Goat Cheese Pumpkin Cheesecake
As a recent member of Blogging Fifty group, I’m sharing this Goat Cheese Pumpkin Cheesecake with the Fifty and Fab blog hop! What is so special about being fifty? For starters, we are still alive! Just kidding…kind of. In my early teens, I thought being 50 is SO old and people shouldn’t live past it. Oh my, have I changed my mind in a hurry when I turned 50! LOL.
Why do we think we are fabulous? We are the super generation. We are caretakers for our kids, grandchildren, AND our elderly parents while still working full-time. Even though our stamina is declining we are constantly challenging ourselves and striving to go beyond our full potentials. What’s not fabulous about that?
So, what does a cheesecake have to do with being fifty?
If you are following my little blog you probably know that I dislike hate baking. I hate measuring with all my heart and yet, the older I get the more I bake. I was always intimidated by cheesecakes; however, I like love to eat them. It would be easy to buy a cheesecake and call it a day.
But no! I might as well sit in a rocking chair all day long and knit. That’s not how this grandma rocks. Sure, I know how to knit too but I’m not going down without learning how to make a cheesecake if it’s the last thing I do! But it doesn’t end with mastering the cheesecake. New challenges are awaiting me and I’m ready to tackle.
Turning fifty is not something you look forward to. But you can still make it fun. Find out how I celebrated it in this post. I know so many people who are 50+ and fabulous. They go parachuting, zip-lining, or bungee-jumping, you name it. I’m not that ambitious, thank you very much. But they also craft and create and inspire!
In my ‘old’ age I want to explore and learn as many things as possible and available to me. I share recipes, photography, and stories on my blog, but there is more than meets the eye. Gardening, knitting, crocheting, sewing, birding, crafting, writing, continuing education…the list goes on.
At my age, you don’t believe that, at midnight, your pumpkin can turn into anything else but a cheesecake. Yet, you don’t give up creating your fairy-tale. This goat cheese pumpkin cheesecake represents the can-do attitude many get in the autumn of their lives. Autumn, goat, pumpkin – get it? Here’s to all of us Fifty and Fab!!!
Please visit other fifty and fabulous links below to meet more amazing mature people! Hope you get inspired!
Goat Cheese Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Discover a hint of #earthy and #nutty flavor in this #luscious Goat Cheese #Pumpkin #Cheesecake with #roasted #pears and find out why is #fabulous to be #fifty. #fiftyandfab #goatcheese #dessert #autumn Click To Tweet
INGREDIENTS:
Serves 8-12
- 6 oz. (about 46) vanilla wafers
- 2 oz. pecans
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoon butter, melted
- 6 oz. crumbled goat cheese
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 16 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Roasted pears (optional):
- 1 large pear (Bosc or Bartlett)
- 4 tablespoon pure maple syrup
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a food processor, pulse cookies and pecans until finely ground (it makes about 2 cups). Add sugar, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, salt and butter; pulse until combined.
- Firmly press crumb mixture into bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden and set. Cool completely before filling.
- Meanwhile, with an electric mixer set on low speed, beat together the goat cheese and sugar. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined. Add eggs one at a time mixing on low speed after each is added. Combine the remaining ingredients and continue to beat until the mixture is very smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared crust and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan; the center should be still soft. Cool to room temperature then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight.
Roasted pears (optional):
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Slice pear lengthwise 1/8-inch thick (I used a mandoline slicer, but a knife works well too).
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Coat with cooking spray. Arrange pear slices in a single layer on sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Roast until pears are soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and heat the broiler. Brush pears with remaining syrup and broil until browned in spots, about 3-4 minutes. Let cool.
- Arrange pear slices, overlapping slightly, on cheesecake.
Goat Cheese Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 6 oz. about 46 vanilla wafers
- 2 oz. pecans
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoon butter melted
- 6 oz. crumbled goat cheese
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 16 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Roasted pears (optional):
- 1 large pear Bosc or Bartlett
- 4 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a food processor, pulse cookies and pecans until finely ground (it makes about 2 cups). Add sugar, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and butter; pulse until combined.
- Firmly press crumb mixture into bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden and set. Cool completely before filling.
- Meanwhile, with an electric mixer set on low speed, beat together the goat cheese and sugar. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined. Add eggs one at a time mixing on low speed after each is added. Combine the remaining ingredients and continue to beat until the mixture is very smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared crust and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan; the center should be still soft. Cool to room temperature then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight.
Roasted pears (optional):
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Slice pear lengthwise 1/8-inch thick (I used a mandoline slicer, but a knife works well too).
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Coat with cooking spray. Arrange pear slices in a single layer on sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Roast until pears are soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and heat the broiler. Brush pears with remaining syrup and broil until browned in spots, about 3-4 minutes. Let cool.
- Arrange pear slices, overlapping slightly, on cheesecake.
Notes
The other cheesecakes I pushed myself into making are Tiramisu Cheesecake that got the most views and shares, Layered Maple Cheesecake, and my very first Red Velvet Cheesecake.
Featured on: Keeping It Simple, Lori’s Culinary Creations, and The Cottage Market.
Now on to Fifty and Fab blog hop.
Wow this is so beautiful!
Thank you, Laura!
What an amazing sounding combination of flavors! Looks yummy! Thanks for sharing at Friday Frenzy Link Party! PINNED!
Hi, Kelly! It really tastes amazing. 🙂
You always make things to look easy! Gorgeous photos for a very delicious cheescake 🙂 Thank you for sharing at Sweet Inspiration Link Party 🙂
You are too sweet, Christina! Thank you so much! XO
Congratulations on the big 50 and for a lady that hates baking Jas you make the most delicious cakes
I like to challenge myself because I’m crazy like that, haha. Thanks for the birthday wishes, 52 in less than a month (this is an old post). 😉
This looks so wonderful! Love the photos of the finished cheesecake! Just delicious! I will be trying this week!
Thank you, Stacey! I hope you like it! 😀
I’m way past 50 and life is good! What a unique sounding cheesecake with the goat cheese and the pears. I’m sure it’s delicious! I struggle with food photos, but yours are always great. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe at Party in Your PJ’s. I pinned to my dessert board and shared.
1
Thank you, Teresa, it means a lot! Your food photos are good too! You can increase the vibrance and contrast to make them pop a little and you’re golden. 🙂 Have a happy Thanksgiving!
50 does sound old until you are way past it! 🙂 This looks delicious! I’m sure the goat cheese adds a wonderful flavor. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
So true, Jann! The goat cheese just lifts the flavor of this cake, it doesn’t overpower it at all 🙂
This cheesecake looks so creamy! Thanks for sharing at The Blogger’s Pit Stop! Roseann from http://www.thisautoimmunelife.com
Oh, it is definitely creamy! 😀 Thanks for visiting, Roseann!
The pears on top make a wonderful presentation, fabulous! Thank you for bringing it to FF.
Thank you so very much!
Your Cheesecake is just beautiful! What a great syrup to have on hand with winter coming on. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday. Come to next weeks Thanksgiving party on Tuesday at 8:00 am, CST, see you then!
Miz Helen
Thank you, Miz Helen! Glad you like it!
This is a gorgeous cheesecake, Jas! I love the roasted pears on top. You’re really making me think about trying my hand at cheesecake again!
You should! If I can do it, everyone can! I don’t even like baking, ha!
That cheesecake is a thing of beauty! I’m not the biggest fan of cheesecake. Not that I don’t like it, but it’s not high on my list. However, goat cheese makes every one of my lists. You hooked me with the darn goat cheese!!! This is on my to do list and soon!
Haha, sorry…not sorry! I love meeting more people that love goat cheese! I have few recipes on the blog that uses it, the latest a flatbread pizza with goat cheese as a base. You’d love it! Even the people that turn their noses up at goat cheese loved it. You can find it on my home page, just scroll down a bit 😀
I hope I have your fantastic, upbeat attitude when I turn 50! I’ve always felt like age was just a number, and it’s what you do with your life at that time that matters most!
This recipe sounds simply amazing! I’m a nut about goat cheese so I was excited to see it as the base of your cheesecake. How delicious!
So true, Heather! The only problem with age is that your head thinks you’re 20 and your body says you’re 100, LOL.
Happy you like goat cheese. It’s not everyone’s forte 🙂 Thanks for stopping in!
This looks like it could become a new holiday tradition – it looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing on the What’s for Dinner Link up.
Thank you, Helen! It easily could 🙂