One of the best parts if thanksgiving is DEFINITELY the desserts!!
I had the immense pleasure of tasting an awesome pumpkin cheesecake this thanksgiving and could not stop thinking about it for a few days so I decided to give it a try.
I looked up a few recipes and tried to draw what I liked from each one. I was also really eager to attempt a low fat version using Neufchâtel cheese and yogurt instead of cream cheese and sour cream.
As this is in the baking realm, measurements are somewhat important. But luckily in cheesecake, not as strict. Works for me, a lazy measurer hah!!
So basically for the filling I used….
1 packet Neufchâtel cheese
Half a tub of vanilla yogurt (yay chobani!!)
Maybe 3/4 cup sugar (depending on your taste really)
1 can pumpkin
2 eggs (separated)
I mixed everything together except the two egg whites I set aside. Someone told me that to achieve a light fluffy texture, I should whisk the whites separately and then fold it into the filling mixture after.
So I decided to do it that way. Aren’t I ambitious. =P
And the crust! (My favorite part I have to admit)
I crushed some low fat honey Graham crackers up into a bowl.
I mixed in a touch of brown sugar, maybe a tablespoon at most.
And then the piece de resistance…..!
I grated some fresh ginger into the mixture!
This was a little bit of my own twist on the flavors as I had this idea in my mind that pumpkin and ginger go beautifully together!
Cut in about a half stick of butter and press the mixture down into the bottom of your dish.
Now on that note, I was supposed to use a spring form pan to cook a cheesecake. However I don’t have one. And since this was my first experiment, I figured that I would perfect my recipe and technique before buying ANOTHER piece of bakeware to stuff into my kitchen cabinets.
So I used a pie dish for now. Don’t judge!
And thennnnnnn…… Filling + crust
Bake at 350 F for about 40 to 50 mins.
And there you go!!
Now for my first time, I would say I didn’t do too badly.
The flavors were definitely my cup of tea. Not too sweet and I loved the ginger in the crust.
My downfall was the cooking time, as I overcooked it a tad and the filling cracked after cooling down.
The filling, luckily, was still moist and creamy despite that. Just ugly looking haha!
All in all, I would say close your eyes and take a bite!
On a last note, here are some tips I read online that I felt were simple but relevant to the success of a simple cheesecake.
Don’t over mix your filling… I forget why. But just don’t. Google it haha
Don’t over cook your cheesecake. Basically you want to take the cheesecake out when the filling is still jiggly and it will firm up as it cools.
When you take the cheesecake out of the oven, while it’s still hot, run a knife around the edges to separate the filling from the sides of the pan.
As cheesecake cools, the cheese filling reduces in siZe and by separating it from the sides, it prevents it from cracking as the filling tends to stick to the sides and therefore forms cracks as it cools.
Okay. That’s my .02 right there.
Cook/ eat with you soon 😉
schtepharnie 