Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

A few weeks ago my Facebook feed was nothing but posts about this friend and that friend going to The Cheesecake Factory. I have never been there...which as insane as it sounds, it might have to stay that way. I think the nearest one is about 25 minutes from my house so it's not that it's too far to drive to. Even though I've never looked at the prices, I'm sure it's an affordable date night option for my boyfriend and I. It's not the inability of the menu items to tickle my fancy. In fact...it's precisely the opposite. Cheesecake is my indulgent dessert of choice. And I am an equal opportunity taste tester. I've not met a cheesecake that I didn't love. I love it all. No bake, drizzled, no crust, graham cracker crust, single layer, double layer .... I could go on but I'll stop.

So one of my friends posted a picture of the Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory and I was intrigued. Very intrigued. I figured with all the buzz about this place and the looks of that gorgeous slice of heaven, I had to get my hands on a piece of it. Since I wasn't able to convince her that it was toxic for her health and that she should bring it to me, my fingers started typing away on my iPad and I landed on recipe that was highly rated for it's awesomeness and exactness to the Cheesecake Factory's creation. So....I got started. I was actually home from work sick that day but I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I picked myself out of bed, took a shot of cold medicine and headed for the kitchen.**Side note - I love having the option of using fat free or reduce fat cream cheese in recipes. I love it. However, I don't recommend this short cut when baking, especially when the cream cheese is THE star of the recipe**

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

 

Crust:

Cinnamon Graham Crackers
6 T melted butter

2 T sugar

Cinnamon, to taste

Cheesecake:

3-8oz packages Cream Cheese, softened
3 eggs

1 c. sugar

1 tsp PURE vanilla

1 1/2 c. Pumpkin Pie mix (Libby's brand)

Homemade Whipped Cream Topping:
1 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream

1 c. Powdered Sugar

2 tsp Pure Vanilla

1) Preheat the oven to 350*

2) To prepare crust, open two packages of cinnamon graham crackers. Place them in a Ziploc bag and crush them until they are finely crushed. Pour them into a bowl and dump the melted butter on to them and combine. Add the sugar and cinnamon to taste (I wanted a very cinnamon-ey crust). You may need to add butter 1/2T at a time to get the right consistency. You want the crumbs to stick together but not make them too wet. Make sense? When you have the right consistency, press the crust on to the bottom of a springform pan and 1/2 way up the sides. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes to set the crust. Set aside but leave the oven on.

3) In a bowl, combine the cheese, sugar and vanilla and beat until it is smooth.

4) Add in the eggs, pumpkin and spices (if you're adding them). Beat until it is a creamy smooth mixture.

5) Pour into crust and bake for approximately 60 minutes.

6) Allow to come to room temperature then put in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly.

When you are ready to serve, top with freshly made whipped cream!

1) Pour heavy whipping cream in a very cold metal bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. (set on high and it will take about 4-5 minutes).

2) Add sugar and vanilla and beat a little longer.

3) Enjoy!!

I added a bit of cinnamon to my whipped topping for this to enhance the cinnamon experience!

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Pumpkin Crunch Cupcake

I love fall. Like...REALLY love fall. I love the chilly nights, I love making s'mores over a bonfire, I love wearing hoodies with flip flops, I love the colors. But what I love most about fall is PUMPKIN!! Everything has pumpkin!! Coffee, cakes, candles, cookies....the list goes on and on. As you can tell, I have the biggest sore spot for pumpkin!!!

So I stumbled across some inspiration on pinterest (go figure) for a pumpkin cupcake and headed straight for the kitchen. Well....I had to go pick up a few items from the grocery store first). The result was a deliciously light and fluffy cake with an airy whipped topping. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

Pumpkin Crunch Cupcake

Cake Ingredients:

24 Golden Oreos
1/2 c. Vegetable Oil
1/2 c. Cinnamon Applesauce
3 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 c. Sugar
1 c. Brown Sugar
15 oz Pumpkin Pie Puree (I used Libby's)
2 3/4 c. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
(if you use just canned pumpkin, you'll need nutmeg and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice)

Whipped Topping Ingredients:

1 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
2 tsp Vanilla
1 c. Powdered Sugar
A few dashes of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice for garnish

1) Preheat your oven to 350*
2) Line tin with cupcake liners. Separate the Oreos and drop the half with the cream in the bottom of each liner. (cream side up)
3) In a bowl, combine eggs, oil, applesauce and vanilla.
4) Stir in both white and brown sugar, and beat on low for a minute or two.
5) Stir in Pumpkin Pie Puree (if you use pumpkin puree, add your cinnamon/nutmeg here too; to taste)
6) In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix only until combined. Do NOT over mix. Take a test and add nutmeg/cinnamon/pumpkin pie spice to taste.
7) Fill the liners just shy of 3/4 full and bake for 17-20 minutes. To test, I stick a toothpick in and pull them out when the toothpick comes out sticky but not runny. I find that if you wait until the toothpick is clean that the cake is overdone.


For the whipped topping, the KEY is to use a very cold metal bowl and beaters. I put mine in the freezer when the oven gets turned. Put the heavy whipping cream in the bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Then add vanilla and powdered sugar. Then add in a few dashes of either cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and beat until the topping is stiff. Put it in a piping bag and go to town!!! Don't be shy with the topping! I sprinkled some seasoning on the top of each cupcake to add some pizazz to them.

The result is a moist fluffy wonderfully fall inspired pumpkin cake with a perfectly spiced whipped topping. The cream from the Oreo adds just a hint of creaminess to the cake and crunch is a nice finishing touch.



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