Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake with Salted Date Caramel

I never thought I could love any dessert as much as I love pumpkin pie, but I was wrong! This pumpkin cheesecake is decadent! It’s rich, a little tangy, a little sweet, and has a great complexity due to our good ole’ friend pumpkin pie spice! The hardest thing about making this cheesecake is waiting for it to set up for 4 hours, because you will want to lick the bowl! You should definitely lick the bowl. To make this even better, it is also raw, oil free, and gluten free. You will be the belle of the Thanksgiving ball! This is how we made it:

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake with Salted Date Caramel

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 cup dates, chopped

½ cup walnuts

½ cup oats

Pinch of salt

Filling:

2 cups raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 30 mins

1 ½ cups pumpkin puree

1 cup coconut cream

¼ cup maple syrup

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

½ tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Salted Caramel:

½ cup dates, chopped

¼ cup coconut milk

1 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp maple syrup

Pinch of salt

First, soak the cashews in hot/boiling water for at least 30 minutes.

Next, let’s make crust. In a food processor, add the dates, walnuts, oats, and salt. Pulse until you have a combined, coarse mixture.

Line the bottom of a 8” springform pan with parchment paper. You can either press the paper against the sides, or pull the paper between the bottom and the sides of the pan leaving the sides exposed. Spray the sides with a little oil if you aren’t lining it with parchment.

Press the crust mixture evenly onto the bottom of the pan.

After the 30 minutes is up, we can make the filling. Drain the cashews and pour them into a high powered blender. Add the pumpkin, coconut cream, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt. Blend until smooth. The mixture is heavy, so you may have to scrape down the sides and give it a mix a few times to get it really smooth. You want it really smooth, so it will take a few cycles even in a high powered blender. IT IS WORTH THE WORK!

Pour the filling into the springform pan and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.

Freeze the cheesecake for at least four hours or even overnight.

To make the salted caramel, place all ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth and well combined. This may take 5 minutes or so to really dice up the dates. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to use.

Once your cheesecake has frozen, you’ll want to thaw it for about 15-30 minutes before serving. If you’ve left it in the freezer overnight or longer, you may need to thaw it closer to 45 minutes before serving. To remove from the springform, use a knife heated in hot water and then dried, and gently run it along the edge of the pan to release.

For the caramel topping, you can drizzle it on top using a pastry bag.

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