Pumpkin Gula Melaka Cheesecake

Remember my burnt pumpkin kueh? Well, the first batch of the tasteless pumpkin puree went into this cheesecake. Although overall I was happy with this cheesecake, what was missing was the natural creamy sweetness of pumpkin.

You know, I have not baked cheesecake for quite some time. In fact I haven't baked in a while and due to the lack of practice, I was a little clumsy and disorganized. 

I couldn't remember if the cake should be placed on the middle rack (yes) or lower rack (n0). And then I wondered if I should run a knife around the cheesecake after it came out of the oven or after it cooled (I did neither). Frankly, I was like a headless chicken that day.

After I poured the batter into the pan, I realized that I forgot to add flour to the mixture. Arrrghhh!!!! It was too late.

The batter was still quite jiggly (flour would have helped firm it up) after 1 hour in the oven. So I left it to bake further for another 15 minutes on residual heat. That seemed to help.

After the cake cooled completely, I put it in the fridge to chill overnight. The next day when I sliced the cake, I noticed that although it was firm, it was soft straight out of the fridge. Usually cheesecake is very firm when cold and needs some sitting time to soften. 

It wasn't such a bad thing as you can eat it straight out of the fridge although it requires careful slicing and handling. As for taste, since the pumpkin puree was bland, this cheesecake tasted only of mild gula Melaka (palm sugar). So that was disappointing. Other than that, given good quality pumpkin, this cheesecake would have been a success.

Pumpkin Gula Melaka Cheesecake

Recipe source : PH

Note : I used 8" round baking pan with removable bottom.

Ingredients :

For cheesecake base :

- 150g digestive biscuits, finely crushed

- 75g butter, melted

For filing :

- 400g cream cheese at room temperature

- 200g pumpkin puree

- 150g gula Melaka, grated

- 200ml santan (I used 1 box Santan Harmuni)

- 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk

- 1 tbsp plain flour

Method :

1. Make the base first. Mix crushed crushed biscuits with melted butter until mixture resembles wet sand.

2. Butter the cake pan and pour the biscuit/butter mixture into the pan. Press the mixture firmly on to the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, add santan and grated gula Melaka. Stir to dissolve the gula Melaka. Set aside.

4. In another mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy.

5. Add egg, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

6. Add pumpkin puree and continue to beat until well combined.

7. Pour in santan/gula Melaka mixture and stir using a spatula.

8. Sift in flour and mix until well combined.

9. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake in a water bath (use middle rack) for 50-60 minutes or until the cheesecake is firm (if the middle part is jiggly it is OK).

10. Remove from the oven and let cool completely and chill in the fridge for a few hours or preferably overnight.