Pumpkin Cheesecake
Hard to believe that you can make a pumpkin cheesecake that is free of gluten, dairy and refined sugar and still have it taste amazing? Today is your lucky day! We made this recipe as part of our Thanksgiving Favorites class in November of 2021. It is smooth, creamy and full of pumpkin cheesecake flavor, yet so much lighter. It also happens to be a beautiful dessert when serving company! It is the perfect end to a Thanksgiving feast or anytime you are looking for a pumpkin treat! Be sure to check out the video link below to see just how we made it in class!
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 ½ cups pecans/walnuts, toasted
1 cup almond flour
¾ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. Maple syrup (try a vanilla or Bourbon barrel Maple syrup if you can)
2 Tbsp. Refined coconut oil, melted
Filling:
2 cups cashews, soaked 3 hours to preferably overnight
6 Tbsp. water
3 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
3 Tbsp. liquid Allulose
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup (4oz) refined coconut oil
1 15oz. can 100% pure organic pumpkin
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cloves
Directions:
Toast pecans and/or walnuts in a dry pan, stirring frequently until they start to smell toasty. You may begin to see them browning, this is fine, but do not allow to burn. Remove from pan to allow them to cool without cooking further.
In a food processor, pulse the toasted nuts until they are well ground, ensuring that they do not become nut butter. Add almond flour and the rest of the crust ingredients. Pulse until crust begins to clump together and when squeezed between your fingers, will hold together.
Pour crust mixture into a 9” springform pan. Use a glass to press the crust mixture into all parts of the bottom of the pan, starting in the center and moving out to edges. If mixture sticks to the glass, moisten your fingers and press it back in place. Place in the freezer until ready to fill.
To the bowl of your blender add soaked cashews, water, maple syrup, allulose, salt and vanilla. Blend at high speed until the mixture is nice and smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. While running, add the melted coconut oil until all combined and very smooth.
Remove ¼ cup of mixture from blender and set aside. This will be used to create a swirl at the end.
To the blender, add the pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Blend on low until combined.
Remove the crust from the freezer and pour the filling into the pan. Bang pan on counter a few times to remove air bubbles. Next, drop teaspoons full of the reserved cashew cream onto the surface of the cheesecake. Use a chopstick, toothpick, or the tip of a knife to swirl the cream into the surface of the cheesecake. Don’t over swirl!
Place the cheesecake into the freezer for a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight. On Thanksgiving Day, remove the cheesecake from the freezer in the morning and allow to thaw in the refrigerator until dinnertime, about 8 hours.
To plate, run a knife gently around the sides of the springform pan to release the cheesecake. Release the sides of the springform pan and serve on the base or gently slide off to a cake plate. This is easiest to do when still partially frozen.
Serve as is, with some coconut cream whipped cream, or thin some pumpkin butter with a little water making a delicious pumpkin sauce.