Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake
[Insert standard "this is not a fat-free recipe" disclaimer here. Geez, what was I thinking when I named this blog!]
I know most of you who celebrate Thanksgiving have already figured out your menus. I'm probably the only slacker who still doesn't know what she's cooking! I'm lucky, though. I'm going to my in-laws' celebration which is essentially a huge pot-luck. We can usually count on there being some side dishes prepared vegan just for us, so I can get away with bringing just a dish or two. At this point, I'm relatively sure that I'm making Bryanna's Soy and Seitan "Turkey," but I'm absolutely positive that I'm making this:
This pumpkin cheesecake is without a doubt the most delicious dessert I've had in a long time. The bottom layer is lightly flavored with lemon, while the top layer is pumpkin-flavored without being heavy; eaten together, they're just plain heaven. No, it's not fat-free, but I challenge you to find a lower-fat cheesecake that tastes this good. Also, it relies on agave nectar for much of its sweetness, so if you're concerned about the glycemic index, that's another point in its favor. But I warn you--you won't be able to stop at just one piece of this luscious cheesecake.
Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake
(printer-friendly version)
8 ounces Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
12 ounces light firm silken tofu (or extra-firm)
1/2 cup agave nectar (or sugar)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned, not pumpkin pie mix)
2 teaspoons rum (optional)
3 tablespoons brown sugar or natural sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg (please!)
1 pre-made 8-inch graham cracker crust
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Put the first set of ingredients (toffuti through vanilla) in a food processor and puree until completely smooth. It should be silky smooth--not chalky or lumpy.
Remove a cup of this mixture from the processor and spread it in the bottom of the crust.
Add the next set of ingredients (pumpkin through nutmeg) to the ingredients remaining in the food processor and process until well blended. Smooth it carefully over the white layer in the crust, heaping it slightly in the middle. Bake until the center is almost set, about 45-55 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 3 hours. Serve to delighted guests. (Don't tell them it's vegan, and they won't know!)
Serves 8. Per serving (not including the crust): 218 Calories (kcal); 7g Total Fat; (28% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 35g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 179mg Sodium.
Hope all of you who celebrate it have a happy Thanksgiving. And if you don't celebrate, you may in fact be saving your own life!
I know most of you who celebrate Thanksgiving have already figured out your menus. I'm probably the only slacker who still doesn't know what she's cooking! I'm lucky, though. I'm going to my in-laws' celebration which is essentially a huge pot-luck. We can usually count on there being some side dishes prepared vegan just for us, so I can get away with bringing just a dish or two. At this point, I'm relatively sure that I'm making Bryanna's Soy and Seitan "Turkey," but I'm absolutely positive that I'm making this:
This pumpkin cheesecake is without a doubt the most delicious dessert I've had in a long time. The bottom layer is lightly flavored with lemon, while the top layer is pumpkin-flavored without being heavy; eaten together, they're just plain heaven. No, it's not fat-free, but I challenge you to find a lower-fat cheesecake that tastes this good. Also, it relies on agave nectar for much of its sweetness, so if you're concerned about the glycemic index, that's another point in its favor. But I warn you--you won't be able to stop at just one piece of this luscious cheesecake.
Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake
(printer-friendly version)
8 ounces Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
12 ounces light firm silken tofu (or extra-firm)
1/2 cup agave nectar (or sugar)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned, not pumpkin pie mix)
2 teaspoons rum (optional)
3 tablespoons brown sugar or natural sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg (please!)
1 pre-made 8-inch graham cracker crust
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Put the first set of ingredients (toffuti through vanilla) in a food processor and puree until completely smooth. It should be silky smooth--not chalky or lumpy.
Remove a cup of this mixture from the processor and spread it in the bottom of the crust.
Add the next set of ingredients (pumpkin through nutmeg) to the ingredients remaining in the food processor and process until well blended. Smooth it carefully over the white layer in the crust, heaping it slightly in the middle. Bake until the center is almost set, about 45-55 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 3 hours. Serve to delighted guests. (Don't tell them it's vegan, and they won't know!)
Serves 8. Per serving (not including the crust): 218 Calories (kcal); 7g Total Fat; (28% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 35g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 179mg Sodium.
Hope all of you who celebrate it have a happy Thanksgiving. And if you don't celebrate, you may in fact be saving your own life!
Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free
Labels: higher-fat, holidays
posted by SusanV at 11:07 PM
62 Comments:
I'd love to make this for Thanksgiving! It looks very good. :P
I will not, however, eat 4,500 calories of food like that article mentions in the NYT link you posted! holy cow! 229 grams of fat??? Not with your blog recipes on my side!!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Susan!!
Susan,
I have been following your blog for about a year now. I have made many successful recipes of yours.
I never commented before, but this time I just cannot hold back... You are aware that most of us already have our menus, yet you proceed to post a recipe such as this?! You are practically forcing me to go out and buy the ingredients and change my desert plans. Somehow I think my family will thank me (or you) for this one.
Thank you,
Alyce
ok! its official! i am making that just for myself!!! forget everyone else! :)
or maybe i'll be nice & make it for christmas.
Oh man, am I making this for sure!!!!
Ah Susan, You had me at the first layer. Lovely!
Oh no...I don't have Tofutti cream cheese. Is there any way I can make my own, or can anyone tell me where to get tofutti? Trader Joe's?
This looks amazing! We don't really celebrate thanksgiving, and those American-style orange pumpkins are ridiculously expensive here. They're also only sold around Halloween, with plastic eyes and smiles glued on them...
But I think I'll try making your cheesecake with sea buckthorn jam, and tweak the spices a little bit. Thanks for the recipe, and happy thanksgiving!
Mustardseed, definitely try Trader Joe's. From what I hear, they have a lot of vegan products. If there's a Whole Foods near you, they definitely should have it.
I wanted to make something *other* than pumpkin pie this year, but I'm so in love with pumpkin pie that I just couldn't sacrifice it. Now I can!! (cause I'm making this!) :o
Susan, looks like a great recipe. I love seeing more and more desserts popping up with agave nectar too!
Susan, Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
After seeing this, I may just have to change my plans! I love how it's light and yet decadent. I also adore the two-tone...it's like a saddle-shoe cheesecake.
Susan this looks super yummy!
question: after you take a cup of the tofutti recipe, what do you do with the remainder? Or did I just miss this?
thanks!
After you take out the cup of cheesecake filling, you leave the rest in the food processor. Then add the pumpkin+spices to the processor and blend it all together for the top level.
I actually just got done making a pumpkin cheesecake when I came to your blog. I have a suggestion that helps with the texture of the pie. Put the pumpkin mix on a couple of layers of paper towels and get some of the moisture out.
^_^
Oh. My. Dog!!! This looks so scrumptious. It's going on my list of must makes for sure!
Please do let us know how Bryanna's soy and seitan turkey turns out. I've never made it and am curious to know what other people think of it.
i must make this tomorrow!!
oooo that looks AMAZING
Oh Susan, you have outdone yourself! I am having a "sympathy Thanksgiving" because I want an excuse for cool food, and have nothing so cool looking planned! I have an idea in my head for a different type of double layer pie though.....
Yum!! This Double-Layer-Pumpkin-Cheesecake looks so elegant and delicious; and hey, I forgive you for it not being fat-free - it's the holidays!! you have to live a little!! :0D
I read that article you linked to, at the end of your post - welcome to America.
Thank goodness I'll be safe from "dangerous drowsiness" while driving home from class today!
And I'm definitely putting this on the menu, for a holiday in the future. Thanks!
Oh, and Vivacious Vegan, I just saw your comment. I've made Soy and Seitan "Turkey" many times, and it's one of the best alterna-turkeys I've ever had. Much better than store bought seitan, in fact. There's a photo on my site (click my name) if you want to see it.
Looks fantastic! What makes it set? I make my regular vegan pumpkin pie with cornstarch- we like the firmer texture. Can I add that or will it spoil the effect?
Anon, there's 2 tbsp. of cornstarch already in the recipe, which is enough to help it set (it may not even need that much). This is more a cheesecake than a pumpkin pie, so the texture is lighter and less starchy than a pumpkin pie. I just transported one in a cooler for 3 1/2 hours over bumpy road, and it's still in perfect shape, so I'd say it's set just right!
oooooohhh! aaahhhhh!
Susan you have posted another fantastic recipe. I got up at 7:30 am and made if for you Thanksgiving dessert. I will post pictures the next day or so. I love it!
Susan you have posted another fantastic recipe. I got up at 7:30 am and made if for you Thanksgiving dessert. I will post pictures the next day or so. I love it!
oops! I made it for OUR Thanksgiving dessert.
Oh, my Susan! My mouth is watering!
Happy Thanksgiving!
This looks really delicious!!!
I am not vegan (=I would use ricotta instead of tofu) ... nevertheless, my first visit to your blog could not have been tastier!
Now I need to figure out the translation to metric measures.
Ciao
I made this for Thanksgiving and no one could believe it was vegan. They were shocked when I rambled off the ingerdients.
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you Susan! I made my first all vegan Thanksgiving dinner. I made you favorite lasagna and for dessert I made your pumpkin cheesecake. We had a non-vegan friend that went home stuffed!
Krystal
Absolutely delicious! I am still drooling at the layered cheesecake.
Hope u had an awesome Thanksgiving!
~ Siri
i had no dessert on thanksgiving proper, but i made this today. so glad i did, as it was nice to cook without pressure and the c'cake's glory wasn't overshadowed by other awesome foods!
That's beautiful, Susan! Like you, I don't generally figure out my thanksgiving menu until pretty much the last minute. I didn't eat this yesterday, but I hope to make it very soon!
I did it! Last minute change of dessert plans! This was so, so delicious!! Thank you, Susan! Even my husband, lover of cheesecake and all things unhealthy, thought this was the BEST!!!
Susan, this recipe is amazing...smooth, creamy and light! Even the self-declared "tofu haters" loved it! I'll definitely use this one again before the holidays are over!
Aw, I'm sad that this recipe is only for American people (lucky to have tofutti!) but I can still eat it with my eyes. Mmm.
This looks so wonderful! I think my friend who shies away from sugar will love that this uses mostly agave nectar. I am SO excited to make it for us!
(I can't have dairy, her husband can't have gluten--I'll substitute GF crushed cookies for the crust--, she doesn't want to eat dairy, wheat, or sugar... I'm always looking for recipes!)
Kathy in MD
i made it thanksgiving day., i will blog about it this week, this turn out so good, really tasty, my white layer doesnt turn as beautiful as yours but was very good!!! thanks for the recipe.
Wow...I really enjoyed this post!
I love pumpkin cheesecake!
Just out of curiosity….Do you know where I can purchase good quality foods online? I am now trying to order from online stores only because of various reasons…….can you help me with any suggestions??????
There is only one place, out of all that I have tried that really stood out for true quailty, and that is Celebrityfoodds.
If you can help me grow my list of quality services or stores, where I can buy my food, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you!
This looks great!
I'd be wary of agave, though. Apparently it's treated by the body like High Fructose Corn Syrup! I'll try the recipe with stevia and lo han guo. Looks great!
That was so Delicious! Amazing!!!! I made it for Thanksgiving dessert (after we ate the yummy sweet potato casserole and green bean casserole)! Everything was so yummy! Everyone said they would have never know it was vegan!
Oh, by the way, I had no idea about agave nectar being metabolized like high fructose corn syrup??? That's not good, considering I live on the stuff. Could you elaborate a little more, I am very curious now!
Thanks!
I've read some of the scare stories about agave nectar, but I'm just not worried. None of them come from sources I consider scientifically authoritative, and until I see one that does, I'm going to continue using it.
Looks delish. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for another great recipe. I was wondering, is pumpkin puree the same thing as canned pumpkin pie filling? If not, and if pumpkin pie filling is all my store carries, would you suggest omitting some of the other spices in the recipe? Thank you!
Theo, as you guessed, pumpkin pie filling includes spices, so if that's all you can find, leave out the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. It also may be sweetened, so leave out the sugar in that case. BUT, I seriously advise you to keep looking for the plain pumpkin. Then I know it'll turn out right.
Hi Susan,
This cheesecake is fantastic. Your picture shows a better layer than mine, but the taste was still fantastic. It is already on the menu for Christmas. Oh my, DH and I could eat the whole thing in one day if we gave it a valent effort. Thank you so much for the recipe!
How important is the tofu either being light or not firm or extra firm?
i have regular silken tofu- and it does not say light, firm, or extra firm?
Maya, what you have should be fine. I would just advise not to use soft silken tofu and to stick with silken tofu that comes in aseptic packages.
ok- thanks! i do have the refrigerated one, so i will be picking up a new one! i really enjoy your blogs- thanks alot!
So I made this delish cake last night- and Wow! It was just way better then I would have expected! I used extra-firm refrigerated tofu, and Pumpkin Pie spice- and cooked for a bit longer then called for- results? Amazing! Thanks so much- and I can't wait to try many more recipes of yours! The lasagne is probably next-haha...
I made this a week after thanksgiving and have to say it is the best vegan pumpkin pie I've had yet. It was excellent! My guys gobbled it right up. No complaints this year.
Thanks!
This was really good...but too sweet for me. My non-Vegan friends liked it too, but agreed about the sweetness... it think I might to cut it down to 1/4 of a cup agave and see. It had great texture too. I will definately make this again! Love your site!
Unfortunately, I missed this in time for Thanksgiving last month, but now I get to make this for Xmas! Yay!
Just wondering: does the filling set enough to make this in a spring-form pan? I'm thinking it'd just be easier to serve and my regular graham cracker crusts never seem to look as pretty as yours does.However, I don't want to take this out of the pan just to have it flop all over on me and be ruined :(
Animal-Friendly, I think it would work, but I haven't tried it and wouldn't want to be responsible if it flops on you. Still, it's a fairly stiff cheesecake, so who knows? Sorry I can't say for sure.
I don't have Agave Nectar, can I use organic cane sugar or something else?
Sure, organic cane sugar should work fine.
I made this for my family's christmas dinner and it was a HUGE hit! They are all meat-eaters and loved it. My dad said it was the best 'vegan thing I have ever made' and asked that I leave him an extra piece (which is an incredibly high compliment). This was my first time ever making a cheesecake - let alone a vegan one - and I couldn't believe how easy it was! Mmm so good!
Susan, do you like the vegan cheesecake listed in your "thanks and more thanks" blog entry , or do you prefer this one? I was thinking of just doubling the "vanilla" part of this cheesecake and making an entire vanilla cheesecake instead of using the pumpkin this time. (i loved it the pumpkin way too already) What is your recommendation?
Honestly, I wouldn't double the cream cheese part of this one; I think it will come out too sweet and also be too much volume for one pie crust. I would use the regular one (created by Nic at Baking Bites"), which is the general inspiration for all my cheesecakes.
I've made this a couple of times now, but finally got my Google/Blogger ID. GREAT recipe!!! I find myself cleaning the Cuisinart bowl by hand (if you know what I mean). It can be difficult to find graham crackers or premade graham cracker crusts without honey, but I've made my own crust using vegan ginger snaps instead of grahams... a spicy option which you should try. Also, note there are two varieties of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese out there; only one of them is trans-fat free. Read the labels!
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home