Flirting with disaster

After a long time of watching in the distance, I finally decided it was time to try out this whole baking blog idea. I've been reading and making other people's ideas for about 3 months now. I thought it's probably time to show what I'm learning here.

You could say it all started when I asked for a kitchen aid mixer last Christmas. I loved to cook but was a little intimated by baking. I ended up getting the mixer and it sat in my kitchen without use for about 6 months. Then I slowly started venturing out to use it. After having a few ideas of where to start, I sought out some experts on the internet. I ended up finding some wonderful blogs (ie How to eat a cupcake and The bumbling baker) which I have been stalking for the last few months and occasionally whipping out my amateur baking skills to try my hand at it. So here I am now, to show the world my creations!

Tonight I spent some time making Pumpkin Cheesecake! Next time I will hopefully be able to take pictures while I am making it so you can see my process. I couldn't for the life of me find my camera charger.

Some of my co-workers know that I have been baking a lot more lately and asked me if I had a pumpkin cheesecake recipe to recommend. So after school today I came home determined to find one and make it. I don't want to recommend something I haven't tried myself.


It was a pretty simple recipe that I found from allrecipes.com

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (I used Philadelphia 1/3 fat)
  
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust (I used one chocolate and one regular)
  
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon(at the request of my taste tester, Tim, I added a whole tsp)
  
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed (I made my own whipped topping; see below)
  

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.
3. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

Whipped Topping

• 1/2 pt. whipping cream
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla (sometimes I use almond ext to change things up)
  

Whip cream with mixer. Be careful not to over beat or else will get too thick like butter. When it begins to thicken, add sugar and vanilla; stir. Refrigerate.


Kat rating A
Co-worker rating A
Tim rating