Pumpkin Cheesecake

And here is yet another fool-proof recipe from the Martha Stewart website. I know. Enough already. There's a lot of Martha haters out there.

This recipe was extremely simple. It was actually my first cheesecake, which I was anxious about, I've always thought cheesecake could be one of those things you could really screw up. Alas, I was successful! And it'll be a great alternative to pumpkin pie with Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner...

It killed me to not open the door while it was sitting (unfortunately I'm one of those who always needs to do what I'm told not to), but I didn't, and I think this is what prevented the top from cracking.

The pumpkin taste was subtle and the texture was perfect.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

From Martha Stewart

For the Crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 10 whole crackers)

1/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

4 packages (8 oz. each) bar cream cheese, very soft

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 tbsp. AP flour

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

4 large eggs, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Assmble a 9-inch nonstick springform pan, with the raised side of the bottom part facing up.

Make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix graham crumbs, sugar, and butter until moistened; press firmly into the bottom of pan. Bake until golden around edges, 10 to 12 minutes.

Make the filling: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth; mix in flour (do not overmix). Add pumpkin puree, pie spice, vanilla, and salt; mix just until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated before adding the next.

Place springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour filling into springform, and gently smooth top. Transfer to oven; reduce oven heat to 300 degrees. Bake 45 minutes. Turn off oven; let cheesecake stay in oven 2 hours more (without opening).

Remove from oven; cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours. Unmold before serving.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

This is the first time I've made Red Velvet anything, and I've never been a fan of Red Velvet until I had a cupcake at Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle. I tried my best to find a recipe I could tweak to get it as close to theirs as I could.

I used my little cups again, which are cute, but I really think they shouldn't be filled more than halfway to make a perfectly shaped cupcake. Most of them came out okay, but a couple were definitely a miss. This batter really rises well, so even with regular cupcake liners, don't fill them any more than 1/2 to 2/3 full.

I wanted a cake that would be truly red, many that I've tasted are more like a chocolate cake with a slight red tint. Here's what I came up with:

Red Velvet Cupcakes

By Dulce Doll

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups AP flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. cocoa powder

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. white vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 oz. red gel food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine buttermilk, oil, and eggs on medium speed. Add vinegar, vanilla, and red food coloring. Mix until smooth. Add sugar.

Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder together. Add dry ingredients to wet in batches, beating well between each addition.

Fill cupcake liners 1/2 to 2/3 full and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, rotating pan halfway through to ensure even baking.

Cream Cheese Frosting

By Dulce Doll

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup milk

6 to 8 cups icing sugar

Directions:

Cream the cream cheese and butter together. Add 1 cup of icing sugar and beat in. Add milk and another cup of icing sugar. Continue adding sugar 1/2 cup at a time until you have the desired consistency for piping.

Makes 24 cupcakes or one three layer cake.