Day 5: Pumpkin Cheescake

Some foods look lovely, but don't taste very good. Example: fruit filled jello molds.

Some things don't look great, but taste like heaven. Example: any casserole that involves cheese and sour cream.

And then, there are those dishes that look great, taste great, and make you wanna put elastic wastebands in all of your pants.

Example: Pumpkin Cheesecake

Thank you Paula Deen.

What you'll need:

Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar (Didn't have any, so I used Raw Sugar)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used more like 1/2 Tablespoon)
1 stick melted salted butter (I only used 6 Tablespoons)

Filling:
3 (8-ounce) Packages cream cheese, room temperature (I used two packages reduced fat, one regular)
1 (15-ounce) Can pureed pumpkin (or in this case, 2 1/4 Cups puree)
3 Eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 Cup sour cream (I used reduced fat sour cream -- NOT fat free)
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 Teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 Teaspoon ground cloves (you know how I feel about cloves, so I used 1/8 Teas. allspice)
2 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350*.

For crust:
In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside. To prevent butter drippage, I suggest covering the bottom with foil, like so:

For filling:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours. Then strap on the sweat pants and dig in!

Here's my husband, trying his first bite (you know, because everybody likes to have their picture taken, when they're eating):

We both give this cheesecake a standing A-vation! Great texture (smooth and creamy), mild pumpkin flavor (with a bit of tang from the sour cream), and yummy crust. Try this... and invite me over... I'll wear sweats so you won't feel bad. Or maybe I'll wear sweats, 'cause nothing else fits. Whatever.