Holiday Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

The recipe I’m sharing is for a double-layered pumpkin cheesecake (half vanilla, half pumpkin pie flavour), which has a little bit of a funny story behind it. I made this for dessert for a Halloween party this year, but as I got a bit overzealous on the tequila, I might have ended up in bed while my, also quite “spirited”, guests were nomming it up from the baking tray, while standing up. They liked it quite a bit so I ended up making it again and it’s quite a festive one to try out for the holidays, as it has loads of wintery holiday-like spices in it.

I prefer making it with butternut squash instead of with pumpkins as butternut squash is a lot more flavourful and a lot sweeter. Actually, if you buy a canned pumpkin puree, it is usually indeed butternut squash inside. However, I couldn't find a canned puree in my country, so I made it myself (which is super easy) from an awesome fresh squash. Read on for instructions.

I would suggest baking it in a spring form, so you can put it in a serving dish later, if you’re making it for others. Otherwise, you can use anything that is ovenproof. For this recipe, I used individual cups.

Just have in mind that, even though the baking takes only about 40 minutes, you have to allow for it to cool off for several hours. So, prepare this a bit in advance, so it can set. If you make it in individual cups, like me, you can pull it off with shorter cooling time, as you eat it straight from the baking dish.

So there it is:

Double-layered Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake

(serves 6-8)

600 g/ 21 ounces cream cheese

200 g/ 7 ounces Greek yoghurt

2 large eggs

Several drops vanilla flavouring

1 tsp. lemon rind (optional)

½ cup caster sugar

½ cup pumpkin puree (about 200 g pumpkin or butternut squash)

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. ground cloves

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

2 tbsp. soft butter

200 g/ 7 ounces whole-grain biscuits/crackers (the crunchier, the better)

Preparation:

1. Crush the biscuits/crackers in a blender. I had no blender, so I put them in a plastic bag, wrapped the bag in a towel and hit them with a thick glass bottle until they got powdery (use a rolling pin, if you have one, instead). This is great for anger management…

Preheat the oven to 160 C/320 F.

2. Melt the butter and pour it over the crushed biscuits/crackers and mix them well. Put the mixture in the baking tray you will be using to bake the cheesecake in. Press the mixture well with your fingers so it sticks to the bottom and put the tray in the fridge so it hardens.

3. Mix cream cheese, yoghurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla and lemon rind with a mixer until fluffy. Don’t leave any lumps.

4. Spread about half the mixture over the hardened biscuit/cracker crust.

5. Add the pumpkin puree and the spices to the leftover cream cheese mixture and mix well.

If you don’t have pumpkin puree, like me, clean and peel some pumpkin (better butternut squash, as it is sweeter), chop it in small pieces and put it in the microwave with the tiniest amount of water in a microwaveable dish with a lid for about 8-10 minutes. Remove the leftover water and blend well with a stick blender, or whatever blending kitchen appliance you have. If you don’t have one, pass the boiled pumpkin through a sieve or a muslin cloth.

6. Spread the pumpkin cream cheese mixture over the white one and put in the oven for about 40 minutes. Then, switch off the oven and let the cheesecake sit for at least 30 more minutes in the switched-off oven (the oven door slightly open). If you have more time just leave it in until the oven completely cools off. To lower the chances of the cake cracking, run a knife on the edges of the cake so they separate from the baking dish. Next, take the cheesecake out and let it cool slowly first and then, put it in the fridge, covered with some cling film.

7. Serve completely cold. You can add some whipped cream. Bon appetit! 



Would you make this at home?