Pumpkin Cheesecake
I've had the most aggravating last couple of weeks. All I want to do is get home early enough to pull something together in the kitchen, a pot of chili or a pork tenderloin. But it's always something: delays with the subway, Lamaze class, last-minute projects at work that have to be done RIGHT NOW. Just when I think things are going to calm down, they don't. I guess it's something I should get used to as a woman who's 7 months pregnant. I'll have someone else dictating my entire schedule in a while.
So even though the process of making a cheesecake did not go smoothly for me this weekend, I still thoroughly enjoyed it, and was even glad for the little difficulties. And I am definitely a big cheesecake fan.
This was a pumpkin cheesecake from the new More from Magnolia cookbook. It starts with a gingersnap crust made from a full stick of melted butter combined with 1 1/2 cups gingersnap crumbs and 1/2 cup toasted pecans combined, pressed into a 10-inch springform (I used 9-inch because it's what I have) and baked for 10 minutes in a 325 degree oven.
While that cooled, I beat 12 ounces cream cheese on low until smooth, then added 3/4 cup each granulated and packed brown sugars (my brown sugar ended up being a little lumpy, but I didn't realize it at first). Then I beat in 5 eggs, one at a time, and mixed in 1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 3/4 heavy cream and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon.
To strain out the brown sugar lumps I poured the batter through a strainer over the crust. Then I baked the cake for an hour, until the edges were set and the center still shook a bit, then turned off the oven and propped the door open and left the cheesecake in there for another hour. When I came back, huge cracks had formed in the top (probably should have run a knife around the edge before I let the oven cool off). It didn't affect the taste, though. Put it in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
Now how stereotypical is this? Pregnant woman, 4 a.m., cutting herself a slice of cheesecake and pouring a glass of milk. I get hungry early in the morning and, lucky me, that's about when the cheesecake was ready. It had a lighter texture than a pure cheesecake, probably because of the pumpkin. Not too sweet, either.
