Jack O Lantern Cheesecakes Recipes

JACK-O-LANTERN CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• Side Bar: Before you start, set your cream cheese and butter out for several hours, so it can warm up to room temperature. Set rack in middle of oven and preheat to 300 degrees. Cut the tops off the pumpkins and set aside, With a teaspoon or grapefruit knife, scrape the fibrous pulp and seeds out of the pumpkins. Scrape some of the meat off the inner walls so they are no more than 3/8-inch thick. Put the cream cheese, butter, sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a large mixing bowl and beat at medium speed until blended. Take care not to mix too much air into the batter. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, until each is incorporated. Reduce the speed and beat in the sour cream, vanilla and pumpkin puree. Fill the pumpkin shells with the batter and bake, on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Turn the pan and place the tops next to the pumpkins. Bake for 10 more minutes, until barely set and firm. If, at any time, the cakes start to puff up, turn the oven down or remove them. Let cool, in the pan, then refrigerate.;
• Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes until the berries have popped and form a thick sauce. Let cool. To serve, spoon cranberry sauce on top of filling. Place the pumpkin lid on a jaunty angle. Stick the birthday candle and mint sprig into the top.

JACK-O'-LANTERN PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Ginger Shortbread Crust:
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Place flour, sugar and ground ginger in a food processor and pulse a few times to mix together. Add egg yolk and softened butter and pulse until the dough comes together.
• Press the dough onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with your fingers, then smooth it out with an offset spatula. Prick the crust a few times with a fork to prevent the crust from puffing up during baking.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown.
• Let cool completely.
• Beat the reserved egg white lightly, then brush it onto the crust to prevent it from becoming soggy.
• Pumpkin Cheesecake:
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Fill a baking pan about 3/4-inch deep with hot water. Place it on the bottom rack of the oven to create a steam bath.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, whole eggs and egg yolks until creamy.
• Sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves and ginger, and add to the cream cheese mixture; mix well.
• Beat in the heavy cream and vanilla, then add the pumpkin and beat just until mixed thoroughly.
• Pour the cream cheese batter over the prepared crust and bake on the middle oven rack for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Allow the cheesecake to cool completely.
• Place in the refrigerator and chill overnight.
• Use a jack-o'-lantern template to decorate the cheesecake with the cocoa powder.