked me to do her a favor. I don’t have too much time during the week to deviate from the regular production schedule for the company, but when my friend Ruthie asked me to make her a pumpkin cheesecake for her Thanksgiving table, I couldn’t say no…Ruthie is one of the most kind and thoughtful people I have ever met, in addition to being one of our most dedicated customers. So, I just had to make this happen for her…
I knew I had the perfect recipe…a delicious, light and airy pumpkin cheesecake that is always enjoyed by all. The great thing about cheesecakes is that you can use the traditional cookie crust base or a thin layer of cake. I opted to use a layer of chocolate cake which adds another dimension of flavor to the cheesecake.
The recipe is easy and straight forward, but with cheesecakes there are certain basic principles that you have to respect to yield the perfect result.
One of these is to use ingredients that are room temperature. They incorporate together much quicker and easier. Another trick is to scrape down the sides often to prevent the formation of any lumps and streaks of cheese throughout the batter. It is also important to use the paddle attachment on your stand mixer and not the whip…the key is to create a smooth, uniform mixture. We are not trying to incorporate air into the batter. If you do, the bubbles in the batter will rise to the surface of the cheesecake as it bakes creating an unappealing mottled surface. The last trick is that cheesecakes must be baked on a low temp for a long time. Making them this way does not necessarily require steam or a water bath, but you can use one if you prefer. Once they have baked, you must turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool down completely in the oven before moving them to the freezer or refrigerator. If I am slicing the cheesecake ahead of time, I prefer to freeze them first before popping them out of the pan. Then, using a hot knife I can get beautiful, clean slices for a perfect plated presentation.
Serve it plain or with a delicious anglais sauce and you will have the perfect Holiday dessert that your guests will be raving about for years to come.
Ruthie, I love you…this one is for you…
Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake (yields 2-9” cakes)
2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
5 eggs, room temperature
1-1/3 cups sour cream, room temperature
2 ½ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Remove your ingredients from the refrigerator about an hour or so before making the cheesecake batter. Then you need to decide whether you would like to use a cookie base or a cake base for the cheesecake. I happened to have some chocolate cake on hand, and since pumpkin goes really well with chocolate, I decided to use a thin layer of that as my crust. I use a regular cake pan to make the cheesecakes, and the key to using these is to make sure to grease and line them with parchment paper. To line the bottom of the pan with a perfect round piece of paper, fold the parchment in half several times (the fold should go where my finger is), then line it up with the radius of the pan, and cut.
When you unfold this, it will be perfectly round.
Add this to your greased pan, and then add your cookie crumb base or your cake base. If you are using a cake base, make sure to trim the edge a little so that the cake does not show on the sides. Once you have done this, set the pan aside.
To make the batter, add the cream cheese and the sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides and mix again until there are no lumps. Next add the sour cream and scrape down the sides again then add the vanilla, pumpkin puree, spices and lastly the eggs. Mix until it is all well incorporated, scrape down the sides again and gently mix until you have achieved a smooth batter. Pour this into your prepared pans and then place this pan into a larger pan filled ¼ of the way with water.
You do not need to cover these with foil. Place these in a preheated 250°F oven for 1 ½ hours. Once the cheesecakes have cooked, remove them from the water bath but put them back into the oven and turn the oven off. Allow them to cool completely in the oven and then refrigerate or freeze.
To pop these out of the pan, simply run a thin knife along the sides if you need to and gently heat the bottom of the cheesecake on a very low heat on the stove top, constantly rotating the pan, for a total of no more than a minute or so. Put a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the cheesecake and then either a cake circle or a large flat plate over the plastic. Pop the cheesecake out of the pan using gentle taps on the counter. Once you feel the cheesecake is out of the pan, remove the cake pan and peel off the paper lining on the bottom. The using the platter you have chosen for service, place this on the bottom of the cheesecake and now invert again until the cheesecake is right side up. Peel off the plastic wrap and either slice or decorate for presentation.
Leave a Reply