Fall Recipes Using Pumpkin For Halloween

Halloween is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries which falls on October 31. Although we don't really celebrate Halloween through the traditional trick-or-treat party but for the past three years I have being sharing some Halloween Themed Recipes during this time of the year. For this year instead of the usual savory dishes I decided to bake some sweet treats (cakes) for our afternoon tea.

And since Pumpkin is one of the most common ingredients for Fall recipes, I decided to use it to make my favourite Pumpkin Cheesecake (mini version) and Pumpkin Chia Seeds Chiffon Cake.

MINI PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

I am always attracted to pumpkin pie whenever it comes to autumn season but to be frank till dates I still have not try to bake one of this yet. And instead of pumpkin pie, this Fall season I decide to go easy on something small which can be served together with the afternoon tea. So in the end, I choose to bake Pumpkin Cheesecake in small cupcake size and top them with melted 70% dark chocolate plus some extra roasted caramelized pumpkin cubes.

(Make: 8 - 10 Cups | Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 35 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 8 Pieces Of Gingersnap / Digestive Biscuits
• 4 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1 Teaspoon of Sugar, optional

Cream Cheese Fillings:

• 250g Philadelphia Cream Cheese, soften
• 55g (1/4 cup) Caster Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 100g Mashed Pumpkin
• 1 Large Egg
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
• 1 Teaspoon All Spice
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• Pinch Of Salt

Method:-
1. Remove the outer skin of the pumpkin (about 120g) and cut it into 0.5" cubes. Place them in a microwave safe dish or bowl and cook on HIGH heat for 5 - 7 minutes with 2 minutes interval. Stir occasionally until pumpkin is soft to mash using a fork. Set aside to cool.

2. To make the biscuit crumbs, place biscuits in a ziplock bag and crashed it using a rolling pin to fine crumbs or process them a food processor.

3. In a medium bowl, mix crumbs with 1 teaspoon of sugar together with melted butter until moistened. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each cupcake case (120ml capacity), press firmly using another cupcake case on top (refer to the photo above).

4. Keep the biscuit crust in the fridge for 10 - 15 minutes while preparing the cream cheese fillings.

5. Beat cream cheese on low speed for 10 second till creamy. Add in brown and caster sugar then continue to beat until smooth and creamy.

6. Add vanilla extract and egg, beat well before a adding in salt, flour and spices and beat till combined.

7. Lastly stir in mashed pumpkin then divide mixture into prepared cupcake cases (about 1/4 cup each). Baked in preheated 160°C (degree Celsius) oven (2nd lower rack) for about 35 minutes or surface is slightly golden brown in colour.

8. Set aside and let the cheesecake cool down to room temperature before chilling it in the fridge for at least 3 hours prior serving.

9. Topped Cheesecake with 70% dark chocolate (melted) and roasted pumpkin cubes and serve chill.

WHOLEMEAL PUMPKIN AND CHIA SEEDS CHIFFON CAKE

To compromise the cheesecake with something light, I also baked another Wholemeal Pumpkin and Chia Seeds Chiffon Cake which used both shredded and mashed cooked pumpkin for the fillings. Overall this chiffon cake is full of pumpkin flavour and the texture is moist and cotton like which is great to go with a cup of hot fragrant tea while enjoy the afternoon break. 

(Make: 20cm Chiffon Tin  | Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 40 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 5 Egg Yolks
• 20g Caster Sugar
• 80ml Coconut Cream Or Fresh Milk
• 40ml Corn Oil
• 80g Wholemeal Flour
• 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder, optional
• 70g Mashed Pumpkin
• 30g Shredded Pumpkin, optional
• 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Meringue Batter:

• 5 Egg Whites
• 70g Caster Sugar
• 10g Cornflour

Method:-
1. Beat egg yolks with 20g caster sugar till creamy before stirring in oil, coconut milk and vanilla extract in order.

2. Add mashed and shredded pumpkin and stir till combined.  Next whisk in sieved flour (with baking powder if using) till no trace of flour found before stirring in the chia seeds. Set batter aside.

3. Beat egg whites till frosty, slowly add in sugar mixture (sugar + cornflour) and beat it till stiff peaks.

4. Using a balloon whisk gently fold in egg whites into the prepared egg yolks batter in 3 batches till no trace of whites and the mixture are well combined.

5. Lastly lift up the bowl to height, pour the mixture into the tube pan and tap the pan once or twice on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.

6. Top batter with thin slices of pumpkin and bake it in preheated 160°C (degree Celsius) oven (2nd lower rack) for about 40 minutes or when the surfaces turns golden brown (you can insert a skewer into the centre and test if it comes out clean).

7. Remove it from the oven and invert the pan immediately to let it rest on top of a cup. Make sure it cool completely before unmould.

8. To remove the cake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife (i use a small plastic spatula) around the inside of the pan and the center core. Release the cake and run the knife/spatula along the base of the pan to remove the cake completely.

This coming Halloween I hope you will have fun time with your family and friends, plus remember to get some trick-or-treat ready for the kids too. Meanwhile if you are looking for some Halloween themed food, do take a look at my past years "ideas" at this link.