I’ve been looking in different grocery stores for the past few weeks, but haven’t been able to find a pumpkin. It might still be early, or pumpkins in general aren’t a common thing here. I have found a can of pumpkin puree, but I decided to go with a kabocha squash for this recipe because I already had it on hand. October has started and so this is the perfect time to make Halloween-themed recipes! The Japanese Cotton Cheesecake that I made a few weeks ago was just so delicious that I wanted to make one more, but Halloween themed. I decided to make this Halloween Kabocha Cheesecake and made sure that it was gluten and sugar-free!
I really like using Japanese kabocha squash in recipes as it has a really great taste and texture and is very versatile in its uses. You can use it in sweets, instead of potatoes, in soups, in custards, in purees, in savoury dish and so on. It’s uses are unlimited. This recipe uses a combination of different spices that are commonly found in Halloween recipes, but also in French Canadian cooking. We like to add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamons in various things like meat pies and meatballs! I added some to this recipe because for me, that’s what taste the best with this kind of cheesecake.
I did bake this cheesecake in a water bath, but it did crack a little on the top. However, it didn’t sink in and stayed flat and dense so it was perfect in my book! I thought 6 servings was enough for this cheesecake as it was pretty filling! Feel free to top the cheesecake with whatever you want, but I really like whipped cream (dairy or coconut) with pumpkin-flavoured things.
Halloween Kabocha Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp stevia powder
Cheesecake
- 160 g kabocha or pumpkin for less carbs
- 200 g cream cheese
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 90 g sour cream
- 1/2 tsp stevia powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cardamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
Instructions
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Peel about 1/8 of a kabocha squash (160g) and discard the seeds. Cut into big chunks, and put it in a pot of boiling water. Boil for about 10 minutes until softened. Strain the water and put aside to cool down. Mash it with a fork. OR: put it in a bowl, cover it with some saran wrap and microwave for 5 minutes. Take it out of the microwave and mash with a fork.
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Put about 1-2 cm of water in a baking tray and place it in the oven. Wrap the bottom of a 6” springform pan
with aluminum foil.
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In a small bowl, mix the almond flour, cinnamon, butter and stevia powder. Mix until a thick paste forms and press unto the bottom of your springform pan.
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In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, sour cream, butter and stevia. Mix with a hand mixer
until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the kabocha squash, cinnamon, salt, cardamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Mix until the squash is mixed in with the cheese and completely pureed, about a minute.
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Add the vanilla and the eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Pour the batter into your springform pan and tap it on the counter a couple of times to get rid of the air bubbles.
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Place in the oven into the water bath and cook for 40 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let cool completely before putting it in the fridge overnight or 6 hours.
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Serve plain or with whipped cream.
Recipe Notes
If you want to make a lower carb version, switch out the kabocha for pumpkin puree!
Get the equipment used here:
Wilton Excelle Elite 6 x 2-3/4 Inch Springform Pan
KitchenAid KHM512ER 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer, Empire Red
I should do this for my son! Looks delicious!!
You should!! You could make it together too 🙂 Super simple to make!