Pumpkin Cognac Cheesecake

Made this last year for my practicum group while still in the program, and it got rave reviews :) Tried it again for Halloween this year at Grandma's, and again, it was a hit. Think it's a keeper!




Pumpkin Cognac Cheesecake
Originally from: Cool Culinary


2 lbs cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp GOOD vanilla + 1/4 cup cognac or brandy
2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup canned Libbys pumpkin (not the pie filling!)
1/4 tsp cinnamon, pinch of cloves, sprinkle of nutmeg + pinch kosher salt

Take a 10′ spring form pan,
Spray the pan w/ non-stick spray. Wrap pan very tightly in aluminum foil all around the bottom & sides.

Pulse a 1/2 box of Famous dark wafer cookies in cuisinart, into a bowl, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter. Press into to the bottom of the pan. Whew the hard part's over!

*You could also make a crust using any chocolate wafer cookies, OR gingersnaps for a twist!

Beat cream cheese until smooth, and LUMP free, scraping bowl frequently, mix in sugars, molasses, vanilla, cognac, eggs, yolks, sour cream, pumpkin &; spices.

Pour into the prepared pan. Set into a pan with tall sides & fill w/ warm water. (I have skipped this step both times I've made it, and it just takes a little longer to bake and you have to watch it carefully to make sure it's baking evenly. Bad, I know! SO don't skip this.)

Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Turn off the oven and let sit for another 20-30 minutes. Cake should be set & fairly firm! I stick the blade of a very thin paring knife thru the center, it should come out clean. Your going to cover the top, so don’t worry if you have a few cracks. I usually don’t. Let cool in the water bath. Chill overnight.

Remove foil wrapper, run a hot wet knife around the cake & unmold.

You can press crushed chocolate wafers into the sides or ditto w/ amaretti cookies.

You can cover the top w/fresh whipped cinnamon cream, or white chocolate buttercream or a smooth layer of chocolate ganache or anything else that sounds good to you.

YUM.

Two-ingredient Pumpkin Cake with Apple-Cider Glaze

YUM!!! All I can say is that I couldn't WAIT to make this when I ran across this recipe on Noble Pig's blog.

For the Cake:
1 Yellow Cake Mix
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree

For the Glaze:
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons apple cider
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Empty the contents of the boxed cake mix and pumpkin puree into a large bowl. Using a hand-mixer or stand mixer beat until well incorporated. The batter will be very thick, but will come together nicely.

Pour batter into a greased 7 x 11 X 2 pan. This is the small, rectangular-sized pan from your Pyrex set. You know, the set you had to have when you got married and rarely ever used all the pieces. Finally, you have a use for it. (Hey! Thanks to our wonderful family and friends, we have one!!)

Bake at 350 degrees for 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.

Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then flip onto a platter.

Make the glaze while you're waiting for the cake to bake, then cool.

Combine powdered sugar, apple cider and pumpkin pie spice. Glaze should be thick but pourable. Add more sugar or cider if needed. Pour over the cake while still warm. Reserve some to pour over each slice when served.

Serve warm or room temperature. (WARM is the way to go - when it's cold, it's a little too sweet and sticky.)