Forgive me Readers, for I have sinned. It has been one year since I made a graham cracker crust from scratch. I’ve become dependant on the easy crusts you can buy the in the baking section. Well, this weekend I was punished for my transgression for I not only didn’t go for homemade, I went cheap!
I was preparing for company and wanted to prepare a yummy but simple seasonal dessert. Immediately, I thought of pumpkin cheesecake. The store I shopped at didn’t have my usual “cheater” crust so I just bought the one that they had on the shelf and didn’t give it second thought.
When I got home, I took off the plastic protector and the crust started to crumble instantly. For whatever reason, I still used it and poured my delicious, pumpkin filling in the crust.
I put the cheesecake on a baking sheet and placed it in the oven. The timer went off and that is when the s**t hit the fan. Actually, it was the cheesecake that hit every surface in my kitchen.
What happened, you ask? I tried to pull it out of the oven to cool and the sucker folded up on me like a taco and oozed pumpkin cheesecake guts all over my baking sheet and potholders. The tin was just a flimsy piece of junk.
Being the mature adult that I am, I had a major fit. I took the goopy potholders and whipped them toward the sink. During this mad rage I wasn’t thinking and when I threw the potholders the filling went EVERYWHERE! There was pumpkin on the windows, cabinets and floors!
This tantrum was an embarrassing display of horrible anger management. It was magnified by my husband’s desperate attempts to dodge the pumpkin shrapnel as he tried to help me get the cheesecake out of the oven! (He came running in when the pumpkin and profanity started to fly.) Seriously, someone could have lost an eye. It was a dangerous situation.
I eventually calmed down and cleaned the kitchen so there was no evidence my frenzy. Unfortunately, there was a witness to replay the events when my company walked in the door. (Foiled again!)
I salvaged what I could of my messed up cheesecake and still served it (covered in whipped cream) to my guests. (I did not serve anything I scraped off the floor, ceiling, windows or husband.) SEE UGLY PICTURE BELOW!
My penance was that I had to make another cheesecake with my extra filling. I still used a “cheater” crust but I went to the store that carried the Elfin magic! I will make my own crust for Thanksgiving or may Julia Child strike me down!
| Off The Wall Pumpkin Cheesecake |
- 3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, room temp
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- cup sugar (add 1 cup if you have a sweeter tooth)
- 1 tsp of vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- Dash of nutmeg
- 2 6-ounce premade graham cracker crusts (Make sure it is a good quality!!!)
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
- Add sugar, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. (Should be creamy before you proceed)
- Beat in eggs and vanilla.
- Add pumpkin and make sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Put crusts on baking sheets and divide filling evenly into both.
- Bake at 350 for about 35-45 minutes. (The middles should be set)
- Let cool for about a half hour and refrigerate for at least 4 hours!
- Top with whipped cream.
As part of my punishment, I am posting the ugly cheesecake! Lesson learned!!! (PS Don’t forget to “Like” me on Facebook!)
