Food Challenges

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

I found some cute little miniature spring form pans when I was out shopping recently. Their base is 4 inches in diameter. I decided to pick up a couple to use for smaller projects. I felt they would be perfect for my cooking experiments in general and our very small family in particular. How often do you have a large cake or dessert that’s just too much for your household to consume before it “passes its rotting date”, as my youngest used to say? So when I decided to try making a gluten free pumpkin cheesecake, I gave my mini pans their maiden voyage. I’m going to use it to replace pumpkin pie at my Thanksgiving dinner!


The resulting cheesecake is rich and tangy, with a velvety smoothness and sweet, crunchy crust. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did.


Preheat the oven to 150C or 300F


Brush the inside of two miniature spring form pans with oil and line the bottom with parchment paper.


Crust:


1 cup crushed cinnamon cookie crumbs (gluten free)
3 Tbsp melted butter
¼ tsp ground nutmeg


Combine the ingredients. Divide the mixture into 3 parts and press one part into each of the two pans. Reserve the remaining cookie crumbs to decorate the top of the cheese cake before serving.


Refrigerate the pans and cookie crumb mixture.


I used a commercially prepared biscuit style cookie to make the crumbs. I placed them in the food grinder to crush them. I used one 125 gram package. Another time I would plan to make my own gluten free graham crackers for the crust. However, when time is of the essence, the commercially prepared biscuits work well.


Filling:


¼ cup ricotta or pressed, dry curd, cottage cheese
½ cup cream cheese
½ cup pure pumpkin purees (not pumpkin pie filling)
3 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp beaten egg
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ginger


Blend until a smooth liquid batter is produced. Pour into the mini spring form pans on top of the crust.


Baking:


Place a pie plate half full of water on the bottom rack in the oven that has been preheated to 300F or 150C. Place the mini cheesecake tins on a cookie sheet on the middle rack in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes. The edges will be slightly raised and firm. The centres will still be soft. Remove from the oven and set on a cookie rack to cool.


When they have cooled, cover them with tin foil and place them in the refrigerator for 6 hours to set. Just before serving, run a blade around the inside of the pan and release the spring form. Cut into serving size pieces and top with the remaining cookie crumb mixture. Serve with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

Tags: Celiac Disease, cheesecake, dessert, food allergies, food intolerances, food sensitivities, gluten free, Liana Brittain, pumpkin, pumpkin cheesecake, Thanksgiving dessert, Thanksgiving dinner, wheat free