At times I surprise myself on how I’m able to make a product look desirable and then there are times it doesn’t always work in my favor.
Earlier this year, a white chocolate cheesecake was disastrous right from the start. From the moment I placed that cheesecake into the oven, I purposefully ignored the leaking batter from the spring-form pan thinking the heat will cook the cheesecake quick enough to stop the leaking. Seriously?! What was I thinking. I later regretted it while scrubbing the hell out of the bottom of my oven. But it didn’t just end there. The center of the cake cracked and the edges burned like bubbled pizza crust. With all my pride, I tried my hardest to disguise the blatant imperfections because I swore it was still going to taste great; it was too late. That post never made onto URBAN BAKES. I just couldn’t allow it.
You’d think with all the baking I do, this couldn’t be possible but it happens. More than you think. My only hope is that overtime, the frequency of mistakes will lessen through trial and error.
Since my initial leaking-burned cheesecake, I’ve learned to place a cookie sheet directly under the spring-form pan (EVERY TIME) to catch any drippings. As I think about the past, I can’t help but to think to myself, “Aduh, I should have known that!” but I didn’t and I’m sure many others have made the same mistake.
Spring-form pans are truly amazing baking pan to own. A bit more pricey than regular pans but if given the choice between regular or spring-form, it is always the latter.
So with all the spring-form pan babble, I ended up making mine square. Ha! To be honest, I don’t even know what to say to that. I guess I felt the need to be a little different since everywhere I looked I had seen a round pumpkin cheesecakes. Oh well. I’ll show you a round one next time.
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Pumpkin Cheesecake with Oreo-Pecan Crumb Crust
- Total Time: 5 hours
- Yield: 16 squares 1x
Ingredients
CHEESECAKE
- 24 Oreos
- 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
- 2 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese, softened
- 7 oz. canned pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
GARNISH
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 16 pecan halves (optional)
Instructions
CHEESECAKE
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line 8×8 or 9×9-inch pan with aluminum foil allowing tab to extend over two opposing sides; set aside.
- Place Oreos in a large zip lock bag. Using a rolling pin, crush Oreos until fine crumbs result. A food processor may be used in replace of the rolling pin-method.
- In a medium bowl, mix Oreos, pecans and butter. Press onto bottom of pan.
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin, sugar, spice, vanilla and eggs and beat on low speed until well combined.
- Pour over crust. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes until center is set.
- Cool completely over counter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or until ready to serve.
GARNISH
- In a chilled medium bowl, beat heavy cream and vanilla until still peaks form. Place a dollop of cream onto each square.
- In a small bowl, melt chocolate in microwave at 30 second intervals until completely melted. Stir after each 30 second interval to prevent scalding.
- Thinly spread melted chocolate over back of a large pan. Refrigerate 5 – 7 minutes. Remove and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Using a sharp spatula, scrape away from you and against the chocolate at a 30° to 45° angle. Curls should form. Place a chocolate curl and pecan on top of each dollop. ENJOY!
Notes
- If crumbs remain dry after adding butter, mix in another tablespoon of melted butter or margarine at a time.
- Crumb crust is ready when pressed against the side of the bowl and stays in place.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes