Pumpkin Cheesecake

An amazing pumpkin cheesecake—Lyubov Lapina tried the recipe, savored the cake :), photographed the result, and shared it with you.

For the filling: 2 eggs 1 small pumpkin (about 1 kg when peeled) approx. 1 cup of sugar (brown or regular) 200 g of cream cheese spices to taste, for example: cinnamon, dried orange zest, turmeric, small amounts of nutmeg and fresh ginger, and vanilla essence

Cut the pumpkin into cubes and simmer it, covered, over low heat. (To start, add a splash of water to the bottom of the saucepan, but very little—literally a spoonful—because the pumpkin will then release its own juices.)

It will take about half an hour for the pumpkin to become completely soft. For the last five to ten minutes, it is best to remove the lid so that the excess liquid has time to evaporate.

Meanwhile, prepare a simple shortcrust pastry. If you have different kinds of flour, feel free to experiment (the recipe's author used half a cup of rye flour and half a cup of whole wheat flour with two cups of regular high-grade wheat flour, while in my version all the flour is rice flour).

Cut a package of butter into the flour (200 - 250 g; adjust the amount of flour according to the consistency of the pastry).

Lightly beat the egg with the juice of a quarter of a lemon and about half a teaspoon of salt.

Make a "crater" in the crumbly butter and flour mixture and pour the beaten egg into it (preferably through a sieve).

Gently knead the pastry. (This type of pastry should not be kneaded for too long, as that makes it tougher. As soon as it forms a pliable ball, put it in a bag to keep it from drying out, and set it aside.)

By then, the pumpkin will have reached the right softness. Let it cool a little, then purée it with a blender.

For the filling, thoroughly mix a couple of eggs, the sugar, and the cream cheese with the pumpkin purée until completely smooth. But do not beat it (!), because this creates unwanted air bubbles that will try to rise to the surface during baking, tearing the filling. So mix briefly with a mixer on low speed.

The most interesting thing about this pie is the spices. Pumpkin itself is fairly neutral; it is no coincidence that you can use it in either a meat stew or a sweet pie. So it needs something to brighten its flavor. What you use is a matter of taste. The standard "basic" option is cinnamon and vanilla.

(The author's version uses dried orange zest, cinnamon, turmeric to reinforce the yellow color and add a little warmth to the flavor, a tiny bit of nutmeg, and vanilla essence. Grind all the dry ingredients in a mortar and add them to the filling, then pour in the vanilla essence as well.

If you like a rich, even slightly fiery flavor, you can also add ginger—but it must be fresh and grated, and only a very small amount!)

For this pie, you will need a springform pan. (After pouring the filling into the pastry, it is a good idea to rotate the pan on the table without lifting its base, and even lift it and tap its base against the table a couple of times so that those unwanted bubbles rise to the surface.)

Bake for quite a long time at a low temperature, around 160 ºC. At least an hour, more likely about an hour and a half. But after an hour, periodically jiggle the pan in the oven and check: when the filling is set around the edges but still wobbles a little in the middle, that is the moment we want.

Very important! For this pie, resting is just as essential a stage as baking. Let it cool in the pan, then refrigerate it, still in the pan, at least overnight, preferably for a full day.  The filling will then develop the right creamy consistency.