Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

When it comes to desserts - I'm not sure there is anything more popular than brownies and cheesecake.  They make the menu at nearly every restaurant  - and not just in the US either.  They seem to have near universal popularity.  So naturally, combining the two is just magical.  Giving it an awesome Fall pumpkin-spice twist is even more magical.

Really, I need to like seriously ease up on the sweets,  but on a boring rainy Sunday afternoon who doesn't make brownies?  Am I right?  I always wish I did more entertaining so I have excuses to make more things like this (without eating it all myself) - but I figure at this time of year all of you have parties and school events to make treats for so it will be useful to you even if it induces gestational diabetes for me (I kid, I kid).  In fact, if all goes according to plan (ha! when does that happen?) there will be even more awesome pumpkin sweetness coming up later this week. 

I came up with this recipe simply after doing an inventory of what I had laying around the house - its basically just your basic brownies topped with your basic cheesecake (pumpkin flavored!).  The pumpkin cheesecake is pretty spicy, cause thats the way I like it, but you can definitely leave out some of the cinnamon/cloves/nutmeg if you prefer it less so.   These ended up being just about the most addicting treat I have ever made - its like pumpkin cheesecake with a brownie crust.  Amazing.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
Brownies:
113g Butter
140g Bittersweet Chocolate (I used Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips)
2 Tbs Cocoa
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
3 Eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt

Cheesecake:
300g Cream Cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Sugar
2 Tbs flour

Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F
In a large bowl, combine all the cheesecake ingredients with an electric mixer until well blended.   Set aside.

Make the brownie mix.  In a double broiler (or a bowl over a pan of water) on medium heat, melt the bittersweet chocolate and the butter - stirring constantly.  When fully melted, remove from heat.

Stir in  sugar and cocoa powder.   Whisk in vanilla.  Whisk in eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next.  Stir in flour and salt until smooth and silky. 

Butter and flour a 2 L (2.2 qt) baking pan or Pyrex dish.  Spread 3/4 of the brownie batter in the bottom.   Pour the Pumpkin Cheesecake mixture over that.  Dollop the rest of the brownie batter across the top, then drag a knife through it to make it all swirly and pretty (mine wasn't that pretty of a swirl, but hey it still works). 

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.   Allow to cool at least 5 or 10 minutes before cutting.  They taste great the next day (keep chilled), but I thought they were best a little warm :)

Pumpkin Spice Cake

We have been having the most amazing Fall.  It has been cool, crisp air, blue skies, and colorful leaves.  Just plain dreamy*.  I don't really need much prodding to get in the Autumnal spirit - but the storybook Fall weather has had me obsessing even more than usual over all things Pumpkin.  I love it savory or sweet - but Pumpkin as dessert seems to be less common in Germany.  I will never forget when I served Pumpkin Pie to one of my German friends at Thanksgiving last year and watched him nearly gag - it was just not what he was expecting.

I love Pumpkin sweets though - especially this year the pregnancy sweet tooth has really gotten the better of me.   I have no less than 10 pumpkin desserts I am determined to make before the season is over.  But for years - years - I have been trying to make the perfect Pumpkin cake.  Cake that has all the autumnal-awesomeness of Pumpkin spice Lattes in the package of a perfectly super-moist and fluffy cake.

This is that cake.  Its very simple, very easy and really - just the perfect pumpkin cake that I have been trying for all this time.  Its very sweet and pumpkin-y, but with just the right amount of spice to even it out.  The applesauce makes it very moist without being overly rich.  Watch out, because its easy to eat a lot (ahem not that I know from experience or anything ).  And it makes a lot - you can make a large sheet cake, a bundt cake or a whole lot of cupcakes with this recipe (though for the latter two cooking times would need to be adjusted).   I enjoyed it topped with some Maple-Cranberry Compote which made it just an insane overload of Fall goodness - but it was just as delicious plain.  I imagine it would be delightful with a frosting, glaze, or whipped cream as well.  Oh - and ice cream.  I definitely recommend it with ice cream.  

Pumpkin Spice Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour (Germany: type 550)
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
approx. 1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
 2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups pumpkin puree
4 eggs


Butter and flour a large sheet-cake pan (9x13 inch or thereabouts - mine is a bit larger than this but not a full half sheet) and preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together sugar, oil and applesauce.  Blend in vanilla and pumpkin (be warned - its pretty soupy at this point and gets pretty splatter-y when using an electric mixer).   Beat in eggs one at a time.

Gently stir in flour in batches until all well combined and smooth.    Spread batter into pan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean.  I found it most delightful when served still slightly warm :)


*Until this week...sigh....I think fall is leaving and winter is arriving and its very very sad.

Maple-Cranberry Compote

I am ridiculously excited for this Holiday season.  Halloween, Thanksgiving, and then Christmas....this is by far the best time of year.  Its an exciting time to like to cook too - cranberries, pumpkins, maple, and chocolate are just some of the sweeter highlights.  I find myself wanting to make pumpkin and cranberry desserts all year long, but force myself to wait until 'the season' and then never have time to make all the amazing things I want to. 

I have had 6 cups of cranberries sitting in my freezer for almost a year, paralyzed by my indecision on what to do with them.  So I decided since they were back in season again - it was probably about time to start using them.  I love anything cranberry, and I love fruit compotes so when I saw this simple little recipe in this months Bon Appetit, I thought...why not?  Its super quick to throw together and can be made days in advance.  I cooked mine slightly longer than recommended in the original recipe so its slightly more jellied and it was still great- use it warm for a more syrupy texture or chill in the fridge for a thicker cranberry-sauce texture. 

Even though its very similar to Thanksgiving-style cranberry sauce, I found it to be far far sweeter (um, maple syrup, ahem) and more suited to use on desserts and breakfasts.  It was the absolute perfect thing to stir into my morning oatmeal - and I immediately envisioned it on pancakes or crepes or stirred into plain Greek yogurt.  I tried it on some simple vanilla ice cream - amazing.  Then I thought how awesome would it be with walnut or caramel ice cream...or Panna Cotta?  It will definitely be topping pumpkin cake soon, and I don't see why it wouldn't be great slopped onto pumpkin or apple pie as well. Its makes a tasty little fall and holiday condiment for really...just about anything.

Maple-Cranberry Compote
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (about 200g)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (they recommend Grade B, cause the maple flavor is more intense...in Germany I take what I can get and Grade A is it - it was still plenty maple-y). 
1/4 cup Muscovado
1/4 cup mixed berry juice (or cranberry juice - which evidently isn't so easy to find in Berlin, who knew?)
1/2 tsp orange zest

Combine all the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.   Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until most of the berries have burst and the juice has thickened - around 5 minutes. 

Serve warm or cold, to your preference.  Can be made 3 days ahead  -  just keep covered in the fridge.

For the oatmeal - cook 2 cups quick-cook oats in 3 cups milk over medium heat, stirring frequently until oatmeal thickens.  About 2 minutes before it finishes stir in around 1/2 cup of the compote and maybe a bit of extra maple syrup (what can I say I have a sweet tooth).  I topped my bowl with a little extra compote as well :)