October 5, 2017

Brownie Crusted Pumpkin Cheesecake

Name: Brownie Crusted Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients: 1 cup Walnuts; 1/2 cup Dates ((soaked in warm water for 5 minutes)); 3 Tbsp Cacao powder; 1 tsp Vanilla; 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt; 1 cup Cashews ((soaked for 4 hours)); 1/4 cup Maple syrup; 2 Tbsp Lemon juice; 1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast; 1 tsp Himalayan salt; 1 tsp Vanilla; 2 Tbsp Coconut Butter; 1 cup Pumpkin pie filling

This year I wanted to spice things up – pumpkin spice, that is – with a special twist on the classic pumpkin pie. I’ve been really enjoying making cashew cheesecake tarts and finally worked up the nerve to add nutritional yeast to my desserts. The result? The actually taste like cheesecake!

For this pie, I opted for a brownie crust because I very much enjoy how chocolate plays off of the pumpkin and cheesecake filling. I tried many different tactics to marble the pumpkin filling and the cheesecake filling and I found that layering each filling one by one worked best – rather than piping it. I hope it turns out just as lovely for you!

Brownie Crusted Pumpkin Cheesecake

Course Dessert

Cuisine Gluten Free, Plant-based, Vegan

Ingredients

Brownie Crust

1 cup Walnuts
1/2 cup Dates (soaked in warm water for 5 minutes)
3 Tbsp Cacao powder
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

Cheesecake Filling

1 cup Cashews (soaked for 4 hours)
1/4 cup Maple syrup
2 Tbsp Lemon juice
1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Tbsp Coconut Butter
1 cup Pumpkin pie filling

Instructions

For the crust, pulse the walnuts in the food processor or high-speed blender until ground. Then add remainder of crust ingredients in with walnuts and process until the pie dough starts to form a large ball. Using a tart pan, press the pie crust down firmly into mold and let set in freezer
For the cheesecake filling, place all the ingredients EXCEPT the pumpkin pie filling in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Depending on how long you soaked your cashews for, you may need to do this several times until completely smooth. Remove 3/4 cups of the filling from blender or food processor and set aside in a bowl.
For the pumpkin cheesecake filling, add your 1 cup of pumpkin pie filling to the remainder of the cheesecake batter left in the food processor or blender. Process until fully combined, remove and set aside in a bowl.
Once your pie crust has hardened, marble the cheesecake and pumpkin cheesecake into the crust. To do this, take two large spoons, and scoop one spoonful of the cheesecake onto the pie crust followed by one spoonful of the pumpkin cheesecake filling and alternate until the crust is fully filled. On the top layer take a very sharp knife or a toothpick and make S-shaped swirls to finish the marble effect.
Return pie to the freezer for 2 hours or until the filling has firmed up.
Serve with coconut whip cream or pipe any leftover filling around the crust and enjoy!