Low Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake, Three ways!

I. Love. Autumn. I really do. I love everything about the season. Okay, I don't like how the weather here in Central New York likes to bounce back and forth between cold and rainy, and hot and muggy in the same week.... multiple times. But other than that, I love it all. I love the scents, the flavors, the feelings, the decorations, the holidays, the traditional dishes that make you think of Autumn. You know that smell you think of when you think of Autumn? It's vaguely sweet and earthy with a spicy note on the back (I swear I'm not describing wine)? That smell that all the candle companies try to mimic with their "Walk in the Autumn Woods" or "Falling Leaves" or some other random title that combines leaves, Autumn and/or other natural aspects that we associate with the season. Crazy to think that a lot of us spend major $$ on candles that are trying to mimic the scent of rotting leaves and other natural detritus. *Deep inhale* ahhh yes, the lovely smell of rotting... Except, in this case, I'm being totally serious.


(Photo from Buns in My Oven)

MOVING ON though; this is a food blog so let's get to the heart of the matter at hand, and that is Autumnal food! There are so many that I love, but the first thing that most people think about is pumpkin, pumpkin spice, apples and baking. While I don't love ALL things pumpkin spice (I'm looking at you PSL), I do love me some pumpkin and some spice. Before surgery, this time of year was filled with making various pumpkin puddings and cheesecakes and cakes and muffins, along with all of the apple things. Applesauce, apple butter, apple cake, apple jelly, apple crisp, apple pie, all of the apple! I mean, come on, I am from NY and there's a reason we're called "The Big Apple." But apples aside, today I bring you offerings of Pumpkin Cheesecake. And not just one recipe, but three! Okay, well, technically it's one recipe, modified to fit different needs, but humor me.


(Photo From Hip 2 Keto)


So basically, this is a recipe that can be slightly changed for bariatric patients, LCHF/Keto and one that comes out more like a custard versus a tradition cheesecake.




Pumpkin Cheesecake

 

 

Version One (Bariatric friendly):


  • 16 oz neufchatel/reduced fat cream cheese, room temp
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping
  • 1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
  • 1/4 tsp Xantham Gum
  • 1/2 cup Truvia Baking Blend 
  • 1 cup egg substitute 
  • 1 Tbsp pumpkin spice
  •  2 scoops unflavored protein powder 
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1/2 chopped pecans
  • 2 packets Splenda
  • 3 tbsp Hemp Hearts
  • 3 tbsp Kerry Gold Butter, salted, melted
  • 1 cup Apple Cinnamon Cheerios*
 *You can easily replace this with almond meal/flour, or a lower carb cereal. I just used what I had around.


Preheat oven to 400℉
  1. In a large mixing bowl, add neufchatel/reduced fat cream cheese and sweetener of choice. Using a hand mixer, mix on low until it becomes nice and creamy. Add extracts and pumpkin spice and continue to mix.
  2. With mixer still on low, slowly add heavy cream, mixing it in as you go to make one homogeneous mixture. When heavy cream is fully mixed in, slow start adding the egg in the same way you added the cream. Doing it this way will make sure that there's no lumps in your mixture.
  3. Turning the hand mixer up to medium, add pumpkin puree, xantham gum and protein powder. Continue mixing until thoroughly combined.
  4. In a food processor, combine cereal, pecans, hemp hearts and splenda. Pulse until a nice crumb is created. With processor running, add melted butter until the mixture comes together.
  5. In a greased 8x8 pan, press crumb mixture in a thin, even layer across the bottom of the pan. Fill pan with cheesecake mix, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl to get the remaining mixture out. Lift the pan an inch or two off the counter top and drop, several times. This helps release trapped air bubbles as well as make sure there's an even top.
  6. Place in preheated oven. Immediately turn the temperature down to 250℉ and bake for 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in until the oven is cooled back down. Allowing the cheesecake to slowly come down in temperature helps to create a more dense texture that is fully cooked without overcooking the outside.
  7. Chill for several hours or overnight before slicing and serving.*



Version Two (LCHF/Keto):

  • 16 oz Cream Cheese, room temp
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping
  • 1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
  • 1/4 tsp Xantham Gum
  • 1/2 cup Swerve/Xylitol
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp pumpkin spice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1/2 chopped pecans
  • 1 Tbsp monkfruit sweetener
  • 3 tbsp Hemp Hearts
  • 3 tbsp Kerry Gold Butter, salted, melted
  • 1 cup almond meal/flour 

















Version Three (More custard than cheesecake):

  • 8 oz neufchatel/reduced fat cream cheese, room temp
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping
  • 1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
  • 1/4 tsp Xantham Gum
  • 1/2 cup Truvia Baking Blend 
  • 1 1/2 cups egg substitute 
  • 1 Tbsp pumpkin spice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract


 































(Shown here topped with Pumpkin Pie Halo Top and Lite Cool Whip)









*Note that the instructions for each version are basically the same, just allow for the difference in ingredients. The last one has no crust, so you cut those steps out completely. They all mix and cook the same, so just adjust accordingly.


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