Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream (eggless)

Ahhhh, fall. All sorts of wonderful seasonal ingredients are abound in my neck of the woods, such as apples, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and pumpkin. All of these lovely, healthful foods appeared on our Thanksgiving table this year. Of course, we made them much more... healthful... by adding all manner of sugars, creams, and cheeses to them!

Oops.  A little cheesecake fell into my pumpkin.

I do love when fall comes around, for various reasons.  One of the top reasons has to be that fall squashes are back in season.  I certainly feel fortunate to live somewhere that has all types of produce available year round.  But squash just doesn't taste its brightest in the summer months.  So I tend to become addicted to squash at this time of year.  I will indulge in steamed butternut squash several times a week.  Steamed pumpkin may also make it to my plate.

Of course, a generous dollop of whipped cream was required.  It just was.

However, despite the above ode to all things squashy, I am not a fan of canned pumpkin puree.  I fear it might be a major faux pas to admit that in the world of vegetarian food blogs.  It seems to show up in all sorts of recipes online.  I can't fault it as a convenience food with many health benefits.  But it does seem to have a tannic aftertaste and none of the sweetness that fresh pumpkin naturally has.  My exception to this dislike is using it in baked goods.  This is where pumpkin cheesecake makes its appearance.  This recipe happened almost by accident last year when I wanted to make a dessert for Thanksgiving that would be eggless.  I had a mostly full can of pumpkin puree (I was trying to incorporate it into my diet - I really did try!) and I knew that my egg allergy guest loved cheesecake.  It was one of those serendipitous moments in baking that happens once in a blue moon - I mixed a load of ingredients together and something edible emerged from the oven!  (This is a rare event.  I once baked 14 mini variations of an eggless Nutella cheesecake with the result of only one being even remotely edible >.<)

This recipe creates a dense cheesecake with a light pumpkin flavour.  I've had cinnamon and pumpkin haters happily eat this dessert.  It is also my only cheesecake recipe that has never cracked after baking!  The cinnamon topping was a quick last minute idea also, but it turned out so well that certain people have forbidden me from making this recipe without it!

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream (eggless)

Makes 8-10 servings

Crust

• 1 and 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp butter, melted

 Filling

• 16oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9-inch cake tin and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a bowl.  Press graham mixture into the bottom of the cake tin and set aside.
3. Place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth.  Add the rest of the filling ingredients and mix until combined, preferably with a hand blender for maximum smoothness.  Pour cheese mixture onto prepared graham crust.
4. Bake for 55-65 minutes until barely browning on edges and slightly puffed up.  Let cool at room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
5. A few minutes before serving, prepare the topping.  Place all topping ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk with an electric whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form.  Spread topping on cheesecake and serve!

I hope you enjoy :)

Vanilla Chocolate Marble Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (eggless)

Let me tell you about the secret to living an awesome life.  It is rather simple.  Eat cake.  Preferably Awesome Cake.

Awesome Cake

Hmmm, I feel as though there is something wrong with the above photograph.  What was that?  Awesome Cakes cannot be truly awesome without being drowned in topped with some sort of creamy, frosting goodness, you say?

Ooooooh. Airy.

Done.

Also, check out the texture on that cake.  This is the fluffiest eggless cake recipe that I have come across.  While I personally wouldn't classify it as a "spongecake", it does not have the same heaviness that many eggless cake recipes can't shake.  Now that is what I call success :)

Marble Cake (eggless)
Adapted from Sharmis Passions blog.

Makes 8-10 servings

• 1 and 1/2 cups sieved all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup plain yogurt (I've used a few different types and they've all worked, but 3% M.F. has produced my favourite result)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 and 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (canola is my preference)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup sieved cocoa powder (I ended up putting in 1/3 cup because I like a more intense chocolate flavour)

1.      Preheat oven to 400F.  Grease a loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2.      Mix sugar and yogurt in a medium-sized mixing bowl until sugar is dissolved.

3.      Add baking soda and baking powder and mix well.  Leave aside for 7 minutes.  Small bubbles should appear on the surface of the mixture.

4.      Mix in vanilla and oil.  Add flour in small portions and mix each portion in gently until incorporated.

5.      Divide half of the batter into another bowl.  Add the cocoa powder and mix until the batter has an even dark brown colour.

6.      Spoon alternate layers of the vanilla and chocolate batters into the loaf pan.  Use a fork or knife to swirl the layers up into a marbled pattern.  A good demo of this technique can be found here.

Gratuitous batter close-up

7.      Bake for 10 minutes then lower oven temperature to 350F.  Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.  Cool in pan for at least 15 minutes. 

8.      Cool completely at room temperature before frosting.  Top with chocolate buttercream frosting and serve!

The chocolate buttercream frosting that I used came from Savory Sweet Life.  I love the deep chocolate flavour that it provided.  I didn't make any changes to the frosting recipe except for adding a few extra tablespoons of whipping cream at the end to smooth out the consistency. 

I hope you enjoy :)