When the first leaf turns orange and the first pumpkin appears on roadside stands or at the market, I am ecstatic. That means that pumpkin spice everything will soon be on the market.
I love Pumpkin Spice Lattes, PS Cheesecakes, PS doughnuts, PS milkshakes…..well, you get the message. I just find great delight in the combination of flavors. We stalk the doughnut shops until the sign goes up and wow. It’s hard to not eat all of the delicious delicacies that are in the box on the way home!
So I have a question……why is pumpkin spice only offered for two months? No sooner than you get settled in to the offerings of the season, they are gone…giving way to eggnog or peppermint. Gone in a flash and leaving me heartbroken, longing for more.
Now unless I am missing something, the Pumpkin Spice whatevers appear at the same time as pumpkins, leaving me to conclude that they are made with canned pumpkin. So, if that is the case why can’t we have these year round? I see canned pumpkin on the shelves all the time along with cinnamon and cloves. Can’t we have Pumpkin Spice Lattes all the time? Doughnuts? Maybe just a little cheesecake now and then?
So what does this mean? Between now and the end of fall I have to eat a full year’s supply of doughnuts, cheesecake, and drink all the milkshakes and lattes I can hold. Is that really smart? No. So, the medical profession should rise up and require Pumpkin Spice to be offered year round. Now I knew we could come to a great conclusion if we just put our thoughts together. Meanwhile, I have a great White Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake recipe, from Taste of the South‘s Best of Holiday Baking issue, for us all to bake.
Celebrate fall and when you are drinking your Pumpkin Spice Latte….think of me and my quest!
Love you all!
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1⁄4 cup finely ground toasted pecans
- 1⁄4 cup English toffee bits
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 11⁄2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 (4-ounce) bars white chocolate, melted and cooled
- 11⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1⁄4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Preheat oven to 300°. Spray a 10-inch springform pan with baking spray with flour. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; spray again. Wrap bottom of pan with foil.
- In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, pecans, toffee bits, and butter. Press into the bottom of prepared pan.
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with a mixer at medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream, white chocolate, and vanilla, mixing to combine. Reserve 11⁄2 cups batter. Pour remaining batter into prepared pan. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup reserved batter, pumpkin, ginger, coriander, cardamom, and pumpkin pie spice. Pour over batter in pan.
- Drop remaining 1⁄2 cup batter by tablespoonfuls over pumpkin batter. Using a knife, create a swirl pattern in batter. Set springform pan in a large roasting pan; place roasting pan in oven. Carefully add water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan.
- Bake for 11⁄2 hours. Turn oven off. Leave cheesecake in oven with door closed for 2 hours.Remove from oven; refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Gently run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen sides, if necessary. Remove sides and bottom of springform pan. Cover, and refrigerate up to 5 days.
Find this recipe and more in Taste of the South‘s
Best of Holiday Baking Baking 2016!
