adventures in baking- pumpkin cheesecake

A few things led to today's adventure...
1. Mr. J has been having a horrible week (year) at work lately.
2. I try to do little things that make him happy. (Like replacing the toilet paper when I use it all, so he doesn't have to do the walk of shame- too often.)
3. He loves pumpkin pie.
4. I do not.
5. Well, I like the taste. I just don't like the texture.  But you know what I do love? CHEESECAKE.
Sweet, smooth, velvety, melt in your mouth New York cheesecake.
6. mmm cheesecake.
Sorry! I'm distracted. Drooling on the keyboard, dreaming about cheesecake.
7. Then it hit me! Why not combine cheesecake & pumpkin and have a PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE?

The following recipe is adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

Non food items needed
9 in springform pan
tin foil
hand mixer
mixing bowls
spatula
nonstick spray
a roll of paper towel

Ingredients
Crust:
9 whole graham crackers - honey or cinnamon.  Cinnamon will make it a little sweeter
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 heaping teaspoonful ground ginger
1/2 heaping teaspoonful ground cinnamon
1/4 heaping teaspoonful ground cloves
6 tablespoons of melted, unsalted butter.

graham cracker crumbs

I used Mr. J's full  beer can to crush the crumbs. works wonders. 

Preheat oven to 345 degrees.

Spray bottom and sides of springform pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

Turn graham crackers into... graham cracker crumbs. I dumped all 9 crackers into a large mixing bowl and beat them, rolled them, and crushed them with a can of Labatt. A drinking glass would have worked, or rolling them out on a cookie sheet with a roller works wonders, as well.  

Mix crumbs with all the spices.

swirly, swirly spicy goodness

Add melted butter to the graham cracker/spice and mix with a spatula until everything is moist.  Dump mixture into your greased springform pan, and spread evenly.  Using a glass with a flat bottom (I used my Labbatt can again), squish the crumbs down into an even layer.  Use a spoon to press edges down firmly.  

Bake until edges are brown, usually 15 to 20 minutes depending on oven.

Set aside to cool while preparing filling.

Filling

1 1/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoonful ground cloves

1/2 teaspoonful salt

1 15 ounce can pumpkin 

3 packages of 8 oz cream cheese

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (the real stuff! if using imitation, use 4 or 5 teaspoonsful)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

5 large eggs, room temp

1 cup heavy cream

Anybody who has made pumpkin pie before, knows that it's a very liquid batter. Pumpkin has high water retention.  It is, after all, a vegetable. 

 So, you'll need to take some of that water out of the pumpkin for this to work. Line a cookie sheet with about 3 layers of paper towel and spread the pumpkin evenly across them.

See how much water comes out of the pumpkin puree after just dropping it on the paper towel? Crazy.

Take 3 more layers of paper towel and press it against the pumpkin. Repeat several times.  I found using a heavier brand of paper towel worked much better than a store brand.

Flip pumpkin puree a couple of times by lifting one of the bottoms layers. Saturate more water.

After doing this a couple of times, I then placed the pumpkin in my sifter, with a paper towel under it, so it could continue to drain.

Mix sugar spices in a small bowl. Set aside

In large bowl, beat cream cheese at medium speed to soften it.  I usually let my cream cheese set on the stove while it's preheating, so it's pretty soft. The softer your cream cheese, the easier it mixes.  I've broken more than one hand mixer by not letting it get soft before attempting to mix it. 

I love whipped cream cheese. yummy.

Add in sugar mixture, gradually, blending on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl as you mix. 

Sugar mixture with cream cheese

After sugar mixture is fully mixed in, add the vanilla, lemon juice and pumpkin.

Mix together on medium low.

I'm pretty sure I was throwing up something that looked a lot like this the day after my birthday...

Next, the eggs.

Add 3eggs and beat together on medium low.

After mixed, add last 2 eggs.

You'll notice the batter is starting to get a lot runnier.

After the eggs are completely mixed in, add the heavy cream.

Mix well with hand mixer, then gently stirring with spatula.

Pour into pan. I always line the bottom of my spring form pan with foil, as it makes it easier to remove when the cake is completely cooled.  I don't have to worry about people scratching the bottom of my pan when cutting their serving, either.

Smooth out mixture with spatula.

Notice the cute baby springform in the background?  My mommy got it for me.  I poured a bit of the mixture into that, for my best friend.  I'm always sending her pictures of my yumminess, but never sharing. This way, if I don't get to see her, I can always leave it in her mail box. 

Bake for approximately 60-80 minutes. Every oven is different. The cake is done with center of the cake is just slightly wobbly when shaken.

little baby cheesecake. awww

Finished, cooling result. :)

NOTES:
I'm not concerned about cracking.  Cooking the cake this way, will almost guarenntee it will crack.  If you're cooking for appearance and not just to make your special someone smile, or your tummy happy, use a water bath.  Wrap spring form pan in tin foil and submerge in a large tin roasting pan. (Many dollar stores sell these for a dollar.) Fill pan with water and bake the cheesecake inside of the roasting pan.  This will ensure the cake is cooked only at the temperature of the boiling water, ensuring a slow, even bake.

:)
_Ellie_