Low Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake Courtesy of Elaine

Elaine, one of our OFL's, posted this link for a low carb pumpkin cheesecake. Sounds really good! For those of you who are new to reading this blog, there is also a low carb pumpkin custard on here. I just went ahead and copied and pasted the recipe for you.

Pumpkin cheesecake can make a nice change from pumpkin pie. This version is richly spiced. The crust is thicker than the regular low-carb cheesecake, but if you want a thinner crust, the other one can be used. If you want a cheesecake that isn't as rich, you can use lower fat cream cheese, though I haven't specifically tested it with more than 1 package of the cream cheese being low fat.

Ingredients:

• Crust:
• 1 ½ cups almond meal
• ½ teaspoon each of ginger and cinnamon
• 4 Tablespoons melted butter
• 4 Tablespoons sugar substitute
• Filling:
• 3 8 oz packages cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• ¾ teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups sugar substitute, or to taste - I like Sweetzfree (see below)
• 1 can (about 15 oz) pumpkin
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 5 eggs, preferably room temperature
• ½ cup heavy cream

Preparation:

Heat oven to 375 F. Prepare springform pan: I like to put a piece of parchment paper over the bottom of the pan -- no need to cut it to size, just snap it into place when you put the tighten the sides. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan in heavy-duty foil. You'll be baking the cheesecake with the springform pan set in a baking pan half-full of boiling water, so you want to protect from leaks.

1) Combine ingredients for crust, and press into the bottom of a springform pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until fragrant and beginning to brown.

2) Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Scrape sides of bowl and beaters. This step will be repeated several times and is important. The mixture will gradually become lighter, and the denser stuff has a tendency to cling to the bowl. You won't be able to incorporate it as well later, so keep scraping.

3) Add spices and sweetener. Beat again, scrape again.

4) Add pumpkin and vanilla. Beat well, scrape.

5) Add 3 eggs. Beat well (about a minute), scrape.

6) Add the other 2 eggs and cream and beat another minute. Pour mixture into pan over crust.

7) Place pan in a baking pan and pour boiling water around the sides, about halfway up. Lower the oven temperature to 325 F. and bake for for 60 to 90 minutes, checking often after an hour. When the cake is firm to touch but slightly soft in the center, or the center reaches 150 to 155 F, remove from oven.

8) Remove sides from pan. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, or up to 3 hours. Cover and chill, ideally for another 3 to 4 hours.

Nutritional Information for full fat cream cheese, at 16 servings: Each serving has 4 grams effective carbohydrate plus 2 grams fiber, 5 grams protein, and 285 calories.