Baked Eggnog Pumpkin Cheesecake—Prototype 6:
 
The changes for this December 2014 update are nearly trivial, compared to the previous prototype (just a little more vanilla in the crust and re-adjusted baking times for the two batters).
 
2-to-1 Blend of Yogurt Cheese and Cottage Cheese:
Prepare ahead of time 2 pounds of yogurt cheese, derived from two 32-ounce containers 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 16 ounces (1 pint) of whipped, lowfat cottage cheese.

Crust:
2 oz. melted, white chocolate
8 oz. (1 cup) 2-to-1 blend of yogurt cheese and cottage cheese (see above)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 oz. All-Bran, ground up

Pour this crust mixture into pan (9 to 9 1/2 inches) and pre-bake without tub at 300 degrees for 10 minutes, then cool enough to comfortably touch at least the pan's upper sidewall.

Eggnog Batter:
2 tablespoons melted or softened butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (20 oz.) 2-to-1 blend of yogurt cheese and cottage cheese (see above)
2 cups light eggnog
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/8 cup arrowroot
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs

Wrap the pan in foil, and pour the eggnog batter on top of the crust, no higher than halfway from the crust's surface to the top of the pan (for suggestions on what to do with any excess batter, see Prototype 5 of this cheesecake). Then place this pan in a tub—filled slightly more than halfway, or about 3/4 of an inch, with boiling water. Bake all this at 325 degrees for about 60 minutes. Next, lower the temperature to 300 degrees and continue baking for another 15 minutes. Then take the whole pan-and-tub setup out of the oven, and carefully get it to a comfortable place. Promptly add the pumpkin batter as indicated below.

Pumpkin Batter:
2 tablespoons melted or softened butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (20 oz.) 2-to-1 blend of yogurt cheese and cottage cheese (see above)
7 oz. pumpkin butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot
2 eggs

Carefully scoop this on top of the eggnog batter and return the pan-and-tub setup to oven, still at 300 degrees, and add more hot water to the tub (at this point, go ahead and fill it all the way). Bake for about 105 more minutes. After that, turn oven off, leaving cheesecake in it (still in tub as well), with the door slightly ajar, for another 60 minutes. Next, remove cheesecake from oven and tub and let cool in its pan at room temperature for another 120 minutes. Afterwards, remove cheesecake from pan and refrigerate.

Eggnog Pumpkin Cheesecake—Prototype 6

The baking time modifications paid off, as the pumpkin layer's top turned out nicely this time.

By the time I reached the fellowship hall at Living Hope Church—roughly 5 minutes after a Sunday morning worship service in late December of 2014 (4 days before Christmas, to be more exact)—there was only about 1/4 of this cheesecake left (it was served among a modest snack selection). All of it ended up being devoured within, what seemed to be to me, about 15 minutes. I was glad—and fortunate enough—to get one delicious slice before the whole thing disappeared.
 

Back to my bushy homepage