Shaman

Spiced pumpkin cheesecake

Whipped up a luscious spiced pumpkin cheesecake today. The recipe is pretty straightforward. Here are the ingredients:

• A can of pumpkin puree
• 2 blocks of cream cheese
• 2 eggs
• A can of evaporated milk
• A teaspoon of ginger powder
• A quarter teaspoon each of cinnamon and clove powder
• A cup of Splenda (or sugar)
• Half a cup of nuts and raisins.

Bring the cream cheese to room temperature i.e. make sure it is soft. Blend the cream cheese and the Splenda/sugar using a hand beater. Slowly add the evaporated milk while continuing to blend. Beat the eggs in a separate container till they are homogeneous i.e. the yolk and the white turn into a uniform, yellow liquid. Add the spices, and then add the beaten eggs. Blend the mixture till it is smooth and homogeneous. Add the raisins and nuts and stir slowly, ensuring that they are incorporated into the mixture. In a baking dish greased with butter, sprinkle some powdered graham cracker to make a crust and bake at 375 F for 5 to 10 minutes till the crust begins to turn brown. Pour the cheese cake mixture into the baking dish. Bake at 375 F for about an hour, or till the cheesecake is just done (poke a knife into the cheesecake; if it comes out clean, you should be done). Remove from the oven and allow it to completely cool down. Refrigerate till chilled and well set. Sprinkle with cinnamon powder before serving. Perfect for a fall day.

Note: Some folks prefer using pumpkin spice instead of the ginger, cinnamon and clove powder. I prefer to use the individual spices because it produces a more fragrant cheesecake, and I love the subtle bite of the ginger. Feel free to use pumpkin spice powder if you wish. You’ll need to use about one and a half teaspoons of the pumpkin spice.

Tags: cheesecake, dessert, fall, nuts, pumpkin, raisins, spiced, spices