J.I.T. You Know What That Means! Pumpkin Cheesecake

J.I.T. (just in time), (I hope!). Yes, this is the eve of Christmas Eve, which means many of you will be attending feasts tomorrow, and the next day. So, take today to make this wonderful cheesecake. It turned out fantastic!

I used the traditional graham cracker crust but I added instant coffee granules and chopped walnuts. Walnuts + Pumpkin = Pure Bliss. But adding coffee to the mix? That equals PURE BLISSEST! (Is that even a word?)

The coffee flavor mixed with the pumpkin, cream cheese, and spices makes this cheesecake rich. And the crust is not the only place that coffee was added. It was added to the topping too. So the cheesecake is sandwiched between heavenly coffee.....

In the oven it goes....

Right out of the oven.....

Okay, I have a very important question: Does anyone know of any tips or tricks on how to get a smooth cut on a cheesecake?

The ones you see in bakeries and grocery stores have such a smooth cut, they almost look like they were baked that way (jealous!).

Plated and ready to go to my Christmas feast tonight. And look, I get to use my new cake plate that I bought from Sax Thrift Avenue.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you; The ingredients in the cheesecake had to be modified to the ingredients I had in my frig.

This is the recipe I created:

Pumpkin Cheese Cake

crust

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

4 1/2 TBS butter, melted

3 TBS sugar

1 TBS instant coffee granules (dissolved in melted butter)

1/3 c. chopped fine walnuts

pumpkin filling

2 pkg. 8 oz. each cream cheese, soft

1 1/4 c. sugar

1 (15 oz.) can pure pumpkin

3/4 c. cottage cheese

1 1/2 tsp. brandy extract

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. salt

4 large eggs

cream topping

3/4 c. sour cream

1/4 c. cottage cheese

3 TBS sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. instant coffee granules

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9" by 3" springform pan, with fork, stir graham cracker crumbs, melted butter with coffee, and sugar until moistened. This can be done in a separate bowl too.

Tightly wrap outside of pan with heavy-duty foil to prevent leakage when baking in water bath later. Bake crust 10 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Pumpkin Filling: In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese until smooth; slowly beat in cottage cheese, extract, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Add eggs one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Pour pumpkin mixture into crust and place in large roasting pan. Place pan on oven rack. Carefully pour enough boiling water into pan to come 1 inch up side of springform pan. Bake cheesecake 1 hour 20 minutes or until center barely jiggles.

Cream Topping:

In a mixing bowl at medium speed, beat sour cream, cottage cheese, sugar, coffee granules, and vanilla until blended. When cheesecake is done, remove from water bath, pour on the topping smoothing it to the edges evenly. Return cake to water bath and bake 5 more minutes.

Remove cheesecake from water bath to wire rack; discard foil. With a small knife, loosen cheesecake from side of pan to help prevent cracking during cooling. Cool cheesecake completely. Cover and refrigerate cheesecake at least 6 hours or overnight, until well chilled. Remove side of pan to serve.