Festive Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Sauce

 I would say this cheesecake is more seasonal than festive however festive has an undeniable cheery celebratory ring to it. Drizzling caramel sauce over top definitely completes an autumnal feel and taste in every slice.     

Festive Pumpkin Cheesecake 

------------------------------------------------------------------

1  1/4 cups graham crumbs

1/4 cup butter, melted

1  1/2 cups canned pumpkin

3 eggs

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1  1/2 teaspoons pumkin pie spice 

3 packages (250g each) Philadelphia Brick Cream Cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line the bottom of a spring form pan with baking parchment paper.

Mix graham crumbs and butter together; press onto bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice.

In another large bowl beat the cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch. Blend in the pumpkin mixture. Pour over crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until centre is just set. Remove from oven, cool 5 minutes, and run a knife around rim of pan. Cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Top or drizzle with caramel sauce. 

Notes: if you do not have pumpkin pie spice then use... 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg. 

You may use whatever caramel sauce recipe you wish or a ready made one however my son, lended a hand, and made this one from a website called Sally's Baking Addiction. I have included the recipe below.   

Caramel Sauce

----------------------------------------------------

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

6 tablespoons (90g) salted butter, room temperature cut up into 6 pieces

1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream

1 teaspoon salt

Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a high heat resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-coloured liquid as you continue to stir. Be careful not to burn.

Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added.

Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2 minutes. If you notice the butter separating or if the sugar clumped up, remove from heat and vigorously whisk to combine it again. (If you're nervous for platter, wear kitchen gloves. Keep whisking until it comes back together, even if it 3 - 4 minutes. It will eventually - just keep whisking. Return to heat when it's combined again.)

Very slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of heavy cream while stirring. Since the heavy cream is colder than the caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble when added. Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils.

Remove form heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Allow to slightly cool down before using. Caramel thicken as it cools.

Cover tightly and store for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. Caramel solidifies in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove to desired consistency.

Notes: 1/4 cup of chopped mixed nuts were added to the sauce. 

Sorry, about the late post. Have a nice weekend and enjoy the long weekend everyone! 

- JD 

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Caramel Sauce

While others reach for a frothy pumpkin spice latté, I prefer to make and enjoy a slice of pumpkin spice cake. It is October and the Fall season is here. Releasing every colourful sun drenched leaf at a time. And for those that want a change from pumpkin pie this cake will certainly satisfy that rich amber craving that has become so familiar with this season.   

Pumpkin Spice Cake
----------------------------------------- 
16 oz can of pumpkin (approx. a 540ml can)
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
4 eggs, beaten 
2 cups of cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 
1/2 teaspoon salt

Notes: If you do not have or can not find coconut sugar that use 2 cups of caster/white sugar. You can use 2 cups of all purpose flour if you do not have cake flour.

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF

2. Grease and flour a bundt cake tin.

3. Combine all the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt) into a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl beat the pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and apple sauce until smooth.

5. Add the eggs and mix well.

6. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and using a spatula stir until well blended. 

7. Pour the batter into prepared cake tin. And place in the oven. 

8. Bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
I usually check the cake after 45 minutes. Then adjust the remainder of the baking time according to how well the cake is done at that point. I did end up baking the cake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.  

Let cool on a wire rack. Once cake has cooled remove from tin. Dust with icing sugar or drizzle with a caramel sauce.
  
Caramel Sauce
----------------------------
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons half and half (I used 2% milk instead)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan. Boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and spoon over cake.

You can serve immediately or let the caramel sauce cool. To which it takes on more of a maple sugar flavour reminiscent of those little maple leaf shaped sugar cubes.


Enjoy! - JW