Cheesecake. Pumpkin Latte Cheesecake. Thanksgiving time

Pumpkin Latte Cheesecake. Just in time to celebrate Thanksgiving.

It’s hard not to think about the US at the moment. I have made two trips there during the long 18 month election campaign and I for one would never have guessed at the outcome and don’t even pretend to understand how it works!. Watching the news on my visits was a bit like watching some crazy soap opera.

I am wishing all my US readers and friends a happy Thanksgiving and I hope the world is still a sane place next time Thanksgiving rolls around.

I was thinking of traditional Thanksgiving flavours but wanted to bring the creamy comfort element up a little. I think we all need a little comfort and care. These are strange times and we need to look after each other. Suddenly the world looks divided into different sections and I am worried. So, I am staying in the dessert section for now. It’s the section where we are really nice to each other and where women are treated with the respect they deserve, there are no skin colours and I can marry whomever I choose. It’s a place where every speaker in every shopping centre, house and radio plays Prince songs. Yep.

So eat Pumpkin Latte Cheesecake, for now. It’s delicately delicious with warm pumpkin pie spices. If you are in other parts of the world this will make a pretty good warm weather dessert too. It is topped with the most creamy lightly sour creme fraiche….how I love that stuff.

I had a bit of a pressure point with this Pumpkin Latte Cheesecake. The timer did not go off and I left it in a little long. Overcooking cheesecakes can result in craters at the top. The next one I made just did not make it into a photograph as I had visitors arrive and it seemed a little decadent to hide it just for a photograph especially after espousing love and sharing. 🙂

So the moral of the story is undercook in preference to overcooking. ( take out when still a little wobbly cool slowly to room temperature then chill overnight) This one is not only made with baked pumpkin (pumpkin in tins is hard to come by in these parts) it also has another special feature. The pumpkin is cooked down a bit with the sugar to intensify the flavour before you make the cheesecake.  It really is worth it. It tastes so good!

Pumpkin Latte Cheesecake. Thanksgiving time

5 from 1 vote

This pumpkin cheese cake takes just that tiny bit extra time but I know you are going to love it.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 day d 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 12

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Pumpkin mixture

• 250 gm pumpkin, roasted peeled diced
• 200 gm caster sugar
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Crust

• 300 gm Speculaars Dutch style biscuits with flaked almonds and cinnamon or a substitute
• 30 gm caster sugar
• 80 gm butter melted

Filling

• 750 gm cream cheese 3 x 250 gm left out of the fridge to soften
• 250 ml cream
• 6 whole eggs large
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 250 gm cream fraiche or sour cream
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg to finish

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350
   Put the roasted pumpkin, sugar and spices into a pot and stir on low heat mashing and making a nice puree. This intensifies the spices and helps to evaporate excess liquid in the pumpkin. Stir till shiny and darkened a little. Set aside
2. Put the biscuits and sugar into the food processor and blitz till fine. Add the butter and process again. *Press the crumbs into the tin with the back of a spoon or a glass and bake for 15 minutes. Set aside
3. Turn the oven down to 160 C / 320 F Put the pumpkin, cream cheese, cream, vanilla and eggs into the food cleaned processor and mix till smooth. Pour into the tin (don't forget well lined with foil). Boil the jug and pour water into the water bath to half way up the side of the cheesecake.
4. Bake for 90 minutes. It should be still a little wobbly. Take out and cool on a rack without unwrapping
5. For the topping. Mix the cream fraiche or sour cream with the sugar. Spread over the top of the chilled cheesecake. Pop under a hot grill for 5-8 minutes or until starting to set. It shouldn't colour but as it gets hot it will set. Sprinkle with fresh nutmeg. chill for 10 minutes

Notes

** Substitute all the spices with 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
** To make an extra crispy base chill before baking
** If you have a smaller packet of biscuits (or want to add more crust follow these instructions) :
For less, reduce the butter adding about 3/4 then mix and combine and test by, taking a small handful of crumbs and squeezing them. They should mostly stay together in a little clump. If the crumbs just fall apart you need to add a little more butter (at a time.)
Crumbs should not be greasy nor should butter squeeze out of them.
Strain cream cheese mixture through a sieve if the pumpkin is fibrous or there are any lumps in the cream cheese

For more cheesecake recipes try this guide

Or try a Pumpkin Latte Dip Cheesecake by changing the flavours of this one