Years ago when I first started baking it was quite difficult to find recipes for things such as Pumpkin Pie. I'm showing my age a bit here but I used to have to read - wait for it - BOOKS to get a recipe. There was no surfing the net...well certainly not in my house. So if you couldn't find an American baking book anywhere you were stuffed.
Then, on actually discovering a recipe, I'd have to use the left over flesh from my actual pumpkin carving to make the cakes as it certainly wasn't available anywhere in cans! Life is easier now and Waitrose is one of a good few places to sell canned pumpkin puree but if you do have flesh left over from carving then that can be used too.
I know enough about baking to put together my own Pumpkin Pie inspired cheesecake just for something s little different so read on for the best Halloween recipe you'll ever eat (in my humble opinion...)
Biscuit Base:
220g Digestive Biscuits
100g Unsalted Butter, melted
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice
Dead easy - bung it all in a bowl and mix.
(Obviously you're supposed to make the biccies into crumbs first and my method is to throw them all into bowl and bash the crap out of them with the end of a rolling pin #CakeRage) Then just pour in melted butter and spices and mix up.
I'd say use a 20cm springform tin and put baking paper on the bottom, greased. Also grease around the walls of the tin with butter too. This is a baked cheesecake (New York style) and as it cooks you want the cheese filling to be able to peel away from the sides of the tin) Now you can spread your biscuit mix onto the paper and leave to chill for 30 min (ish)
Cheese:
700g full-fat cheese (3 1/2 tubs)
120g golden caster sugar
1 tsp all spice
3 large eggs
150g tinned pumpkin or pumpkin puree
When you're ready to make this bit, heat your oven to Gas Mark 3 (160C) - nice and low.
The cheese, sugar and spice can all be creamed together, then add the eggs one at a time making sure each is mixed well before you add the next. Then pop in your garish pumpkin flesh or puree (it will become a much less offensive Magnolia colour...)
This mixture can now be poured onto your chilled biscuit base. Put the whole thing into a bain-marie (i.e. a roasting tin big enough to fit your cheesecake tin in and add a few cm of water to.) Again this is because during cooking you don't want it to dry out too much and crack - the steam from the tin will keep the cheese soft and moist. If you're worried about water seeping into your springform tin (believe me the LAST thing you want is soggy biscuits...) then wrap tin foil around the bottom. I also popped foil around the top to stop it browning too quickly as it needs to stay in the oven for 50-55 min. When out it should look like this, then leave it to cool for a good long time (2-3 hrs):
Topping:
50g walnuts or pecans
50g butter
85g muscovado sugar (or similar)
Again, bung in the pan and melt together then throw/slather it all over the top of your cheesecake. Wait to cool again (yes...it's tough to wait so I suggest licking your bowl and spatula for the time being) and eventually devour.
If you give this recipe a go, let me know how it turns out and I apologise in advance for your Diabetes...xox
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