Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Did someone say Chocolate? And Pumpkin? And Cheesecake?

I found this recipe in a magazine about 2 years ago, and it became the only cheesecake I ever wanted to eat again. Don't worry, I still devour any cheesecake in my line of sight. But this...this is heavenly. Angels actually start to sing when you put the first bite in your mouth. And those angels? Every time you make one of these and the timer dings, one of them gets their wings. Scout's honor. So make it for the angels.

Crust ingredients:
1⅓ cup Chocolate Graham Cracker Crumbs
¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
1 Tbsp Splenda
½ tsp cinnamon
4 squares of Milk Chocolate Baker’s Chocolate, divided

Cheesecake
3 packages cream cheese, softened
1 can of pumpkin
1 cup Sugar (I used Splenda, and it tasted great)
¼ cup Brown sugar
4 eggs
½ cup evaporated milk
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp ground Cinnamon
½ tsp Allspice
⅛ tsp Nutmeg

Crust: Mix these ingredients together and press evenly around the bottom of a springform pan. Crush 2 oz of chocolate into small pieces and sprinkle over crust. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt milk chocolate, stirring constantly. DO NOT BURN! Set aside.

In a bowl, beat cream cheese, pumpkin and both sugars til smooth. Add eggs, milk, cornstarch and spices and beat until well incorporated. Remove ¾ cup of pumpkin mixture and pour into melted chocolate. Stir completely and thoroughly.

Pour remaining pumpkin mixture into pan evenly. Spoon the chocolate/pumpkin mixture over the top, and swirl to create a marbled effect.

Bake in a 350° oven for 50-60 minutes. The middle should not be completely set when you remove the cheesecake from the oven. Cool completely and refrigerate.

Hint: the best topping in the world for this French Vanilla Whipped Topping, with a slight sprinkle of cinnamon.