Pumpkin Cinnamon Cheesecake

Elana's Pantry's Note:

This Pumpkin Cinnamon Cheesecake is a winner. This gluten free dessert doesn't last long around the boys and their friends.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 8

Yield: 1.0 cheesec ...

• 1 medium pie pumpkin (or acorn squash or butternut squash)
• 1 quart whole milk yogurt (strained overnight or up to 24 hours, discard whey)
• ½ cup agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt

Directions:

1. 1. Fill the bottom of a baking dish with a little less than ¼ inch of water.
2. 2. Cut pumpkin in half, remove seeds, and place face down in baking dish.
3. 3. Roast pumpkin in the oven for 45-55 minutes until soft.
4. 4. Allow pumpkin to cool and scrape flesh into a bowl, then measure out 2 cups.
5. 5. In a cuisinart, combine 2 cups pumpkin, strained yogurt (minus the whey which was strained out), agave, vanilla and lemon juice and process until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
6. 6. Process in cinnamon and salt.
7. 7. Pour batter into a 9-inch tart pan.
8. 8. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes, until firm.
9. 9. Remove from oven, cool and serve.

Reviews

[the80srule]

The key to this is that you REALLY need to strain the yogurt! I used a carton of Greek yogurt figuring I wouldn't have to strain it...oops. Big watery mess!!! (But it made a rich version of my classic pumpkin pie yogurt so it didn't go to waste once I drained the excess water/whey.) So I felt it wasn't fair to review it until I made it again correctly. It's a bit time-consuming to leave the yogurt straining overnight (cheesecloth is better than a colander for straining yogurt, for the uninitiated) but totally worth it!! I used honey instead of agave nectar to get the same consistency and a 15-oz can of pumpkin both times. When I made it correctly, it came out utterly delicious with a nice light texture! Will definitely make again!