Pumpkin Cheesecake

{ Monday, October 4, 2010 }

In the food world, Fall means one thing: pumpkin. Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin carvings...the list goes on. Canadian Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and while pumpkin pie is usually my go-to dessert, sometimes it's nice to switch things up. I made this cheesecake to serve to a large group of my omni friends, and I was a little paranoid about the amount of tofu the recipe calls for. I was frantically tasting the raw batter, then the cooked batter, then the chilled cake to see if it would be palatable to non-veg taste buds, but in the end it was a great success. Once the cake is cooked and cooled, all you taste is pumpkin and spice.

Pumpkin Cheesecake (makes 1 cake)
Adapted from La Dolce Vegan

1 1/2 cups gingersnap cookies
3/4 cup pecans, finely ground
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 14-oz package of firm tofu
1 12-oz package of soft or silken tofu
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger and cloves
6-10 pecan halves
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and lightly oil a 9-inch spring form pan.

In a food processor, blend the first 4 ingredients and press mixture into the bottom of the pan.

Rinse out the food processor and throw in the remaining ingredients (except the pecan halves and maple syrup). Blend until smooth and pour into prepared pan. Arrange pecan halves on top and bake for 75 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool completely. Spoon maple syrup on top of cake and refrigerate overnight.