Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake, Slightly Indulgent Mondays, & A Give-Away
October 18, 2009 { }
If you love fabulous food made a little bit healthier, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for stopping by! Amy
Welcome to Slightly Indulgent Mondays – fabulous food made a little bit healthier. Link your Slightly Indulgent recipe below & make sure to check out this week’s perfect-for-the-holidays give-away.
My submission: Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
Cheesecake is a food that rarely graces my lips – there are choices I make everyday in addition to being sugar-free and gluten-free that help me maintain my weight. I’m not so sure that it’s worse for me than a big bowl of ice cream topped with granola but in my mind, I’m better off without it. I’m married to a cheesecake lover, though, and thought I’d work come up with a recipe we both could be happy with – it had be a little bit healthier for me and still taste close enough to the real thing to make Joe happy.
Quick and simple was another requirement for this recipe. I wanted to minimize oven and kitchen time while still producing a fabulous tasting cheesecake. Five attempts later, I came up with a dessert that fit the bill. I make the graham crackers in a big batch and freeze them so I don’t have to make them every time I want to make a graham cracker crust.
Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
makes 4 individual cheesecakesFor the crust:
3 ½ ounces gluten-free, sugar-free graham crackers
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, meltedFor the cheesecakes:
¼ cup milk (I used 1%, it was what I had on hand.)
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
12 ounces (1 ½ packages) light cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ ginger
¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon clovesTo make the crust:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare 4 (7 ounce) oven-safe ramekinsor mini-soufflé dishes by lightly spraying the bottoms with cooking spray.
Break graham crackers in half and place in the bowl of a mini food processor
. Add ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Process until graham crackers have become fine crumbs. Place in a small bowl. Melt butter in the microwave (about 15 – 20 seconds). Drizzle butter over graham crackers and, using a fork, work butter into the graham crackers.
Place 2 ½ – 3 tablespoons of graham crackers in each ramekin. Using the back of a spoon, press the graham crackers firmly into the bottom of each ramekin and slightly up the side. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool.
To make the cheesecake:
Place milk in a microwave safe container. Sprinkle gelatin on top and stir to mix. Let gelatin soften in milk for 5 minutes.
Place 3 paper towels on the counter. Spread pumpkin puree onto the paper towels so that it is about ¼ inch thick. Place 3 more paper towels on top. Press lightly, letting the paper towels pull moisture away from the pumpkin. Set aside, leaving paper towels on pumpkin.Fit food processor
with a steel blade. Add cream cheese, agave, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Remove top layer of paper towels. Use the bottom layer to fold the pumpkin in half. The paper towel will easily peel away from the pumpkin. Lift paper towel up and pumpkin will easily fall into the food processor bowl.
Pulse several times, then process until smooth scraping bowl as needed. Stir milk and gelatin mixture, then microwave for 20 – 30 seconds until milk is bubbly and gelatin has melted. With food processor running, pour milk mixture into bowl of food processor and process until thoroughly combined.
If the ramekins are still warm at this point, pop them into the freezer for a few minutes and they’ll cool right down. Using a spring-release ice cream scoop, divide cheesecake batter evenly between the 4 ramekins. If you have a little extra put it in another container and chill it, too.
Set ramekins on a small tray or a dinner plate, wrap, and chill overnight. Serve cold with homemade whipped cream, if desired.
Featured Blogger – Phoebe from Cents to Get Debt Free
Phoebe's Homemade Applesauce - Sugar-free, too!
Phoebe is a friend of mine – though not sugar or gluten free her recipes and way of living are a constant source if inspiration for me. She has something to offer everyone – healthier recipes, household managment, and frugal living ideas that work. You can find her applesauce recipe here.
I’m sure you’ll feel inspired, too, after reading her thoughts on cooking & caring for her family:
My cooking philosophy is to cook nourishing, healthy foods that my family will enjoy, while being on a tight budget. Growing up, my mom never took the time to teach me how to cook, so I’ve taught myself basically everything I know since being on my own at barely 18.
My husband and I began gardening in 2008 and I taught myself to can the same year. Our desire is to be able to produce the majority of our food, and to rely on the grocery store less. We’ve noticed a big change in our budget, as well as our health. What a great feeling that is!
This week’s give-away: a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com. I thought I’d keep things simple this week and am sure that with the holidays coming, everyone could use a little love from Amazon.
Last week’s winner of the Le Creuset mini-gratin dishes is: Jenn from The Leftover Queen! She’s also the genius behind The Foodie Blogroll. If you have a food blog and haven’t submitted your blog to be included in her blog directory, you can do it here.
Thank you to Accent Furniture for sponsoring a great give-away. They have an array of kitchen products at good prices – check them out for any upcoming holiday shopping.
To enter:
- Link a recipe/post that fits the Slightly Induglent theme (healthier in some way) and include a link back to this post.
- Leave a comment below.
- Tweet about this give-away and leave a separate comment telling me you did.
- Share about this give-away on your blog and link back here, then leave a separate comment telling me you did.
This give-away will be open until Sunday, October 25th at 8 pm CST.
I am looking forward to see what Slightly Indulgent foods your cooking this week. Make sure to tell us who you are and what you’re cooking . For example, I would enter: Amy @ Simply Sugar & Gluten Free – Pumpkin Cheesecake. And, I always appreciate the link back to this post.
Find more great food at Blessed with Grace’s Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.
Update 10/26/09: This contest is now closed. The winner as determined by Random.org – #32 Liz at Hoosier Homemade. Congrats!
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Tags: cheeseckae > Dessert > gluten-free > Slightly Indulgent Mondays > sugar-free
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55 Responses to “Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake, Slightly Indulgent Mondays, & A Give-Away”
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About Amy Green
Nearly 6 years of living free of refined sugars and gluten has stopped my food cravings enabled me to maintain a 60+ pound weight loss. Today I live with enormous freedom. Join me as I create healthier food that's SS&GF and delicious. I hope to help you do the same. Read more about my story here.
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All photos and text (unless otherwise noted) on Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free are my own creations - and my intellectual property, all rights reserved. Please do not publish my work without my consent. Of course, you can use my work as inspiration to build upon (what a gift it would be to inspire others!) and in that case a link back would be appreciated. Copyright 2009, all rights reserved.
October 18th, 2009 @ 9:30 pm
Cheesecake is my boyfriend’s favorite dessert too. But like you, I don’t make it too often. Too bad we can’t just eat whatever we want all the time!
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October 18th, 2009 @ 9:50 pm
[...] Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake [...]
October 18th, 2009 @ 10:08 pm
I’m loving all the pumpkin recipes these days. I’ve never heard of a pumpkin cheesecake, but it sounds delicious. I made pumpkin pie from scratch and loved the flavor that using fresh pumpkin gave it.
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October 18th, 2009 @ 10:30 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by Amys_SSGF: Slightly Indulgent Mondays is up. Link your healthier recipe. The give-away – a $25 Amazon.com gift card. http://bit.ly/vDHbN #healthy…
October 18th, 2009 @ 11:01 pm
Those look just great! And 5 attempts, I don’t think I would have tried again after maybe 2.
Thanks for sharing!
~Liz
[Reply]
October 19th, 2009 @ 12:49 am
Mmmm…. boy, do I wish I could eat dairy!
These look so good. What other ways do you help keep your weight where it is besides sugar/gluten-free? I am still struggling with that. I especially have a hard time with portion sizes and saying no and giving my body time to digest before eating more. I guess it’s something we all deal with.
Anyway, my post is for low-fat but delicious gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free meatloaves and even shows how to make your own ground turkey/chicken.
And also, linked, is my agave ketchup which is so good! 
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
@Ari-Food Intolerances Cook, @Ari-Food Intolerances Cook, It does take some time to learn what an appropriate portion is for your body. I generally eat 3 meals and 2 snacks – and I don’t snack in between. That is very important. I used to eat all day long. I learned that I wasn’t going to die between meals. Weighing and measuring my food at first really helped me learn what a normal portion was, too.
When I’m in the kitchen creating a new food and have to do a lot of tasting, I adjust my meals/snacks accordingly. So I might skip a snack or even lunch if I’ve been tasting food all day.
I also don’t let myself get too hungry. If I go from 8 am to 2 pm and don’t eat at all, I always over eat and then I don’t feel good. If we’re going to be out and about all day I pack a snack or we make time for lunch.
When I don’t eat sugar & gluten/wheat I don’t get food cravings, either, which makes all the difference.
I hope that helps!
[Reply]
October 19th, 2009 @ 12:55 am
I mentioned your giveaway on my blog (right on my post) and tweeted about your giveaway too
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October 19th, 2009 @ 2:33 am
I tweeted you!
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October 19th, 2009 @ 7:34 am
This looks yummy! It seems quite a bit less indulgent…good for you for sticking with making a recipe that you’ll enjoy, even if it took multiple attempts!
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October 19th, 2009 @ 7:55 am
Hi Amy!
My contribution is Buckwheat Brownies – they are gluten free and do not contain refined sugar. I tweeted about SI: “Want to win a $25 gift cert to Amazon? Visit Simply Sugar & Gluten Free http://bit.ly/8wGFM” and will include a link on today’s blog post in about 10 minutes!
[Reply]
October 19th, 2009 @ 8:20 am
[...] (UPDATE 10/19: This post is part of Slightly Indulgent Mondays.) [...]
October 19th, 2009 @ 8:31 am
I am really enjoying your site. You have some terrific recipes. I put your White Bean Gratin from last week on my list of recipes to try (hopefully I will be able to make it soon) and the Pumpkin Cheesecake looks really good, too.
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October 19th, 2009 @ 9:29 am
This is awesome! I love these cute mini pumpkin cheesecakes! I could eat one up right now!
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October 19th, 2009 @ 10:10 am
[...] ~Slightly Indulgent Mondays hosted by Simple Sugar & Gluten-Free [...]
October 19th, 2009 @ 10:14 am
I commented earlier, but have my post up now. Thanks for hosting!
~Liz
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October 19th, 2009 @ 10:33 am
This looks good, although I’m not a fan of cheesecake, so I’ll skip this one. Thanks for the giveaway!
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October 19th, 2009 @ 10:47 am
Here’s a great indulgent recipe made healthy from cooking with the moms.
http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com/recipes/desserts/spooky-chocolate-pumpkin-cake/
[Reply]
October 19th, 2009 @ 12:18 pm
loving the idea of applesauce, and thanks for hosting sim!
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October 19th, 2009 @ 12:22 pm
Those sound fabulous! I’ll have to give those a try sometime soon!!!
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October 19th, 2009 @ 1:18 pm
With my overabundance of pumpkin, I’ve been dreaming of pumpkin cheesecake. Yum!
Thanks for featuring me, Amy. I’m honored.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
@Phoebe @ Cents to Get Debt Free, @Phoebe @ Cents to Get Debt Free, Thanks for being willing to share your info with my readers! We can all learn so much from you.
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October 19th, 2009 @ 1:21 pm
I tweeted it, as well.
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October 19th, 2009 @ 1:50 pm
I’m glad I am not the only one that keeps trying recipes to until I get it to work. My recipes need to be gluten free, dairy free, soy free and if that were not bad enough I am baking at altitude! Fortunately, my kids are more than willing to eat my failures.
[Reply]
October 19th, 2009 @ 2:03 pm
I tweeted
http://twitter.com/hoosierhomemade/status/4997896139
Thanks for the giveaway!
~Liz
[Reply]
October 19th, 2009 @ 2:51 pm
[...] Slightly Indulgent Monday [...]
October 19th, 2009 @ 2:55 pm
Whoops! My #14 is the wrong link. #15 is correct.
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October 19th, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
I had a totally unexpected and simply indulgent treat come out of my kitchen this afternoon: Caramel Apple Bake (which, in the future, will probably be known as Caramel Apple Bars). Just the right amount of sweetness with no actual sugar added … aside from the bits of caramel which melted through beautifully!
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
@karen, I love those moments in my kitchen! I had one, too, while trying to make gingerbread men. More like spicey-cakey cookies so it still needs a little work but I was pleased for a first try. So glad you shared your kitchen moment here.
[Reply]
October 19th, 2009 @ 4:55 pm
[...] post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Mondays, Mouthwatering Mondays, The Pumpkin Roundup, Tasty Tuesday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Like [...]
October 19th, 2009 @ 5:40 pm
[...] by the way, this post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Mondays, Mouthwatering Mondays and Pumpkin Roundup. Like this post? Share it with [...]
October 19th, 2009 @ 6:55 pm
They look really good, I’ve been craving pumpkin desserts lately!
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October 19th, 2009 @ 6:56 pm
I tweeted about the giveaway.
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October 19th, 2009 @ 7:39 pm
I really love some of your recipes. I can tell you really take your time and refine them. I will try this one too:)
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October 19th, 2009 @ 8:43 pm
delicious, again!
[Reply]
October 19th, 2009 @ 10:08 pm
[...] been intrigued by the blog carnival Slightly Indulgent Mondays at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free. I love the idea of changing your recipes to be a little healthier [...]
October 19th, 2009 @ 10:17 pm
I finally got a recipe/post to link up! The cheesecakes look wonderful.
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October 19th, 2009 @ 10:31 pm
Oooh cheesecake. I really want to try your graham crackers – they look so delicious, and I’m glad to see that they’re with higher protein flours!
Thanks for a delightful and Slightly Indulgent Monday
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October 20th, 2009 @ 12:13 am
[...] post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Mondays (go visit now … pumpkin spice cheesecake, Amazon gift card giveaway, and many more wonderful [...]
October 20th, 2009 @ 12:40 am
No wonder so many people are visting here with all the great stuff going on!! Stunning cheesecakes … perfect me size.
Congrats to Jenn! Phoebe might not label herself gluten free, but I’m sure her beautiful applesauce is. 
I can identify with her story as I didn’t learn to cook until I was on my own at college. (My dear mom didn’t want anyone to mess up her kitchen. Love her dearly, but true.) Bravo to Phoebe for gardening and canning! Now who doesn’t want an Amazon gift card, but boy would it be hard to give that one away …
Oh, I tweeted (no idea how to include URL here) and posted.
Shirley
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October 20th, 2009 @ 12:29 pm
Your cheesecake looks awesome, but we are dairy free (thanks to my son’s allergy). However, I would LOVE the Amazon gift card as I shop with them all the time. Their Subscribe & Save program is fabulous!!
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October 20th, 2009 @ 2:21 pm
son in law is a cheesecake lover will try to get on his good side with this recipe
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October 20th, 2009 @ 3:37 pm
Tweeted about the giveaway. http://twitter.com/celiacfamily
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October 20th, 2009 @ 8:40 pm
[...] Events: I am submitting this post to Slightly Indulgent Mondays over at Simply Sugar Gluten-Free. 7 [...]
October 20th, 2009 @ 8:41 pm
Yum! A pumpkin, dairy-free, soy-free cheesecake is on my list to make!
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October 20th, 2009 @ 8:43 pm
I tweeted – http://www.twitter.com/onefrugalfoodie
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October 20th, 2009 @ 8:58 pm
SOUNDS WONDERFUL!!!
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October 20th, 2009 @ 10:24 pm
these mini pumpkin cheesecakes are the cutest desserts! and I’m sure they taste just as good as they look
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October 20th, 2009 @ 10:24 pm
http://twitter.com/DeeGee13/status/5035586090 tweeted!
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October 20th, 2009 @ 10:26 pm
this is a great recipe from glutenguide blog that I’ve actually used!
http://glutenguide.blogspot.com/2006/12/gluten-free-cheesecake-better-than.html
Gluten Free Cheesecake with Nut Crust Supreme (Cheesecake recipe is from my Aunt Barbara, the crust is adapted from Bette Hagman’s “The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Dessert”)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Gluten Free Nut Crust Supreme
2 cups Pamela’s Gluten Free Baking Mix
½ cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Spray cheesecake pan lightly with vegetable oil spray. In a medium bowl stir together the flour mix and brown sugar. Cut in the butter until fine crumbs form. Stir in the nuts and pat into your pan. The crust will be “crumbly” but will hold together once pressed into the pan. This will be more than enough for one large cheesecake and perhaps for a second smaller pie. Though it tastes so good on it’s own you may just end up eating it!
Barbara’s Classic Gluten Free Cheesecake
4 – 8 oz bars of gluten free cream cheese, softened
1 cup of granulated sugar
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla
Mix all of the ingredients with a beater until smooth and pour into the unbaked crust. Place in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
While that is baking, prepare the topping.
2 cups gluten free sour cream
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon of gluten free almond extract
Juice from ½ a lemon
Mix the topping ingredients in a bowl. After the first 30 minutes of baking, remove the cheesecake and spoon the topping onto the cheesecake. Be careful not to overfill the pan. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes. You may want to place a piece of foil under the cheesecake just to catch any drippings. Cooking times can vary dramatically depending upon the amount of topping you choose to use. Watch to see when it starts to solidify but don’t let it stay in so long that the crust begins to burn.
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October 21st, 2009 @ 5:30 pm
Oh my goodness. I haven’t had a pumpkin cheesecake yet. I think I need to change that.
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October 21st, 2009 @ 8:56 pm
And I tweeted about it =D.
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October 25th, 2009 @ 3:11 pm
OMG Amy, that looks wonderful! I have extra pumpkin in my fridge that I have been searching for a way to use (cat has been having “issues” and needs to eat a small amount each day). I am going to have to try this, thanks!
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October 25th, 2009 @ 4:39 pm
Oops. Forgot to say that I shared about the giveaway on my blog earlier.
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October 26th, 2009 @ 9:28 pm
[...] Mini-Pumpkin Spice Cheesecakes or her Gluten-Free Pumpkin Dog Biscuits (yes, even our pets don’t do well with gluten and deserve [...]