A moist, spice-filled cheesecake seasonally decorated with easy-to-make marzipan pumpkins. Marzipan is a paste made with ground almonds and sugar. It can be bought at some bakeries and supermarkets. Making the pumpkins takes some time and effort, but it’s fun and can be a family activity.
Ingredients
The Pumpkins
- ½ lb (250 g) marzipan
- orange and black food coloring
The Crust
- 1¼ cups (310 ml) finely crushed gingersnaps or graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) melted butter
- ¼ cup (60 ml) sugar
The Filling
- 1½ lb (750 g) brick cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (250 ml) sugar
- 4 large eggs
- one 14 oz (398 ml) can pumpkin
- ½ tsp (2 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp (5 ml) ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) ground cloves
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) ground nutmeg
How to Make It
-
The Pumpkins
- Set aside 3 Tbsp (45 ml) of the marzipan for decorating the pumpkins. Color the remaining marzipan orange by kneading drops of orange food coloring into it. Divide into 12 pieces and roll each into a ball. Gently press down on the balls to give them a squat, pumpkin shape. Use a wooden skewer or toothpick to mark in the ribs of the pumpkin.
- Color the small piece of marzipan with black food coloring. Flatten it and cut or shape into handles, eyes, mouths and noses to decorate your marzipan pumpkins with. Set the pumpkins on a plate and cover and store at room temperature until needed. These can be made up to 2 days in advance. The Crust
- Combine the crust ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Press into the bottom and partially up the sides of a 10-inch (3 l) pringform cake pan. The Filling
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Place 1 rack in the lower third of the oven and another in the middle position. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix in the pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Pour the batter into the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Place 1 rack in the lower third of the oven and another in the middle position. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix in the pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Pour the batter into the pan.
- When you’re ready to serve the cake, run a wet paring knife completely around the outer edges of the pan to loosen the cake from the sides. Remove the cake pan’s outer ring. Set the cheesecake on a cake plate. Arrange the pumpkins around the top edge of the cake. Slice and serve.
