Dinner Menu
Dessert Menu
Wine List
Bistro Happy Hour
Reservations
Map & Directions
Events Calendar
Chef's Recipes
Virtual Tour
Wedding/Banquet
Gift Certificates
Home
 
Bittersweet Bistro

Pumpkin Cheesecake
with a Chocolate Hazelnut Crust

Chocolate Hazelnut Crust:

  •  1 3/4 cup ground chocolate wafers
  •  1/4 cup toasted and ground hazelnuts
  •  1/4 cup brown sugar
  •  4 tablespoons butter, melted

Method:

Place wafer crumbs, nuts and sugar in a kitchen-aid mixer with a paddle. Add butter and mix until incorporated. Place crust mixture into a 10 inch buttered and parchment lined cake pan. Compact the mixture well, to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes and let cool.

Pumkin Cheesecake Batter:

  •  1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
  •  1 cup sugar
  •  1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  •  1 tablespoon corn starch
  •  1 pinch nutmeg, ground
  •  1/4 teaspoon salt
  •  1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
  •  1/4 teaspoon ginger, ground
  •  17 ounces marscapone cheese, room temperature
  •  1 pound fresh pumpkin purée
  •  4 eggs
  •  4 egg whites
  •   2 teaspoons lemon juice
  •   1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream

Method:

In kitchen-aid mixer with paddle, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla bean, corn starch, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger, until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, scrapping the bowl between additions. Add egg whites, cream, and lemon juice and mix well.

In a separate bowl by hand, mix marscapone cheese and pumpkin puree until smooth. Combine the two bowls, mixing until smooth. Place mixture into pre baked crust. Bake at 325 degrees F in lower third of oven in a water bath. Check in one hour. Bake until cheese cake firms up and does not souflé (approximately 1-2 hours). Cool over night in refrigerator. When ready to serve run a hot knife around the edge of the cake. Place the cake pan into a hot water bath for one minute. This will loosen up the crust. Invert onto a plastic wrapped plate and tap gently to loosen. Cake will release. Place another serving plate on top of cake and flip over.

Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Slice with a hot knife. Enjoy!

Serves 10-12.

---------------

Your Hosts | Awards | Reviews | FAQs | Links | Email List

Bittersweet Bistro • 787 Rio Del Mar Blvd. • Aptos, CA 95003
For reservations call (831) 662-9799