Today is the Greatest.... Day for Pumpkin Cheesecake

by Holladay Allen

Native Foods Cafe

Were you looking for a really good reason to celebrate today and eat some amazing pumpkin cheesecake?  Well, I have got one for you.  It is National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day!  Ahem, National VEGAN Pumpkin Cheesecake Day!  So in honor, let’s prepare then share and enjoy a vegan pumpkin cheesecake… all together now.  This delicious recipe is from Isa Chandra and the mighty Post Punk Kitchen, which is an amazing wealth of recipes, forums and other cool stuff.  Thank you Isa!

Crust:

1 ¼ cups ginger snaps, finely ground (I used Anna's Ginger Thins, one box is it!)

3 TBSP sugar

3 TBSP vegan butter

1 TBSP plain almond milk

 

Filling:

½ cup raw cashews, soaked in water till very soft, about 8 hours

¼ cup mashed banana

1 12 oz pack silken tofu, firm or extra firm

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 TBSP cocnut oil, room temperature

2 TBSP cornstarch

2 TBSP lemon juice

2 ½ tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp orange zest

¼ tsp salt

1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree (about 1 can)

¾ tsp cinnamon, ground

¼ tsp ginger, ground

¼ tsp nutmeg, ground

 

Topping:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 TBSP vegan butter

dash of salt

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

 

Make the crust:
Preheat oven to 350F and lightly spray a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, combine the crumbs and sugar. Drizzle in the oil or melted margarine.

Use a spoon to blend the mixture thoroughly to moisten the crumbs, then drizzle in the soy milk and stir again to form a crumbly dough.

Pour the crumbs into the pan. Press firmly into the bottom.  Pre-baked crust:

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Bake for 8 to 12 minutes until firm. Let the crust cool a bit before filling. Keep oven on 350 to bake the cheesecake.

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Make the topping:
In a mixing bowl use a fork to mash together brown sugar, margarine, and salt until crumbly, then fold in the chopped nuts and stir to coat the mixture. Set aside until ready to use.

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Make the filling:
Drain the cashews and place in a blender with the banana, tofu, sugar, brown sugar, coconut oil, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, orange zest, and sea salt. Blend until completely smooth and no bits of cashew remain, a food processor or strong blender should be able to get the job done.

Set aside 1/2 cup of batter. To the remaining batter, add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg and blend until smooth, then pour it into the crust. Randomly spoon dollops of the reserved batter onto the cheesecake. Poke the end of a chopstick into a batter blob and gently swirl to create a marble pattern; repeat with the remaining dollops.

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Bake the cheesecake for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove cheesecake halfway through baking and sprinkle on the topping. Return to oven to continue baking. Cheesecake will be done when the top is lightly puffed and the edges of the cake are golden. Remove it from the oven and let cool on a rack for about 20 minutes...

My super-sophisticated cooling rack:

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Then transfer to the refrigerator to complete cooling, at least 3 hours or even better if overnight.

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To serve, slice the cake using a thin, sharp knife dipped in cold water. 

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If you are strapped for time, you can always pick up a piece of vegan pumpkin cheesecake from your nearest Native Foods Cafe as well:

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Today is the Greatest....

 

 

Comments

[Taylor @ Same Day Loans]

That’s really yummy and I think that might be perfect at the Halloween party table. It looks really easy to make and I’ll get back to you after making this pumpkin cheeses cake.