Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake—Prototype 7:
 
Fall has arrived in 2015! This latest pumpkin update is based upon my major cheesecake batter overhaul earlier that year.
 
3-Cheese Blend (1CT-1NC-4YG):
Prepare ahead of time 32 ounces of yogurt cheese, derived from two 32-ounce containers (that's 64 ounces altogether) of nonfat yogurt. If the resulting yogurt cheese falls below 32 ounces, add back enough of the whey (that was strained out from the yogurt) to make up the difference. To this yogurt cheese combine 8 ounces of whipped, lowfat cottage cheese and 8 ounces of softened Neufchatel cheese ("light cream cheese").

Crust:
2 oz. melted, white chocolate
4 oz. pumpkin butter (such as from Trader Joe's)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
8 oz. (1 cup) 3-cheese blend (see above)
2 oz. All-Bran, ground up

Place the resulting mixture in a greased 9 1/2" (or 9") pan and pre-bake without tub at 300 degrees for 5-10 minutes, depending on the mixture's thickness (closer to 10 minutes if thin enough to be fully distributed across the pan's bottom by gentle shaking, closer to 5 minutes if thick enough to require spreading out this mixture by pressing on it with a utensil and/or fingers), then cool enough to comfortably touch at least the pan's upper sidewall.

Batter:
1 cup granulated sugar
14 oz. pumpkin butter
40 oz. (5 cups) 3-cheese blend (see above)
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (5 tablespoons altogether) arrowroot
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 eggs

Wrap the pan in foil at this point (no earlier, for the sake of minimal foil disturbance), then pour the batter on top of the crust. Bake in hot water tub at 300 degrees for 105 to 115 minutes (if using a 9 1/2" pan—also see comments below). Then cool down while still in oven (with this oven shut off) and in tub with door slightly ajar for an hour. Afterwards, remove from oven and tub and continue to cool down at room temperature for another 105 to 115 minutes (see comments below), then remove from pan and refrigerate.

Pumpkin Cheesecake—Prototype 7

Another one with a smashing, great taste! I served this one at my Home Depot workplace, where it went over well. For that one, I went with 105 minutes for both the oven baking and room cooling times. I somehow ended up sensing that the batter could use more firmness.

So in repeating this prototype, I decided to oven-bake and room-cool at 115 minutes apiece (in addition to, of course, the 60 minutes of in-the-oven cooling). The outcome was fine (not "rubbery"), and I served this cheesecake at Living Hope Church, where about 3/4 of it got taken. I then brought the rest home. A few days later, I took it to a darts event where my friend Lesa's team was shooting, and Dawne (one of the members of this team) enjoyed it extensively.

In October of 2016, I made this prototype again, but this time I spotted some pumpkin chips (Nestlé Pumpkin Spice Morsels) at a local supermarket and ended up using them for a decorative border (by adding these chips around the top surface at its outer edge shortly after taking the cheesecake out of the oven).

Pumpkin Cheesecake—Prototype 7 (2016 repeat, with chips border)

This chipped version ended up being a "smashing pumpkin" at Living Hope. At least 7/8 of this cheesecake was gone within about 10 minutes. There were just two slices left at that point, when I needed to head off to a meeting. So I did not know about the outcome on the remainder of this pumpkin treat. I could only guess that it was promptly finished off.
 

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