Pumpkin cheesecake 南瓜起司蛋糕

Today is my father-in-law's birthday. It's a perfect fall weather today. What best fits the season? Pumpkin! I also love the spices goes with pumpkin cakes or pies. The spices are the spirit of this cake. I modified Carol's cheesecake recipe. I was afraid it got too wet and soggy. I guess there's room for improvement next time, but the flavor is WONDERFUL!!

Pumpkin cheesecake (8" springform pan):

Crust:

• Graham cracker 70 g
• Butter 35 g (2.5 Tbsp)

Cake:

• 1/3 less fat cream cheese 1 lb. (room temperature)
• Sugar 20 g
• 4 egg yolks
• Cake flour 40 g
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves
• Libby's pumpkin 1 can (15 oz.)

 

• 4 egg whites
• 60 g sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice

1. Cut out a 8-inch round parchment paper and line it up at the bottom of the pan (can use some cooking spray to fix it in place).

2. Melt the butter and mix it well with the Graham cracker.

3. Evenly spread it across the bottom of the pan.

4. Bake it at 250 F (120 C) for 10 min.

5. Let cool.

6. Beat and mix the cream cheese with sugar until smooth, no lumps.

7. Add the egg yolks, one at a time.

8. Add the flour, the spices and the pumpkin puree.

9. Beat the eff whites in a separate, clean bowl until bubbly.

10. Add the lemon juice and half of the sugar. Beat on high speed.

11. When the meringue gets stiff, add the rest of the sugar and continue to beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.

12. Mix 1/3 of the meringue with the pumpkin mix, then mix in the rest of the meringue.

13. Pre-heat the oven to 320 F (160 C).

14. Fill a roasting pan that is at least 2-inch high with hot water.

15. Wrap the bottom of the springform pan with foil, and put it in the water bath.

16. Bake at 320 F for 1 hour. The center looks wobbly when finished. 

17. Take it out and let cool at room temperature, then cool in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours before serve.

18. Decorate the cake with roasted walnuts.

19. Warm the knife in a glass of hot water before cutting each piece.