This Recipe is part of SweetMama's Thanksgiving Entertaining Guide. and SweetHome’s Traditional Turkey Feast.
A moist, spice-filled cheesecake seasonally decorated with easy-to-make marzipan pumpkins. Marzipan is a paste made with ground almonds and sugar. It can be bought at some bakeries and supermarkets. Making the pumpkins takes some time and effort, but it’s fun and can be a family activity.
Ingredients
Pumpkins
1/2 lb (250 g) marzipan
Orange and black food colouring (see note)
Crust
1-1/4 cups finely crushed gingersnaps or graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
Filling
38 oz (250 g) bricks cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 14 oz (398 mL) can pumpkin purée
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Directions
1. Set aside 3 Tbsp (45 mL) of the marzipan for decorating the pumpkins. Colour the remaining marzipan orange by kneading drops of orange food colouring into it. Divide into 12 pieces and roll each into a ball. Gently press down on the balls to give them a squat, pumpkin shape. Use a wooden skewer or toothpick to mark in the ribs of the pumpkin.
2. Colour the small piece of marzipan with black food colouring. Flatten it and cut or shape into handles, eyes, mouths and noses to decorate your marzipan pumpkins with. Set the pumpkins on a plate and cover and store at room temperature until needed. These can be made up to two days in advance.
3. To make the crust, combine the crust ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Press into the bottom and partially up the sides of a 10-inch (3 L) spring form cake pan.
4. To make the filling, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Place one rack in the lower third of the oven and another in the middle position. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix in the pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Pour the batter into the pan.
5. Place a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven; the steam rising from it will help prevent the cheesecake from cracking as it bakes. Set the cake on the rack above the water and bake 85 minutes, or until the center of the cake barely jiggles when the pan is tapped. Cool the cake on a baking rack for 15 minutes, and then run a sharp, thin and wet paring knife around the edges of the cake to a depth of 1 inch (2.5 cm). This will also prevent the cake from cracking as it cools and contracts. Cool the cake to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate in the pan for at least three hours.
6. When you’re ready to serve the cake, run a wet paring knife completely around the outer edges of the pan to loosen the cake from the sides. Remove the cake pan’s outer ring. Set the cheesecake on a cake plate. Arrange the pumpkins around the top edge of the cake. Slice and serve.
Eric’s Options: Cheesecake can be made up to two days in advance of serving. Serve cheesecake portions with dollops of lightly sweetened whipped cream, garnished, if desired, with pecan halves.
Note: Orange and black food colouring is available at stores that specialize in baking and decorating supplies. If you can’t find them, use a mix of yellow and red food colouring, sold at most supermarkets, to create orange colored marzipan. Instead of black, simply use a color you do have, such as green.
Serves 12
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Recipe excerpted from Everyone Can Cook for Celebrations by Eric Akis. Published by Whitecap Books Ltd. Copyright 2009 by Eric Akis. Photography by
Michael Tourigny. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the book now!